Martin Colthorpe

Martin Colthorpe is the Director of Modern Culture, an agency specializing in international literary event and festival programming. He worked at Southbank Centre for 10 years, where, as Senior Literature Programmer, he launched the London Literature Festival and oversaw festivals including Poetry Parnassus (for the Cultural Olympiad), Poetry International, and The Rest Is Noise. From 2015-2022, he was the Programme Director of International Literature Festival Dublin, one of Ireland’s premier cultural events. With Modern Culture, he devised Japan Now festival, running 2016-2020, New Dutch Writing campaign (2019-ongoing) and Flip Through Flanders (2023-2025).