The title is taken from Samuel Taylor
Coleridge and is just one of many definitions of Poetry. For prose, it is more
simply, the best words.
Poetry is a very precise but often
misunderstood art form. Prose on the other hand is looked upon as something
anyone can do, and dare I say it can be applied to blogs, tweets and texts. Whether
you are a complete beginner or have been writing all your life, this course
aims to help you enjoy writing both poetry and prose which in turn requires
some knowledge and understanding of techniques and traditions, poetic, dramatic
and narrative styles, Consequently, we will be reading and analysing many
well-known and more obscure examples of great poems and extracts from plays and
novels in order to recognize form and take inspiration from the masters. Whilst
you will be encouraged to find your own voice it is important that we
understand and attempt to emulate the distinctive features of poetic and
prosaic craft. We will work in different forms such as haikus, odes, sonnets,
limericks and free verse, short stories, autobiographical snippets,
experimenting and assimilating techniques, such as rhythm, rhyme, imagery
metaphor and onomatopoeia, characterisation and description.
You will develop skills in drafting and editing
and will enjoy presenting and sharing your work whilst contributing and
responding to constructive suggestions achieving a varied portfolio at the end
of the week.
All you need is an open mind, a desire to
write and your preferred tool for writing. Pen and paper are just as good as a laptop
or tablet.
NB MCSS will provide you with a booklet
of pieces to inspire, but you are welcome to bring along any piece of writing
or poetry of your own choice.
