THE POETRY KIT SPRING COMPETITION 2023
This year's competition is for poetry on any subject.

There are no style or length restrictions, but it should be stressed that a short poem is just as likely to be selected as a longer one. 

1st prize value is £220  Competition closes Midnight 21st June 2023

Competition Judge;   Lucy Turnbull, former editor of Optimum Poetry Magazine. Lucy says "I want to read poems that are surprising and use unique and exciting images.  It does not matter what the subject is but I want to feel that this is different and I am gaining something from the poem, an insight or another persons viewpoint which makes this poem special.".

See https://www.poetrykit.org/comp%20-spring.htm

MENTORING FOR POETS THROUGH POETRY KIT

For over forty years Jim Bennett has been teaching and mentoring poets many have gone on to be published in magazines and anthologies around the world, win competitions and have collections of their poetry published.  

Even if you just want to improve your writing on a personal level, or learn new techniques or how to adapt poetic devices, or to find your own voice, we can help you to achieve that.

If you want to see more of your poetry getting into print, to understand what editors are looking for, to know that your poetry is as good as it can be, we can help you achieve that.  

If you need help putting together a booklet or collection, we can help you achieve that.  

All mentoring is personal and conducted by Jim Bennett, the length of time taken will depend on response times from students, but each programme consists of 10 units we allow up to nine months for the completion of the programme although it can be completed in.   The cost of individual mentoring by Jim Bennett is £110 but places are limited.  For further details or to enrol on this programme, go to https://www.poetrykit.org/pkcourse/pkcourses_ment.htm  

MASTERCLASS MENTORING PROGRAMME

Our new Masterclass Mentoring Programme is available to anyone who feels that it is time to move on in their career as a poet.  With a stunning number of tasks and challenges and lots of clear and positive feedback it presents a pathway to improvement and career development enabling our students to produce a portfolio of poems suitable for a collection or for competition entry.   Our masterclass programme is £220.  For further details or to enrol on this programme, go to
https://poetrykit.org/pkcourse/pkcourses_mclass.htm 



In addition we offer other courses including three week short courses on specific subject areas.  Here is what is available in May 2023

Reprise a course for £20 
Many of our students want to repeat a course and it seems unfair to ask for a full fee so if you want to repeat a course and submit new poems for the tasks then it will cost only £20 using the payment link. Do remember to write and let us know which course you want.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=K77BNVPJN2LX4 


SPECIAL OFFER 
Book any two short courses for £50 using the link below, and then please write to us at [log in to unmask] to let us know which two courses you would like.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=6ESMVNLE4NG6Q 



SHORT COURSES FOR MAY 2023 – 8th to 29th May 2023


Journeys  (NEW)
This three-week course will be looking at Journeys and how they can inform all aspects of poetry.  From actual journeys to new places, through embodying journey as a metaphor to engaging with the journey through life.  There are many ways to approach this, and we will be looking at many of those and seeing how the ideas can be used in our poems.   The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 – https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B2MNJRGF89RJ8 

Seasons  
Poets have always been inspired by the seasons.  And the subtle changes they bring stand as metaphor and symbols for events in life as well as presenting colour and background.  This course will look at how the poet can use the season to best advantage and deliver poems that engage with the seasons, and how the season can add layers of meaning in a poem.  The course is conducted over 3 weeks at a cost of £30 - https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=FP3EWJSW7ZUQ8 

The Right Word 
Mark Twain said “To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement.” And it is true that a well-chosen word can bring a poem to life and a poorly chosen word can stifle it.  In this course we will be looking at how the choice of a single word can set the tone and mood in a poem, and even be used to engage with a subtext that create layers in a poem’s understanding.  The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 –  
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=DBS2BDHTT3W36      

Developing the Craft
This three-week course looks at developing a number of craft elements that will help the poet to produce modern freeform poetry.  Understanding how and when to use some poetic devices that will engage with the reader can be the key to writing engaging poetry.  The cost of this course is £30 https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WENDB4T6SAGCS 

Writing Ekphrastic Poetry
The aim of this course is to look at the different approaches that can be taken to bring new insights to poems that engage with a piece of visual art.  During the course poets will be asked to respond to a series of paintings using a variety of techniques. Poems will be workshopped and full feedback given. The cost of this course is £30 https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H8J5AMXL8FTFN

Writing in traditional forms
This three week course looks at new modern ways to use traditional forms.  These forms can be ways for poets to grow the tools available and to find new ways to say what they want.  These forms can produce memorable and exciting ways to explore modern topics.  This is a challenging course that asks poets to look at some traditional forms in new ways. The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 –
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GY3FNDXNXT3H6

Poetry and the Natural world
This is a short online course for poets who want to look at the ways to engage with  the naural world, and look at the impact of human activities on the world around us.  On this course we will move from the romantic view of nature to the urban landscape and to the impact of human activity. We will be looking at and writing poetry relevant to our changing world.  The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 –
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2XUS74ASPPDZ6

Poetry and Science 
This short online course looks at how poetry can interface with different sciences and provide a way to use exciting ideas in poetry, and how poetry can interpret a scientific world view.   Starting with geology, and onto physics and astronomy.  You do not need a scientific background just an interest in finding new ways to develop poetry. The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 –
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2RJQ37ZF587LW

Images, short forms, and haiku
This course looks at the role played by images in poetry.  It considers their use in short forms and how they can be used to develop engaging and memorable poems.  As part of this process, we will be looking at the opportunities and challenges presented by short forms including haiku.  The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 -
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=W48NLELP3TB92 

Strategies for Writing Poetry
What do you do when you hit a point when the ideas and ability that you rely on for writing poetry dry up.  This happens to most writers from time to time, and on this course, we will look at proven strategies to get past this point.  This is a course suitable for everyone even if you do not have a problem as these are strategies to help approach poetry in new ways.  The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 –  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=YSCXM42LTKWGU

Adventures in Poetry
This short course looks at ways to approach poetry and to consider it in a wider context.  We will look at new ways to engage with poetry and the reader.  To present poetry in new ways and to bring a freshness to your writing. The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 –
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=B8CSV48PN25S4

The language of shape 
Lines and Stanza.  Understanding the way structure influences the way the poem is received.  Different ways to engage with line and shape in poetry.  Using end stopping and enjambment and caesura to add interest and structure in a poem.  Standard and non-standard punctuation in modern poetry.   The course will be conducted online over three weeks, at a cost of £30 –  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=YRKQFPDXJT2VY

Phycogeography and Place in Poetry
This short course looks at ways in which the poet and the reader are 
influenced by place.  How the urban environment can feed into the poetry and becomes an essential setting.  We also look at the way place influences the interpretation of the poem and how to develop a sense of place in poetry.  The cost of the course is £30
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3R9FUX9W5R952 

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