This course consists of 24 x Thursday evening sessions from 6:30 – 8:30pm AEST/ AEDT.
2026 Dates
Session 1: Thursday, 23 July
Welcome and Introductions
We begin by sharing our own poetics, reasons for writing, and the nascent thematic concerns of our intended collections. We’ll return to basic, essential questions: what is poetry? How do we know when a poem is a poem? Why do we read poetry? What do we want our collections to be? We’ll discuss what constitutes a “poetic project” and what we might need to consider when committing a sequence of poems to a single, cohesive volume. For the second hour, bring a poem – not your own – to read to the group, 16 lines or less, and tell us in two minutes what draws you to this poem. It’s fine to read notes if you prefer.
Session 2: Thursday, 30 July
The Image I: Precision and the Art of Noticing
This session focuses on arresting detail, analysing why certain images remain with the reader and how to curate sensory particulars that carry psychological and thematic weight.
Session 3: Thursday, 6 August
The Image II: Trusting Detail
How can the poet use detail to lead the reader (and themselves) outwards instead of in? We’ll practise techniques for allowing the hyper-particular to drive the poem’s trajectory outwards, connecting specific observations with broader universal resonances.
Session 4: Thursday, 13 August
The Poetic Line: Structural and Acoustic Tension
An exploration of lineation and enjambment. We will investigate how the line functions as a unit of tension and breath, distinguishing poetry from prose, and consider how consistent lineation strategies help define the aural and visual identity of a book-length collection. The second hour of this class sees the first session of our first round of peer/instructor workshops. A maximum of three students will submit one long or two short poems, or up to 30 lines of poetry in total, for constructive feedback from the group. Your instructor will guide the discussion.
Session 5: Thursday, 20 August
The Lyric, Past and Present
This session dives into the “lyric present”—the poem’s unique ability to reside in a state of perpetual “now”. We will explore how poems hold multiple time frames simultaneously. The second hour of this class sees the second of our first round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 6: Thursday, 27 August
Guest Speaker: Claire Potter
Poet and psychoanalytic scholar Claire Potter discusses language, form, and perception in writing, drawing on her cross‑disciplinary practice spanning poetry, translation, and architecture at the Architectural Association London. The second hour of this class sees the third of our first round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 7: Thursday, 3 September
The Lyric ‘I’: from Personal to Universal
Explore the poetic range of the ‘I’ in a poem. Through close readings we’ll consider how ‘I’ can evolve beyond personal expression to collective resonance. The second hour of this class sees the fourth of our first round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 8: Thursday, 10 September
Poems of Instruction – the Playful and the Serious
In this session we will be looking at a number of poems that are constructed around the grammatical imperative. In other words, these are poems that contain instructions, warnings, requests, and commands. Participants will be asked to consider how the direct address affects their reading of a poem, and their relationship to it. In the second hour, your tutor will guide you through two related writing exercises.
COURSE BREAK
Session 9: Thursday, 22 October
Poetry and the Natural World
This session looks at how poets blur boundaries between the human and non‑human. Participants will examine ecopoetic approaches that dissolve the separation between self, environment, and voice. The second hour of this class sees the first of our second round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 10: Thursday, 29 October
Guest Speaker: Judith Beveridge
One of Australia’s most celebrated poets, Judith Beveridge has long explored the spiritual and sensory dimensions of the natural world. She’ll discuss the processes behind her award-winning collections and share insights into sustaining a long writing life. The second hour of this class sees the second of our second round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 11: Thursday, 5 November
Politics and Poetry I: Satire
This workshop examines poetry’s comic and critical force. Participants will read historical and contemporary satirical poems to understand how humour sharpens dissent and invites readers to think differently. The second hour of this class sees the third of our second round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 12: Thursday, 12 November
Politics and Poetry II: Poetry of Witness
Focusing on poetry as testimony, this session explores how poets respond to injustice, crisis, and collective memory. We will discuss the allure and the pitfalls of writing poetry prompted by moral and ethical imperatives. The second hour of this class sees the fourth of our second round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 13: Thursday, 19 November
Guest Poet: Ali Cobby Eckermann
Yankunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann—winner of the Windham‑Campbell Prize—joins us to speak about poetry as survival and renewal. She will reflect on the role of story, ancestry, and listening, in her acclaimed work. The second hour of this class sees the first of our third round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 14: Thursday, 26 November
The Topical in Poetry
When does a poem responding to its moment transcend the moment? We’ll consider examples of poems that capture current events yet achieve lasting resonance through craft, empathy, and form. The second hour of this class sees the second of our third round of peer/instructor workshops.
COURSE BREAK [one on one consultations with Sarah Day]
2027 Dates
Session 15: Thursday, 25 February
Review of Projects
A collaborative review session to assess progress, share drafts, and set directions for the coming term. Participants will report on their writing during the break and refine goals for completing their collections. The second hour of this class sees the third of our third round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 16: Thursday, 4 March
Rhythm, Acoustics and Syllabic Verse
This week, we’ll explore how rhythm and sound shape meaning. Poets will experiment with metre and syllabic techniques to discover new tonal possibilities. The second hour of this class sees the fourth of our third round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 17: Thursday, 11 March
The Art of Form I: the Sonnet and the Sestina
We study the sonnet’s evolution across centuries—its compressive thought, argument, and volta—and practice crafting tension and release within fixed form. The second hour of this class sees the first of our final round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 18: Thursday, 18 March
The Art of Form II: the Villanelle
Discover the hypnotic pattern of repetition and return in the villanelle. This session focuses on how constraints can generate emotional intensity and surprise. The second hour of this class sees the second of our final round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 19: Thursday, 25 March
The Art of Form III: Prose Poetry
This week focuses on the hybrid space between poem and paragraph. We’ll explore compression, rhythm, and the possibilities of prose form in poetry collections. The second hour of this class sees the third of our final round of peer/instructor workshops.
Session 20: Wednesday, 1 April
The Art of Endings
This session considers what gives a poem or collection its sense of closure. We’ll look at how tone, imagery, and rhythm create after‑echoes, and how endings can open meaning rather than merely conclude it. The second hour of this class sees the fourth of our final round of peer/instructor workshops.
COURSE BREAK
Session 21: Thursday, 29 April
Editing Your Work
Guest editor: David Musgrave
Poet, novelist, and publisher at Puncher & Wattmann, David Musgrave leads a practical workshop on editing individual poems and shaping a cohesive manuscript. Participants will explore revision strategies and discuss how editorial perspective clarifies voice and structure in a collection.
Session 22: Thursday, 6 May
Publishing Poetry
Guest publisher: Lavinia Greenlaw (Faber & Faber)
Poet, novelist, and long-time Faber & Faber editor Lavinia Greenlaw will discuss the publishing process from submission to book. Drawing on her work as both writer and editor, she’ll offer insight into how collections take shape within a publishing house—what editors look for, how poets can refine their manuscripts for submission, and how to sustain a creative vision through the stages of publication.
Session 23: Thursday, 13 May
Voicing Your Poetry
with guest poet Omar Sakr
Award‑winning poet Omar Sakr leads a dynamic session on bringing poetry from page to voice. Participants will explore rhythm, tone, and presence in performance, learning how spoken delivery can reveal new dimensions of meaning and emotion within their work.
Session 24: Thursday, 27 May
Celebration and Reading
A concluding evening to share work from the course, celebrate completed drafts, and reflect on our journeys toward our book‑length collections.
All sessions are held online on Zoom. The exact course content could be adjusted according to the experience and concerns of the group and availability of guest writers. The detail of the course is at the discretion of the Course Director and Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin.
