Sir Andrew will read from The Customs House – a new collection which has been split into three sections. It opens with a sequence of war poems, entitled Laurels and Donkeys, which draws on soldiers' experiences from the First and Second World War, through to the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The award-winning poet will also read from The Cinder Path, shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry, before answering questions from the audience about his work and taking part in a book signing.

Sir Andrew’s poetry has received the Arvon/Observer Prize, the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway and co-founded The Poetry Archive.

He was poet laureate from 1999 to 2009 and was knighted for his services to literature in 2009. He was recently appointed President of the Council for the Protection of Rural England. His latest project is Poetry By Heart.

• The event, being held in the Wills Memorial Building, begins at 6pm. It’s free but booking is required. Please see here. 

About the Bristol Poetry Institute

The Bristol Poetry Institute was launched last year to bring together scholars, students, poets and poetry-lovers from across the University of Bristol and the wider community. The Institute is a focus for events and activities ranging from international academic conferences to seminars and study days. It hosts readings, workshops and performances by national and local poets and offers a space (both physical and ‘virtual’) for discussion and debate about poetry in all its forms.

The Institute's remit is open and inclusive. Poetry in other languages and cultures is a vital part of the project, as are the ways in which boundaries are crossed by translation and adaptation, and the encounter of poetry with other arts, such as painting, music, drama and film.