Faber & Faber

Course begins on 6 October 2010

The James Joyce Centre
35 North Great George's Street
Dublin 1

Price: €3,000

Becoming a Poet 2010, Dublin: A practical workshop-based course which covers all aspects of poetry-writing, from improving your technical skills to putting together a first collection.

Becoming a Poet 2010 is a six-month course commencing in October 2010. Students will attend weekly evening workshops designed to develop an appreciation of poetry, hone practical skills, and become better writers and editors of their own work.

In addition there will be six full-day sessions to take place on one Saturday every month. Most sessions will be led by the Course Director, poet Paul Perry. There will also be guest seminars given by well-known poets and publishers to provide a unique insight into the publishing industry and access to established poets.

Becoming a Poet 2010 is an intensive course aimed at new or experienced writers who aim to publish a first collection of poetry. Students will be expected to devote as much time as possible to reading the work of other writers, writing new poems and editing existing ones so that by the end of the course they should be in a better position to assemble a strong body of work which they may wish to consider submitting to key poetry journals and publishers.

Equally, students should finish the course with a greater and more rounded enjoyment of the pleasures of reading poetry as well as a fuller appreciation of poetic technique and composition.

Individual feedback will be given by the Course Director and students will be expected to peer-review each other’s work on a regular basis. There will be opportunities for students to discuss ‘next steps’ with the Course Director and with the guest speakers. At the end of the course all students will be expected to give a short reading.

The course will be selective.

Course Programme

All classes will be based at:

The James Joyce Centre
35 North Great George's Street
Dublin 1

The course consists of 24 two-hour evening sessions and 6 full-day sessions. Evening sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 6.30-8.30pm. Full-day sessions will take place on Saturdays from 10.00am-5.00pm. Saturday sessions will include visits from guest speakers, in-class writing sessions, and lecturers on poets and craft.

NOTE: There will be a break for Christmas between sessions 14 and 15.

The subject matter of sessions as listed below is a guide only. The exact course content will be finalized according to the experience and interests of the group and guest speaker availability. The detail of the course content is at the discretion of the Course Director and the Faber Academy.

Session Details:

NB: This is a provisional programme and subject to change.

Required Reading

The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Volumes I and II, W.W Norton & Co Inc; Format: Paperback, 2003.

Other texts will be recommended by the Course Director.

How to Apply

There are 16 places available on Becoming a Poet 2010.

Applicants should write a letter of application and return it to c/o Becky Fincham at the Faber Academy, Bloomsbury House, 74-77 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DA or email it to beckyf@faber.co.uk no later than 23 August 2010. The letter, no more than one page, should state your writing experience and why you wish to attend this Faber Academy writing course. In addition, your letter should include:

1. A sample of your poetry [3-5 poems. Max 5 pages of A4 (point size 12)]. Please do not send your only copy as this will not be returned.

2. A stamped addressed postcard if you wish your application to be acknowledged.

3. A stamped addressed envelope for receipt of the results of your application.

Participants will be selected at the discretion of the Course Director and the Faber Academy.

Course Director

A previous winner of the Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year Award, Paul Perry has been a Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Miami and the University of Houston. Currently, he teaches Creative Writing at UCD and at Kingston University, London. He is the author and editor of a number of critically acclaimed books including The Drowning of the Saints, Goldsmith’s Ghost, and The Orchid Keeper. The Last Falcon and Small Ordinance appears from The Dedalus Press in 2010.

Disclaimer

The Course Directors and Faber and Faber take no responsibility for lost or damaged applications and no correspondence will be entered into with unsuccessful applicants, although they may be invited to apply for future courses.

Successful applicants will be asked to pay a non-refundable deposit towards the course fees of €1,000 by 10 September 2010. The balance of the course fee, a further €2,000, will be payable in 4 further installments of €500 on 28 September, 28 October, 28 November and 28 December 2010 respectively. Once the deposit has been paid students will be liable to pay the entire course fee. No refunds will be given to students who miss sessions or drop out of the course.  

The subject matter of course sessions is subject to change due to the level of experience and interests of the group and availability of guest speakers. The content of the programme is determined at the discretion of the Course Directors and the Faber Academy.

Although the Faber Academy is run by Faber and Faber publishers, admission to the course does not guarantee publication by them or any other publisher.

How to Contact the Faber Academy

For further information and booking details:

Contact Becky on either beckyf@faber.co.uk or tel. +44 (0) 20 7927 3822.