Immersive Poetry: A Beginner’s Guide

This course is an introduction to reading poetry, with a focus on finding enjoyment and emotional connection in reading by immersing oneself in poems. It is designed for both poetry-lovers and beginners to poetry alike, and may be especially helpful for people who want to start reading poetry, but may find it intimidating or confusing.

Students will learn common ways of approaching and thinking about poetry, as well as reading techniques that can help you understand more about the poem and foster deeper enjoyment. There will be explanations of the typical elements of poetry, poetic devices, rhetorical devices, and the terminology people often use to talk about them – but this isn’t about memorising theory, rather these are useful tools to shape your own interpretation and reaction to any poem. The course will also discuss poetry as a visual form and audial form, exploring how the arrangement of words on a page or the rhythm and tone of spoken words can affect how a poem makes us feel.

After learning about the elements of poetry, students will be introduced to a few popular forms of poetry, such as the sonnet, the haiku, and the ballad. You will be invited to think about the common themes each form explores, and how each form supports the topic and emotion it wants to express.

At the end of the course, students will be able to use their knowledge of poetry and its elements to develop a greater sensitivity to poetry, its emotions, its messages, and its relationship to each of our lives and experiences.