Terza Rima Poetry Masterclass with George Szirtes 15/5/25

Explore the terza rima with a brilliant writer of this poetic form, George Szirtes. The terza rima was developed originally by Dante Alighieri seven hundred years ago.  It consists of three line stanzas (or tercets) with interwoven rhymes.

George describes it a little like a chain stitch, or to a dance that takes you from one place to another (think of a Straight Hey in country dancing). The form is the engine that keeps us moving down the passages and chambers, always propelling the poem forward. Of all the formal devices available it is arguably the one with the greatest forward dynamic. Once the engine is engaged it wants to keep going and the reader too moves on, ever mindful of what has been left behind and what is to come.

A terza rima could be a one-off poem or a chapter or series of chapters as in Dante's The Divine Comedy, or indeed, into something of an epic length or voyage. Rhythmic flexibility is the key and that means rolling over enjambments, supple use of stress and breath, and highly mobile caesuras.

2.5 hours long  (leave a little bit of time afterwards in case we have time for extra questions)

Start time: 10am UK time // 5pm Perth Australia // 6.30pm Adelaide & Darwin // 7pm Brisbane & Sydney, AEST // 9pm NZ

Times on the homepage of this site are in London, UK Timezone, but when you add the event to your calendar it should be correct for your local time zone.

You can check your timezone against London UK time here: https://greenwichmeantime.com/time-gadgets/time-zone-converter/

Cost £30 GBP (with cost effective exchange via STRIPE)

George Szirtes won the 2024 King’s Gold Medal for Poetry which recognises his significant body of work and contribution to literature. He was born in Hungary, came to England as a refugee and trained as an artist. His twelfth book of poems, Reel (2004) won the T S Eliot Prize for which he has been twice shortlisted since. His latest is Fresh Out of the Sky. (2021). His memoir The Photographer at Sixteen (2019) was awarded the James Tait Black Prize in 2020. He is a co-winner of the International Booker translator’s prize, as well as of numerous others. His book for children, In the Land of Giants (2015) won the CLPE Prize for best book of poetry for children. His own books have been translated into various languages including Italian, German, Chinese, Romanian and Hungarian. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 1982. 

Zoom link and materials will be sent by email at least 2 days prior. If you don’t receive it get in touch with me.

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