The Bristol Poetry Institute and the Centre for Black Humanities, with the support of the Department of English, are very pleased to present Roger Robinson as this year's annual reader. The event will last one hour and comprise of a poetry reading and a question and answer session. A 20-minute book signing with the poet will follow the reading.

Roger Robinson is a writer who has performed worldwide. He is the winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize 2019, the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize 2020, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was chosen by Decibel as one of 50 writers who have influenced the Black-British writing canon. His latest collection ‘A Portable Paradise’ was a New Statesman book of the year. He is an alumnus of The Complete Works and was shortlisted for The OCM Bocas Poetry Prize, The Oxford Brookes Poetry Prize, commended by the Forward Poetry Prize and shortlisted for the Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry 2020.

He has received commissions from The National Trust, London Open House, BBC, The National Portrait Gallery, V&A, INIVA, MK Gallery and Theatre Royal Stratford East where he also was associate artist.

He is an experienced workshop leader and has toured extensively with the British Council. His workshops have been part of a shortlist for the Gulbenkian Prize for Museums and Galleries and were also a part of the Webby Award winning Barbican’s Can I Have A Word. He is co-founder of both Spoke Lab and the international writing collective Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for King Midas Sound and has also recorded solo albums with Jahtari Records.

We are delighted to be able to host events again, following the governments lifting of most restrictions. We are conscious that infection rates in the UK are still relatively high and want to ensure that we provide a safe environment for you and your guests to enjoy.

To do this, we will ensure the following:

• Our staff are fully briefed on our COVID safety and protocols that remain in place.
• Our staff have taken regular COVID tests, enabling them to work in our venues.
• All staff are provided with PPE such as face coverings and gloves (where required).
• Our suppliers have provided detailed risk assessments in relation to their common practices as well as detailing measures to control the risk of infection of COVID-19.
• All venues and event spaces will have been fully cleaned and sanitised prior to guest arrival.
• Hand sanitiser is available on entry to each venue for guest use.
• All doors and windows to venues and event spaces will be opened prior to guest arrival, to increase air flow and reduce touch-points.
• Where multiple events are taking place in the same venue, we will allocate individual areas for catering and manage the flow of guests.

We would ask all ticket holders, please:

• DO NOT attend if you have received a positive COVID-19 test result, are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or are currently in self-isolation or are currently in quarantine following travel.
• DO wear face coverings: the University requires face coverings to be worn inside all buildings on campus unless: (1) you are exempt; (2) when eating and drinking; or (3) you can keep a reasonable distance from others.
• DO use hand sanitiser upon entry into our venues and continue with rigorous hand washing when using the toilet facilities.
• Please undertake a lateral flow test a maximum of 24 hours prior to arrival at the venue.

We would like to thank you in advance for your understanding and support of the safety measures we are continuing to observe. The continued safety of you and our staff are of the utmost importance to us.

We look forward to seeing you soon and if you have any questions in regard to this, please do not hesitate to contact us on poetry-institute@bristol.ac.uk.