What is poetry?

Have you always wanted to try to write poetry but never quite managed to start? This free course, What is poetry?, is designed to illustrate the techniques behind both the traditional forms of poetry and free verse. You will learn how you can use your own experiences to develop ideas and how to harness your imagination.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 What is poetry?: an introduction
• 1 What is poetry?: an introduction
• 2 Forming the form
• 2 Forming the form
• 3 What is poetry?
• 3 What is poetry?
• 4 Impersonation and imagination
• 4 Impersonation and imagination
• 5 Poetic techniques
• 5 Poetic techniques
• 5.1 Lines and line-breaks
• 5.2 Free verse
• 5.3 Stanzas and verse
• 5.4 Tercets
• 5.5 Quatrains
• 5.6 Other stanza lengths
• 6 Rhyme
• 6 Rhyme
• 7 Other rhyming techniques
• 7 Other rhyming techniques
• 8 Stress and rhythm
• 8 Stress and rhythm
• 9 Metre
• 9 Metre
• 10 Hold that space!
• 10 Hold that space!
• Glossary
• References
• Acknowledgements