The Poet Laureate looks into a tiger’s eyes, holds a giant African land snail in the palm of his hand, and stands in the middle of a room full of spiders as he drafts a brand new animal poem ...

‘As a sailor and swimmer, it plays a big role in my life and my poetry. My mentor, Rebecca Goss (a Forward Prize-shortlisted poet) said of the book: ‘We are pulled into episodes of risk and ...