Online Poetry Workshop with Andrew Jamison

‘Writing Now’

Starts: Thursday 12 October 2023
Time: 7.00pm – 8.30pm
Duration: 4 weeks (October 12th, 19th, 26th and November 2nd)
Cost: €25

Course Level: Aspiring

All remote courses take place on Irish Standard Time (GMT)

Course Summary 
Join Andrew Jamison for this four-week course, aimed at those who are either starting or finding their voice, and in need of some feedback and direction. The focus of this short course will be on students writing, sharing and improving their poetry through a supportive, yet critical workshop environment. Each session will begin by exploring some of the most exciting poets writing today at home and abroad, using their work as a stimulus for our own writing. The majority of the sessions, though, will be dedicated to participants sharing their own writing, and seeking constructive criticism from Andrew and their peers in the group.

Course Outline
Week 1 – What’s Happening? A general introduction to contemporary poetry and how it compares to the past, in terms of style and themes, followed by a student workshop.
Week 2 – Irish Poetry Now – We’ll explore a few of the best Irish poets writing today, and identify thematic and technical trends. This will be followed by a student workshop.
Week 3 – British Poetry Now – We’ll take a look at what’s happening in British poetry now, and explore the patterns of styles and voices which seem to be emerging. This will be followed by a student workshop where you’ll have the chance to get instant feedback on your own writing.
Week 4 – American Poetry Now – Our last session will focus on voices coming from across the pond, and the influence they seem to be having here. This will be followed by a student workshop.

Course Outcome
Participants will finish the course with a richer appreciation and understanding of poetry being written today. They will have refined and rethought their own writing processes, as well as benefited from sharing their work with a group of supportive writers. 

Course Leader
Born in County Down in 1986, Andrew Jamison lives near Oxford with his wife and two children. Having studied at the University of London and at St Andrews he now works as an English teacher while completing a doctorate at the University of Reading. The Gallery Press published Happy Hour in 2012 and Stay in 2017. His awards include the Templar Poetry Prize, an ACNI ACES award, a SIAP award, a New York Residency and a Cambridge University Long Vacation Scholarship. He has years of experience of running poetry workshops for adults. His third collection, Swans We Cannot See, will be published by Gallery in autumn 2023.