Budleigh Salterton Lit Fest announces Rentzenbrink as president

Cathy Rentzenbrink has been announced as the new president of the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival.

Rentzenbrink – whose books include How to Feel Better, Dear Reader and The Last Act of Love (Picador) – succeeds Dame Hilary Mantel, who died in September 2022. She will take over the role this September.

Festival chair, Sue Briggs, said: “Not only is Cathy a superb writer, she is highly respected in the book industry and will, I am sure, continue to fly the flag for the festival – something Hilary did with such enthusiasm.”

Rentzenbrink added: “It is a joy and privilege to be the new president of the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival. Along with many writers, I have always loved going there because it is a beautiful town, the team are welcoming and friendly, and the audiences are delightful and appreciative.

“I never met Hilary Mantel, but I am hardly ever not thinking about her or rereading her or looking at her words I have on the wall next to my desk, or using her influence on me to cheer up my writing students who despair of finding a good mentor. ‘Don’t forget,’ I say, ‘your best writing mentor might never know you exist’. I am keen to tell them that this is the magic of literature, that if you feel words were written for you then they were, that a book is a portal between writer and reader, that you the reader are extremely welcome to see yourself in the pages. So, it is a huge honour to succeed Hilary as president and I will give my all to support the festival to continue to do its excellent work as a beacon of bookish delight for both writers and readers.”

This year’s festival runs from the 20th to 24th September.