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Beginning Rhyme: September 24, 2026
This course is currently full. Join the list to hear first when I run it again.
Rhyme is the first thing most beginners reach for — and the first thing that makes a poem sound like a greeting card
Thursday 24 September 2026 · 12:30–2:00pm ET (9:30–11am PT, 5:30–7pm UK)
The last four runs of this series sold out, and places are limited to 15.
There are good reasons to want rhyme when you're starting out.
It's a time-honored tool, and learning it is your first step into a tradition centuries deep. It creates the sonic mood of a poem. It highlights important ideas. It pushes you toward phrases and images you'd never have found on your own. And it gives a poem structure — something to hold on to, which is exactly what a beginner needs.
But rhyme is also where beginners most often come unstuck:
Not knowing the different kinds of rhyme, or when to use each one
“Bossy rhyme,” where the sound takes over and “bosses” the meaning
Lines that end up stiff and predictable.
In this workshop I'll show you how to dodge those problems and get the gold.
We'll cover
How to make rhymes that sound great instead of clunky
When to use the different kinds of rhyme
How to find plenty of rhymes, so you never get stuck
Using rhyme as a source of inspiration
Making your lines flexible and lively, so they can sing
As in every class in the series, you'll write during the session, with a process to follow rather than a blank page to fill.
You'll leave able to hear the difference between rhyme that lifts a poem and rhyme that flattens it — and knowing how to write the first kind.
Taking all three classes in the series costs $100 instead of $120. See the full series here.
"Everything I was hoping for — and then some. I especially enjoyed the 'processes' you recommended as we took time to write. You made it fun, yet still richly thoughtful." — D. S., PA, 2026
"Three of my poems have been selected for an anthology. I'm quite shocked and very pleased that I just went for it and submitted. Your workshops were the start of any 'formal' learning for me, and I'm grateful for the input you gave me as I continue my poetic adventure." — L. A., UK, 2026
What to expect
Live on Zoom, 12:30–2:00pm ET (9:30–11am PT, 5:30–7pm UK)
Limited to 15 people
Sharing your work is always optional — there is no critique, and nobody gets put on the spot
Can't attend live? Every class is recorded, and the recording is yours to keep indefinitely
No experience or preparation needed — just come ready to write
Your teacher: Brian Evans-Jones
I've been teaching poetry since 2005 — at three universities, in dozens of schools as a visiting Teaching Artist, and to hundreds of adults through my own workshops. I was Poet Laureate of Hampshire, UK, in 2012–13, and I won the Maureen Egen Award from Poets & Writers in 2017.
But it took me 14 years to get my first poem published, and 23 to win my first competition. For most of that time I felt the way you might be feeling now: overwhelmed by how much there was to learn, unsure whether anything I wrote was any good, and with no idea what to do next.
What changed it was good teaching. I studied with Charles Simic, David Morley, and others, and they gave me the skills and the confidence I'd been missing for two decades. These workshops are my way of passing some of that on — without the years of study it took me to get it.
This course is currently full. Join the list to hear first when I run it again.
This course is currently full. Join the list to hear first when I run it again.
Rhyme is the first thing most beginners reach for — and the first thing that makes a poem sound like a greeting card
Thursday 24 September 2026 · 12:30–2:00pm ET (9:30–11am PT, 5:30–7pm UK)
The last four runs of this series sold out, and places are limited to 15.
There are good reasons to want rhyme when you're starting out.
It's a time-honored tool, and learning it is your first step into a tradition centuries deep. It creates the sonic mood of a poem. It highlights important ideas. It pushes you toward phrases and images you'd never have found on your own. And it gives a poem structure — something to hold on to, which is exactly what a beginner needs.
But rhyme is also where beginners most often come unstuck:
Not knowing the different kinds of rhyme, or when to use each one
“Bossy rhyme,” where the sound takes over and “bosses” the meaning
Lines that end up stiff and predictable.
In this workshop I'll show you how to dodge those problems and get the gold.
We'll cover
How to make rhymes that sound great instead of clunky
When to use the different kinds of rhyme
How to find plenty of rhymes, so you never get stuck
Using rhyme as a source of inspiration
Making your lines flexible and lively, so they can sing
As in every class in the series, you'll write during the session, with a process to follow rather than a blank page to fill.
You'll leave able to hear the difference between rhyme that lifts a poem and rhyme that flattens it — and knowing how to write the first kind.
Taking all three classes in the series costs $100 instead of $120. See the full series here.
"Everything I was hoping for — and then some. I especially enjoyed the 'processes' you recommended as we took time to write. You made it fun, yet still richly thoughtful." — D. S., PA, 2026
"Three of my poems have been selected for an anthology. I'm quite shocked and very pleased that I just went for it and submitted. Your workshops were the start of any 'formal' learning for me, and I'm grateful for the input you gave me as I continue my poetic adventure." — L. A., UK, 2026
What to expect
Live on Zoom, 12:30–2:00pm ET (9:30–11am PT, 5:30–7pm UK)
Limited to 15 people
Sharing your work is always optional — there is no critique, and nobody gets put on the spot
Can't attend live? Every class is recorded, and the recording is yours to keep indefinitely
No experience or preparation needed — just come ready to write
Your teacher: Brian Evans-Jones
I've been teaching poetry since 2005 — at three universities, in dozens of schools as a visiting Teaching Artist, and to hundreds of adults through my own workshops. I was Poet Laureate of Hampshire, UK, in 2012–13, and I won the Maureen Egen Award from Poets & Writers in 2017.
But it took me 14 years to get my first poem published, and 23 to win my first competition. For most of that time I felt the way you might be feeling now: overwhelmed by how much there was to learn, unsure whether anything I wrote was any good, and with no idea what to do next.
What changed it was good teaching. I studied with Charles Simic, David Morley, and others, and they gave me the skills and the confidence I'd been missing for two decades. These workshops are my way of passing some of that on — without the years of study it took me to get it.
This course is currently full. Join the list to hear first when I run it again.