Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Join our 2025 Festival from 29 October to 2 November! Early Bird tickets are on sale. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.
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From humble beginnings in 2004, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has evolved into one of the world’s most celebrated literary and artistic events – an annual pilgrimage for lovers of literature and conversation. Bringing together some of the world’s most powerful voices in a melting pot of artists, authors, thinkers and performers, the Festival is a platform for meaningful exchange and cross-cu

ltural dialogue. A place where artists and audiences alike can discuss shared inspirations, ideas and concerns, the Festival transcends cultural and geographical borders to create a truly global community. Across five days, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival delivers an eclectic program of events – from fiery conversations to intimate literary lunches; gripping live performances to hands-on workshops.

We are proud to once again present ten remarkable writing talents to the literary world through our Emerging Partners Pr...
22/07/2025

We are proud to once again present ten remarkable writing talents to the literary world through our Emerging Partners Program, and we are delighted to be partnering with Penguin SEA this year to expand the impact for each of the selected finalists.

This partnership offers a life-changing opportunity to learn and connect with established industry professionals at the annual Festival this October, and to publish a bilingual anthology showcasing the 2025 Indonesia’s Emerging Program finalists.

The anthology Stories from the Islands will be available in bookstores and online across Southeast Asia this September - so stay tuned!

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Kami dengan bangga kembali menghadirkan sepuluh penulis berbakat ke dunia sastra melalui Emerging Partners Program . Tahun ini, kami juga sangat senang bisa berkolaborasi dengan Penguin SEA untuk memperluas dampak program ini bagi para finalis terpilih.

Melalui kerja sama ini, para finalis akan mendapatkan kesempatan berharga untuk belajar dan terhubung langsung dengan para profesional di dunia penerbitan dalam Festival tahunan yang akan berlangsung pada bulan Oktober.

Selain itu, karya mereka juga akan dibukukan dalam sebuah antologi dwibahasa berjudul Stories from the Islands, yang akan terbit dan tersedia di toko buku serta platform daring di seluruh Asia Tenggara mulai bulan September. Jangan lewatkan peluncurannya!

Titah AW is an Indonesian freelance journalist and writer who explores narratives at the intersection of ecology, cultur...
17/07/2025

Titah AW is an Indonesian freelance journalist and writer who explores narratives at the intersection of ecology, culture, and magical realism. She has also contributed to prominent media outlets in Indonesia.

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Titah AW adalah jurnalis lepas dan penulis asal Indonesia yang mengeksplorasi narasi di persimpangan antara ekologi, budaya, dan realisme magis. Ia juga telah berkontribusi pada berbagai media ternama di Indonesia.

Sasti Gotama is an Indonesian writer who received the Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2025 award, first place in the 2022 Had...
17/07/2025

Sasti Gotama is an Indonesian writer who received the Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2025 award, first place in the 2022 Hadiah Sastra Rasa, was among the top three in Tempo’s 2024 Selected Literary Books, and won second place in the 2024 DKJ Theater Script Competition.

Her novel, Korpus Uterus, also attracted the interest of the judges in the 2023 DKJ Competition.

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Sasti Gotama adalah penulis asal Indonesia yang meraih penghargaan Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2025, juara pertama Hadiah Sastra Rasa 2022, masuk tiga besar Buku Sastra Pilihan Tempo 2024, dan meraih juara dua dalam Sayembara Naskah Skenario Teater DKJ 2024.

Novelnya yang berjudul Korpus Uterus juga menarik perhatian dewan juri dalam Sayembara DKJ 2023.

Gus Dark is a Balinese illustrator and social activist whose works speak louder than words. Born in East Bali during the...
17/07/2025

Gus Dark is a Balinese illustrator and social activist whose works speak louder than words. Born in East Bali during the dry season of 1982, he has spent decades using art as a tool for environmental, social, and anti-corruption advocacy. From creating his own cartoon character Mang Ogel to co-founding Art Against Corruption – Bali, Gus has collaborated with Greenpeace, Sungai Watch, KPK, Pulitzer Center, and more.

His journey has taken him from street exhibitions in Indonesia to art shows in Singapore, Switzerland, and the U.S. Whether it’s through murals, comics, or workshops, Gus brings bold visuals and strong messages into public spaces. Today, he continues to spark conversations through DARKADE Propaganda, his personal platform for visual activism — reminding us that art is not just to be seen, but to be felt and acted on.

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Gus Dark adalah ilustrator dan aktivis sosial asal Bali yang karyanya berbicara lebih lantang daripada kata-kata. Lahir di Bali Timur pada musim kemarau tahun 1982, ia telah menghabiskan puluhan tahun menggunakan seni sebagai alat untuk advokasi lingkungan, sosial, dan anti-korupsi. Mulai dari menciptakan karakter kartunnya sendiri, Mang Ogel, hingga ikut mendirikan Art Against Corruption – Bali, Gus telah berkolaborasi dengan Greenpeace, Sungai Watch, KPK, Pulitzer Center, dan banyak lagi.

