Writing Poetry: Sonnets

A single session on campus on Saturday 8 November, 10am-4pm.

Overview

This is a one-day course that introduces the sonnet form to aspiring poets. The sonnet is a poetic form popular in Europe since the thirteenth century. Why does it persist?

This course will consider the Petrarchan sonnet, the Shakespearean sonnet and the Meredithian sonnet. We will read examples together and discuss the ways in which sonnets achieve their effects.

We'll provide you with the knowledge and confidence to be able to explore the sonnet form and write your own sonnets. If you're interested in writing poetry or already write your own poetry but would like to start experimenting with poetic form, this is the course for you. Previous knowledge of sonnets is not required.

Course lecturer

Dr Pauline Rowe was awarded her PhD in 2019 and has taught at the University of Liverpool and the University of Edge Hill. She was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Chester (2022 – 2024). Pauline has worked in community and health settings for over 20 years encouraging and supporting people to explore their creative skills, especially through reading and writing poetry. She was the founder of North End Writers and ran the charity from 2006 to 2020. She was also the first Poet-in-Residence with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust (2013 – 2020) and the first Writer-in-Residence with Open Eye Gallery (2016 – 2019). 

Paula has 9 poetry publications and her pamphlet The Weight of Snow (Maytree Press, 2021) won a Saboteur award. She is currently Writer-in-Residence for the People of Anfield project, originally commissioned by Culture Liverpool and supported by Open Eye Gallery.

Course fee

£55.