Spring
left: Polka dot fun with The Liberty Sisters; below: The Exmouth Shantymen will be breaking into song
ABOUT TIME!
Yes, finally, spring is nearly here! To celebrate, Topsham will be hosting the Spring Forward Saturday Festival, the day before the clocks go forward, on 28 March. Now in its third year, this feel-good event involves most of Topsham’s independent shops, cafés and restaurants, with special offers for visitors and locals. It’s all about celebrating what the local community has to offer, with pop-up art galleries, a special outdoor fair at the town’s Matthews Hall, new exhibits at the Topsham Museum, craft activities for the little ones and loads of toe-tapping and hip-wiggling musical groups providing entertainment throughout the day, including the The Exmouth Shantymen, The Liberty Sisters, and Queen Biscuit. For more: www.LoveTopsham.co.uk
Literature
Hilary Mantel
Devon bookworms take note: the annual Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival has announced its headliners for this spring. Festival President and twice Booker Prize winner Dame Hilary Mantel will be talking about the hugely anticipated finale to her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, The Mirror and the Light on 1 May; veteran BBC broadcaster James Naughtie who, earlier in the day, will share his experiences of many years reporting on life and politics in the USA, outlined in his latest book On the Road. On 20 April, the Sunday Times bestselling novelist Joanna Trollope will be talking about her latest book, Mum & Dad, a poignant story of a family’s behaviour in a crisis; and world-renowned historian and Professor Margaret MacMillan will be looking at how history and our study of it should be treated with care. “We are so excited to be programming writers of this calibre in Budleigh,” says the festival’s artistic director, Annie Ashworth. “These events are to raise money towards our education outreach work, and I’m sure they will be very popular with our audiences.” All events will take place in St Peter’s Church in Budleigh Salterton and tickets to each event are £15; www.budlitfest.org.uk
6 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk
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WRITE IN THE MIX
Joanna Trollope
Night
LIBRARY LATES AT EXETER LIBRARY
There’s new nocturnal fun to be had in the city. A new season of specially curated, one-off cultural late night events, live from either Exeter Library and RAMM, are happening this year. What to expect? Themed evenings of music, innovative interactive artworks, storytelling, cinema, games, silent disco, hidden spaces library tour, food and drink and much more. The next Library Lates evening is on 3 April (at the library) with the theme of Women Writes, in celebration of the upcoming ‘Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights’ British Library exhibition which opens in Exeter Library at the end of April. Expect a line-up of female artists, performances and authors keeping guests entertained throughout the night. Daniel Clark, creative director of Evolve, says “The first Library Lates was a great success and it was exciting to see the library come to life after hours. The library offered visitors engaging content and showcased the space in a completely new way. We’re excited to introduce ‘Women’s Writes’ to Library Lates as we focus on female authors, artists and musicians.” For more: www.librariesevolve.org.uk
