Wigtown Festival Company is welcoming the return of Isla Rosser-Owen as its new CEO – overseeing its much-loved annual book festival and the rest of its year-round programme.
Isla spent three years as Wigtown Book Festival’s cultural producer from 2018.
In 2022 she moved to Bradford Literature Festival where she was senior creative producer, delivering large- and small-scale events across multiple art forms.
Isla, who studied Arabic at university, began her career as an editor in the publishing industry, specialising in Middle East studies.
She then moved to Islay where she began volunteering for the island’s book festival and went on to become its director for six years.
Isla, who takes up her new post in August just as the organisation moves into a new HQ, said: “There is something magical about rural Scottish book festivals and over the years Wigtown has elevated that to a whole new level.
“It has an offbeat brilliance and charm that audiences can lose themselves in. For me, returning to Wigtown feels like stepping back into a creative adventure and I’m absolutely thrilled to be back in this wonderfully unique place tucked away in south-west Scotland.
“It’s an exciting time to be rejoining Wigtown Festival Company as it moves into its new home on South Main Street — the start of an inspiring new chapter – and I’m so looking forward to the organisation embracing its huge potential over the next few years.
“We have some ambitious plans ahead and I can’t wait to get stuck in and help shape what comes next.”
Isla will take up the reins from Andrew McConnell, who became interim CEO last year and led the search for a permanent appointee.
At the same time Anne Barclay, WFC’s operations director, will take on a new and broader role as communities director as the company seeks to maximise support for the people and economy in and around Wigtown.
She said: “Wigtown was declared Scotland’s National Book Town to drive economic regeneration, and the book festival was its flagship event.
“My new role will build on all that’s been achieved, enabling me to support the wider regeneration and sustainability of Wigtown – something that’s just as important now as it was when it all started in 1998.”
Anne’s work will include further developing the new WFC premises at 26 South Main Street, managing children’s activities and continuing to support the delivery of the annual book festival.
Cathy Agnew, Chair of the WFC, said: “This is a tremendously important moment for Wigtown, and for the festival.
“We are delighted to be welcoming Isla back to the town to take up the role of CEO and also to have Anne taking on a new and expanded role to help us do more to support the regeneration of the community and economy through literature, events, business and cultural tourism.
“Both Isla and Anne have a deep love of the town, the festival and the work of the festival company – and they also have the dedication and experience that will help us develop in new and exciting ways in the years ahead.”
The festival (which also organises the Wigtown Poetry Prizes and the Anne Brown Essay Prize for Scotland) has developed a reputation for inventive programming and intimacy, under the creative leadership of Adrian Turpin, who leaves at the end of October to take up the directorship of the Bridport Literary Festival.
As well as bringing household literary names from across the UK to a Galloway coastal town of under 1,000 people, the festival also celebrates the richness of southwest Scotland’s creative talent and heritage.
In November 2024, it was named Outstanding Cultural Event or Festival at Scotland’s national event awards, The Thistles. This January it secured a funding-deal worth £388,000 over three years from Creative Scotland.
The festival is from 26 September to 5 October. The programme will be announced in August.
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For more about Wigtown Book Festival see www.wigtownbookfestival.com
About Isla Rosser-Owen
Isla spent much of her childhood not far from another book town, Hay-on-Wye in Wales, and surrounded by books. After university in Edinburgh and SOAS, where she studied Arabic and Near & Middle Eastern Studies respectively, she developed a career in media and publishing, working primarily as an editor for many years.
After volunteering for Islay Book Festival, Isla took over as chair and festival director and led the organisation through a period of expansion and positive change for six years. Isla first joined Wigtown Festival Company in 2018 as cultural producer, looking after literature sector development, a multi-partner international literary tourism project, and working closely with Adrian Turpin on the annual book festival. In 2022, Isla moved to Bradford Literature Festival, taking a lead on the programming team as senior creative producer, delivering a diverse range of large- and small-scale events across multiple art forms. Having acquired a broad range of experience of the book festival world in urban and rural environments, Isla is excited to be returning to the Scottish book festival sector, and to Wigtown. Wigtown Festival Company has been hugely formative for her career, and somewhere she really grew in confidence, and Isla is delighted to be rejoining the company at an exciting stage as the organisation moves into its new home.
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For media information: Matthew Shelley at Matthew@ScottishfestivalsPR.org or 07786 704299.
Wigtown Festival Company Ltd, 11 North Main Street, Wigtown, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK, DG8 9HN. Wigtown Festival Company Ltd is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Scottish Charity No. SCO3798