Becoming a Poet 2011 - Part One: Writing New Poems with Paul Perry

A three-month course beginning 3rd October 2011

The James Joyce Centre,

35 North Great George’s Street,

Dublin 1

Course Fee: €1500 (payable as €500 on booking, and two further instalments of €500 on 1st November, 1st December 2011)

Led by Course Director and acclaimed poet Paul Perry, Becoming a Poet - Part One, is aimed at new or experienced writers who aim to develop or publish a first collection of poetry, with particular emphasis on the creation of new poems.

Students will attend weekly evening workshops designed to develop an appreciation of poetry, hone practical skills, and become better writers and editors of their own work. In addition, there will be two full-day sessions taking place during two Saturdays on the course. There will also be guest seminars given by well-known poets and provide a unique insight into the writing process and access to established poets.

During the course students will be expected to devote as much time as possible to reading the work of other writers, writing new poems and editing existing ones so that by the end of the course they should be in a better position to assemble a strong body of work which they may wish to consider submitting to key poetry journals.

Equally, students should finish the course with a greater and more rounded enjoyment of the pleasures of reading poetry as well as a fuller appreciation of poetic technique and composition. Individual feedback will be given by the Course Director and students will be expected to peer-review each other’s work on a regular basis. There will be opportunities for students to discuss ‘next steps’ with the Course Director and guest speakers. At the end of the course all students will be expected to give a short reading.

This course is a fantastic foundation for Becoming a Poet - Part Two: Towards a Manuscript which will run from January – March 2012.

Course Programme

The course consists of 12 two-hour evening sessions and 2 full-day sessions. Evening sessions will take place on Mondays from 6.30-8.30pm (with the exception of Thursday 3 November). Full-day sessions will take place on Saturdays from 10.00am-5.00pm. Saturday sessions will include visits from guest speakers, in-class writing sessions and peer review.

The subject matter of sessions as listed below is a guide only. The exact course content will be finalized according to the experience and interests of the group and guest speaker availability. The detail of the course content is at the discretion of the Course Director and the Faber Academy.

Session 1   Mon 3 Oct              Introduction

Session 2   Mon 10 Oct            The Dramatic Monologue

Session 3   Mon 17 Oct            Ekphrasis: Poetry Confronting Art

Session 4   Mon 24 Oct            The Epistolary Poem

Session 5   Thur 3 Nov             Describing an Object

Session 6   Sat 5 Nov          10-1pm   In-Class Writing

                                           2-5pm   Guest Poet Workshop and Reading

Session 7   Mon 7th Nov           The Black Mountain Poets

Session 8   Mon 14 Nov            The Ode

Session 9   Mon 21 Nov            Narrative

Session 10  Mon 28 Nov           Sestina & Villanelle

Session 11  Sat 3 Dec         10-1pm   In-Class Writing

                                           2-5pm   Guest Poet Workshop and Reading

Session 12  Mon 5 Dec             The New York School

Session 13  Mon 12 Dec           The Line

Session 14  Mon 19 Dec           The Prose Poem

Course Director

Paul Perry is a previous winner of the Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year Award, Paul and has been a Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Miami, the University of Houston, and at Kingston University, London. Currently, he teaches on the MA for Creative Writing at UCD and has taught for the Faber Academy since 2009.  He is the author and editor of a number of critically acclaimed books including ‘The Drowning of the Saints’, ‘Goldsmith’s Ghost’, and ‘The Orchid Keeper’. ‘The Last Falcon and Small Ordinance’ appears from The Dedalus Press in 2010.

How to Book

If you would like more information or would rather book a place over the phone, please contact Ian Ellard on +44 (0)207 927 3827; alternatively, please email ian.ellard@faber.co.uk.