#ATownExploresABook19

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St Leonards' annual #ATownExploresABook festival comprises a multitude of lively, imaginative explorations of a chosen piece of heritage writing. This year the book is Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, an exciting choice on the tercentenary of publication. Scrutinise Defoe's defining novel in the nooks and crannies of this creative community this Spring holiday. Get exploring!

The festival trail map will guide you to myriad exhibitions, activities and experiences all over town, the map available from all participating venues. A good place to start is the station, housing artist Susan Miller's ticket office and path intervention, 'Self'. Adjacent to the north platform is located Seaview Project's installation response to Crusoe's self taught skills. Nearby, artist Chris W Pett's wall mural re:Source, explores the novel's inspirational narrative on resilience and resourcefulness. Zoom Arts venue at the station also houses exhibitions right through the festival.

Three glorious parks, sweeping green spaces, are hosting some of the festival's outdoor art and Kings Road is where the majority of shop window displays are located, one of the many joyous and fascinating aspects of the festival. Café write-ins and themed menus are also a feature of the commercial quarter of the town.

At experiential theatre company ExploreTheArch's unique venue Archer Lodge, four composers and choreographer Yumino Seki have been given a copy of Robinson Crusoe and Bernard McGuigan's new solitary sculpture series and have locked themselves in a different nook and cranny of a performance house to scrutinise solitude in a startling new series of performances running 5-25 April (for ticket prices and availability check the website) and Stella Dore Gallery rolls sleeves up for Confronting Crusoe, an unflinching exhibition by Pablo Allison, Sarah Gomes Harris, Sophie Meyer and Noki opening 11 April.

Outposts include Burtons' iconic South Lodge at the south end of St Leonards Gardens which flings open its doors as an exhibition space to Peter Quinnell's 'What I Need' interactive display evoking the message-in-a-bottle tradition. It's also the first venue of two in The Power of Two Perspectives exhibition.

The Periagua canoe procession on Sunday 14th April sees the artwork in The Power of Two Perspectives exhibition carried across town by the artists to the second viewing destination in homage to Crusoe's periagua trip from one side of his island to the other. It's a beautiful parade of tiny handmade boats, free and suitable for families and dog walkers, as many of the events that comprise this festival are.

Check the what's on page for details of the vast array of events in this colourful annual literature festival exploring the role heritage writing has in our contemporary lives, embracing the tiniest to the boldest voices in the community and seeking different perspectives.

See you in St Leonards!