Artistic Director Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival

Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival is seeking a dynamic and creative Artistic Director to lead the vision and programming for this highly-regarded literary event. This is an exciting and rare opportunity to curate a diverse and inspiring programme that celebrates literature in all its forms, fosters creativity, and engages audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
The selected candidate will build on the success of the Festival to date and work with its volunteer committee to create a vision for the future, for both the Festival and its outreach programme with schools and young people.
The Festival is located in the picturesque seaside town of Budleigh Salterton, on the East Devon Jurassic Coast. Wholeheartedly supported by the local community, the main Festival programme runs across five days in September comprising approximately 55 individual sessions held in five main town centre venues. A two-day spring Festival takes place every March.

The role

The Artistic Director is responsible for programming the Festival, booking the authors, chairs, and speakers, and creating a diverse, inclusive, and enjoyable programme which celebrates books, authors, and writing across a range of genres. Working with the committee, you will:

• identify and invite renowned authors, poets, playwrights, and literary figures to participate in the festival
• cultivate relationships with emerging talents and local artists to ensure a balance of established and up-and-coming voices
• ensure each Festival has an innovative high-quality programme which is managed professionally to the highest standard, remaining constantly aware of the limits of the annual budget
• work with the Education and Outreach team to build a strong inclusive programme for children and young people and their families
• work closely with the Festival team to oversee the logistical planning and execution of events, including venue selection, scheduling, budget management, and technical requirements
• ensure the Festival is commercially successful and sufficient income is generated to fund the BSLF's charitable aims and outreach programmes.

About you

You will have:

• deep knowledge and passion for literature across genres, a keen awareness of current literary trends and emerging voices, and a desire to showcase and make these accessible to a wide audience
• creative vision and innovative thinking, with the ability to conceptualise and execute compelling programming that resonates with audiences
• experience of working with authors and a proven track record, or be able to demonstrate potential, for creating an engaging programme of events and speakers that reflect the range, diversity, and depth of contemporary writing that connects with the local and regional audience
• good networks across the independent and commercial publishing sectors and have knowledge of book-related social media channels.

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What we offer

Fee: GBP25,000 per annum plus travel expenses.

Location: Home-based with regular visits to Budleigh Salterton and located in Budleigh during the spring festival in March and the main festival in September.

Role: Freelance. Approximately 80 days per annum.

How to apply

Please send a full CV including names and contacts of two referees and a letter of application outlining your interest in the role.

Applications should be sent to: Sue Briggs, Chair, Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival at with the subject line BSLF Artistic Director application.

Closing date: 8th April 2024.

First interviews in Budleigh Salterton: w/c 22nd April 2024.