Annie Ashworth to stand down as Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival's artistic director

Annie Ashworth will be stepping down as artistic director of the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival after this year’s festival in September. Ashworth has directed the programming of the festival since 2017.

She said: “I have loved working with the team at Budleigh in its beautiful spot beside the sea in East Devon, and developing the festival into the success it is today.

“We have come through some challenging times, not just the Covid-19 pandemic but also the very sad and sudden death of our president Hilary Mantel, but I feel proud of how the festival has grown and the respect it has earned both with audiences and authors. It is now time to hand it on for its next exciting chapter.” 

Festival chair Sue Briggs said: “Annie has expanded and transformed the Budleigh Festival over the past seven years creating interesting and varied programmes of events and arranging authors to visit local schools. Her special talent is putting together different authors and interviewers so that fascinating conversations ensue.

“We will miss Annie’s creativity and charm but are looking forward to appointing her successor, and to the next instalment of the Budleigh Literary Festival story.” 

Ashworth continues to lead the Stratford Literary Festival, which she started in 2008, to develop its growing profile and expand the festival’s charitable outreach which includes schools’ projects, community projects and delivering bedtime story writing workshops in prisons. Maggie O’Farrell is festival patron and Julia Donaldson has recently become patron of the festival’s outreach work.

“I am excited about the years ahead," Ashworth said. “’m looking forward to exploring new opportunities and using my experience”.