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What makes a poet’s work so distinctively theirs? How is it we can recognise an Emily Dickinson poem (for example), sometimes from yards away? Ransom writes that Emily Dickinson adopted ‘the poetic mask: the personality which was antithetical to her natural character and identical with her desire’. But is the voice of the poem a mask, or is the voice of the poem – the voice of desire – the only true voice? This course will seek to liberate and deepen our own poetry’s true voice. We will explore aspects of poetic voice, from the adopted voices of mythical figures and dramatis personae to the apparently personal voice of confessionalism; and above all we will seek to develop a trust in our own voice – that indelible, musical signature that emerges regardless, persistent as a thumbprint.

Please note that due to bank holidays/half term, two of the sessions will be held at the nearby Exeter Community Centre, 17 St David's Hill, Exeter, Devon EX4 3RG (01392 420549). Please also note that the second session will take place on a Tuesday rather than a Monday. Course dates and venues are listed below:

13th May                Exeter College

28th May (Tuesday) Exeter Community Centre

10th June       Exeter College

24th June          Exeter College

8th July       Exeter Community Centre