The artistic director of Canberra Writers Festival, Beejay Silcox, is stepping down after two years at the helm.

Silcox joined the festival and oversaw the 2023 and 2024 festivals.

In a statement, the festival board said her professionalism and deep understanding of Australian literature had “transformed the festival into both a cornerstone of Canberra’s cultural calendar and a dynamic force on the national literary scene.”

For her part, Silcox said leading the festival’s artistic direction had been “a privilege and a joy”, but that she looked forward to returning to being a full-time literature critic.

Silcox will finish up on February 28 and the festival will announce a new director in the coming weeks.