Perjalanan seninya telah membawanya dari pameran jalanan di Indonesia hingga pertunjukan seni di Singapura, Swiss, dan Amerika Serikat. Baik melalui mural, komik, maupun lokakarya, Gus menghadirkan visual yang kuat dan pesan yang menggugah di ruang publik. Saat ini, ia terus memicu percakapan melalui DARKADE Propaganda, platform pribadinya dalam aktivisme visual, yang mengingatkan kita bahwa seni tidak hanya untuk dilihat, tetapi juga untuk dirasakan dan ditindaklanjuti.

Leila S. Chudori is a prominent Indonesian author and journalist whose novel Laut Bercerita, or The Sea Speaks His Name,...
17/07/2025

Leila S. Chudori is a prominent Indonesian author and journalist whose novel Laut Bercerita, or The Sea Speaks His Name, received the prestigious Southeast Asian Writers Award (SEA Write Award). The novel was launched alongside a short film directed by Pritagita Arianegara and produced by the Dian Sastrowardoyo Foundation and Cineria Films. The English translation by John McGlynn was published by Penguin Random House SEA in 2020.

Leila began writing at an early age, and her short story collection Malam Terakhir, or The Last Night, was first published by Pustaka Utama Grafiti in 1989. In 2009, she published 9 dari Nadira, or 9 from Nadira, with Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, and a year later the work received an award from the Indonesian Language Agency. Her novel Pulang, or Home, published by the same publisher in 2012, won the Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2013 and has been translated into English, French, Dutch, German, and Italian. It was included in World Literature Today’s list of ‘75 Notable Translations of 2015.’ Her latest work, Namaku Alam, or My Name is Alam, published in 2023, is a novel set in the same universe as Pulang.

Leila holds a degree in Political Studies and Comparative Development Studies from Trent University in Canada. She also worked as a journalist for TEMPO magazine and continues to contribute to its Film section. Together with Rain Chudori, Leila founded Peron House Publishing, which publishes the annual arts journal Porter.

Okky Madasari is an Indonesian writer and sociologist who writes novels, short stories, children’s books, and poetry. He...
17/07/2025

Okky Madasari is an Indonesian writer and sociologist who writes novels, short stories, children’s books, and poetry. Her works have been published in Malay, English, German, and Arabic, earning numerous national and international awards.

As a social scientist, Okky earned her PhD from the National University of Singapore, focusing her research on the sociology of knowledge, censorship, and knowledge production. Under the OM Group, she founded and manages Omong-Omong Media, an alternative space for knowledge production, as well as the research and training organization OM Institute.

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Okky Madasari adalah penulis dan sosiolog Indonesia yang menulis novel, cerita pendek, buku anak, dan puisi. Karya-karyanya telah diterbitkan dalam bahasa Melayu, Inggris, Jerman, dan Arab, serta meraih berbagai penghargaan nasional dan internasional.

Sebagai ilmuwan sosial, Okky meraih gelar PhD dari National University of Singapore, dengan fokus penelitian pada sosiologi pengetahuan, sensor, dan produksi pengetahuan. Di bawah naungan OM Group, ia mendirikan dan mengelola Omong-Omong Media, sebuah ruang alternatif untuk produksi pengetahuan, serta lembaga riset dan pelatihan OM Institute.

William Dalrymple is one of Britain’s great historians, a bestselling author, and the co-Founder of the Jaipur Literatur...
17/07/2025

William Dalrymple is one of Britain’s great historians, a bestselling author, and the co-Founder of the Jaipur Literature Festival. He is the co-host of the chart-topping podcast Empire with Anita Anand. Dalrymple is the bestselling author of In Xanadu, City of Djinns, From the Holy Mountain, Age of Kali, White Mughals, The Last Mughal, Nine Lives, Return of a King, and Kohinoor.

He has won many awards, including the Wolfson Prize for History, the Hemingway, the Kapuscinski, the Thomas Cook, and the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize. Prior to the shortlisting of Return of a King, he had been longlisted four times for the Samuel Johnson/Baillie Gifford Prize. He has also been awarded the prestigious President’s Medal by the British Academy.

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William Dalrymple adalah salah satu sejarawan besar Inggris, penulis laris, dan salah satu pendiri Jaipur Literature Festival. Ia juga merupakan co-host siniar Empire bersama Anita Anand. Dalrymple adalah penulis buku laris seperti In Xanadu, City of Djinns, From the Holy Mountain, Age of Kali, White Mughals, The Last Mughal, Nine Lives, Return of a King, dan Kohinoor.

