Songwriting as Poetry: A Workshop for Songwriters Who Love Lyrics

Class Description

This two-session workshop will discuss songwriting as an art form with an emphasis on lyric writing and the differences and similarities between songwriting and poetry. Participants will have the opportunity to play a song they have written for the group and receive feedback. The class will then dive into creative writing strategies, tips, and word games designed to help writers break free of common songwriting tropes and write more expressive and unique lyrics.

Note: The instructor will provide an acoustic guitar that can be passed around the group for participants to perform their song for the workshop. Participants may also perform their song a cappella or play a recording from a mobile device.

Chris Rawlins is a songwriter and performer based in Chicago. He has toured nationally and released three albums to critical acclaim. His latest album, Flyover, released in October 2025, is an exploration of place and memory in the Midwest. 

What to Expect

Format: In Person 

Class Capacity: 12 

Class Style: Workshop; participation- and assignment-based 

Materials List

No Required Materials

Cost and Registration

2 Sessions, $115 ($103.50 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($115), Community Supported ($105), and Sponsor ($125) Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.

The views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.

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View our full schedule of adult education classes.

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Questions?

Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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