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Finding the Poem
Finding the Poem with Paul Lyalls
Complete beginners to poetry sought; relative newcomers very welcome; seasoned poets, come along too! This course is fantastic for producing lots of new material in great company.
Finding The Poem is for anyone who wants to liberate their creativity and immerse themselves in the joy of language. Playful, fun, entertaining, enlightening – maximise your word power with Paul Lyalls.
We'll each write two poems per session, following carefully guided prompts. We'll share these by reading aloud for supportive appreciation. Sharing isn't compulsory but is strongly encouraged because people gain so much from the experience. The work is fresh and the ink isn't dry, so nobody expects polished poems on the night.
One of the beauties of this course is that participants come away with twelve brand new poems to develop and craft. Which is probably why so many people take it on repeat!
A note to prose writers: have you ever wondered what it is like to write in the poetic form? Perhaps you write in prose automatically, but would like to try to use language in another way. If your fiction needs a lift, if your life-writing needs lilt, if your central characters don’t quite sing (or even if they do!) you can free your writing through poetry.
Paul has five sets of workshops which can be taken in any order:
Set 1: A fistful of poems...
Week 1) Sparks that ignite every time
Week 2) What's so funny?
Week 3) The magic in everything we do
Week 4) The confessions of possessions
Week 5 ) Fairytales, song lyrics: meaning and reconvening
Set 2: For a few poems more...
Week 1) The eternal truths
Week 2) Journeys and the travelogue in conversation
Week 3) Sorry not sorry
Week 4) Image detectives
Week 5) As the saying goes
Week 6) Tone and setting – gambling not betting
Set 3: The good, the bard and the unlikely...
Week 1) The people steeple
Week 2) Heart and soul of the people we know (not T'pau)
Week 3) Rooms
Week 4) Wants and desire via road trip to India
Week 5) The cinema within a moment
Week 6) The ghost in you (not The Furs)
Set 4: Writers on the storm...
1) Making headlines for all the write reasons
2) Camera, lights, action and the kodak moment. The writer's camera
3) Guilty pleasure repent at leisure
4) The Poetry Tool Box
5) Places, spaces, own personal oasis
6) Speculative poetry, shaping the unshapeable
Set 5: Once upon a rhyme in the west...
1) Giving life to time
2) The locations of emotions
3) News you can use
4) Discovery. Recovery
5) The museum of the self
6) The death of time
MISSED IT SINCE IT ENDED!
“I did Paul’s Finding The Poem course this Autumn and I can honestly say that it was one of the best decisions I have made this year – I can’t believe I almost didn’t sign up! Having been mildly terrified at the idea of starting, I quickly began to look forward to each session and have missed it terribly since it ended.”
Laura
Finding the Poem
PAUL IS A MAGICIAN
“Paul is a magician: he set up poetry spells using ingredients like borrowed words from all kinds of places, he led us through unseen doorways deploying fun and clever ways of plumbing our heads and our everyday lives and random thoughts.”
Jessica
Finding the Poem
ZOOM DELIVERY
£155
Max 11 participants
Autumn (Set 4): Evenings
- Mondays 6.30-9pm
- Sept 15, 22, 29, Oct 6, 15, 20
OR - Tuesdays 6.30-9pm
- Sept 16, 23, 30, Oct 7, 14, 21
Autumn (Set 5): Evenings
- Mondays 6.30-9pm
- Nov 3, 10, 19, 24, Dec 1, 8
- OR
- Tuesdays 6.30-9pm
- Nov 4, 11, 18, 25, Dec 2, 9
Spring 2026 (Set 1): Evenings
- Mondays 6.30-9pm
- Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, Feb 2, 9
- OR
- Tuesdays 6.30-9pm
- Jan 6, 13, 20, 27, Feb 3, 10
Spring 2026 (Set 2): Evenings
- Mondays 6.30-9pm
- Feb 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
OR - Tuesdays 6.30-9pm
- Feb 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
- Mondays 6.30-9pm
-
Dates TBC
OR - Tuesdays 6.30-9pm
- Dates TBC
Summer 2026 (Set 3): Evenings
Our tutor Paul says...
For me every session is a gathering of explorers. I issue, in the form of themes & steps, where we are going, if you like give everyone the same map and compass, but from there onwards I don't know where everyone will journey to. It's a very exciting ride to dozens of different destinations and a joy to be part of.
Paul Lyalls
Paul Lyalls was poet in residence for the Roald Dahl Museum 2013/2014 and star of BBC2’s/CBBC’s ‘Big Slam Poetry House’. His poetry is funny and moving and his poetry workshops produce extraordinary poems from people of all ages. Paul has been poet in residence at ten secondary schools and over twenty primary schools. His new poetry collection for adults, Catching the Cascade (Flipped Eye), was shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize. His children’s collection A Funny Thing Happened (2014), with an intro by Michael Rosen, is loved by kids and people with inner kids of all ages,
and now his new collection for children, Words Are Frogs (Caboodle Books, 2024), is wowing a whole new generation of kids and their adults! In 2008, Paul was Poet for the London Borough of Brent (London’s fifth coolest Borough) and he has performed at Wembley stadium. He has two poems in Michael Rosen’s A-Z: The Best Children’s Poetry from Agard to Zephaniah (Penguin). Paul has also performed at ten Edinburgh festivals, one Eton College, five Glastonburys and on a 73 Bus, which made the ‘and finally…’ bit of the 6pm national news. Paul was Poet for the London Borough of Islington’s Word Festival 2012-16, working regularly with Arsenal football club performing his poetry in their dressing room and on their pitch!
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