Ia telah memenangkan banyak penghargaan, termasuk Wolfson Prize for History, Hemingway, Kapuscinski, Thomas Cook, dan Duff Cooper Memorial Prize. Sebelum Return of a King masuk daftar pendek, ia telah empat kali masuk daftar panjang Samuel Johnson/Baillie Gifford Prize. Ia juga telah dianugerahi Medal of Honor dari British Academy.

Sinéad Gleeson is an Irish Book Award–winning writer whose essay collection Constellations won Non-Fiction Book of the Y...
17/07/2025

Sinéad Gleeson is an Irish Book Award–winning writer whose essay collection Constellations won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and the Dalkey Literary Award for Emerging Writer. It was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Michel Déon Prize, and has been translated into several languages.

She is the editor of four anthologies, including The Art of the Glimpse and the award-winning The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers. Sinéad has collaborated with artists and musicians, with commissions from radio and galleries. She is Co-Editor, with Kim Gordon, of This Woman’s Work: Essays on Music. Her debut novel, Hagstone, was published in 2024 by 4th Estate.

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Sinéad Gleeson adalah penulis asal Irlandia peraih Irish Book Award. Kumpulan esainya yang berjudul Constellations memenangkan kategori Non-Fiction Book of the Year di Irish Book Awards dan Dalkey Literary Award untuk Emerging Writer. Buku ini juga masuk dalam daftar pendek Rathbones Folio Prize, James Tait Black Memorial Prize, dan Michel Déon Prize, serta telah diterjemahkan ke dalam beberapa bahasa.

Ia merupakan editor dari empat antologi, termasuk The Art of the Glimpse dan The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers yang memenangkan penghargaan. Sinéad juga telah berkolaborasi dengan seniman dan musisi, termasuk untuk proyek-proyek pesanan dari radio dan galeri. Ia adalah editor bersama Kim Gordon untuk buku This Woman’s Work: Essays on Music. Novel debutnya, Hagstone, diterbitkan pada tahun 2024 oleh 4th Estate.

John Boyne is an Irish award-winning bestselling author, whose novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has been translated ...
17/07/2025

John Boyne is an Irish award-winning bestselling author, whose novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold over five million copies. He is the winner of two Irish Book Awards and a finalist for the British Book Award. The book was adapted into a film in 2008. In Spain, it won the 2007 Readers’ Prize from the magazine Qué Leer and remained on the bestseller lists for more than a year.

John Boyne is also the acclaimed author of The House of Special Purpose in 2009, The Horrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket in 2012, The Absolutist in 2013, Stay Where You Are and Then Leave in 2013, and My Brother’s Name is Jessica in 2022, among others. Boyne was educated at Trinity College and the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

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John Boyne adalah penulis ternama asal Irlandia yang telah meraih berbagai penghargaan internasional. Novelnya yang paling dikenal, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, telah diterjemahkan ke lebih dari 40 bahasa dan terjual lebih dari lima juta eksemplar di seluruh dunia. Buku ini diadaptasi ke layar lebar pada tahun 2008, dan di Spanyol, karya tersebut memenangkan Readers’ Prize 2007 dari majalah Qué Leer serta bertahan di daftar buku terlaris selama lebih dari setahun.

Selain itu, Boyne juga dikenal lewat sejumlah karya lainnya, seperti The House of Special Purpose (2009), The Horrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket (2012), The Absolutist (2013), Stay Where You Are and Then Leave (2013), dan My Brother’s Name is Jessica (2022), di antara banyak karya lainnya. Boyne menyelesaikan pendidikannya di Trinity College Dublin dan University of East Anglia, Norwich.

Antoinette Lattouf is an Australian journalist, presenter, author, and human rights advocate with a knack for making hea...
17/07/2025

Antoinette Lattouf is an Australian journalist, presenter, author, and human rights advocate with a knack for making headlines, not just reporting them. Known for her bold storytelling, razor-sharp wit, and unsparing social commentary, humor is her armour and weapon of choice, disarming gatekeepers, skewering hypocrisy, and keeping audiences engaged.

She won a landmark Federal Court case, Lattouf v ABC, setting a precedent for employees’ right to political opinion. Named one of AFR’s 100 Women of Influence, she is also a TEDx speaker and Co-Founder of Media Diversity Australia.

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Antoinette Lattouf adalah jurnalis, presenter, penulis, dan aktivis hak asasi manusia asal Australia yang dikenal bukan hanya karena melaporkan berita, tetapi juga karena mampu menciptakannya. Ia memiliki gaya bercerita yang berani, cerdas, dan komentar yang lugas. Humor menjadi perisai sekaligus senjata andalannya, membongkar kemunafikan, melucuti kekuasaan, dan menjaga audiens tetap terlibat.

Ia memenangkan gugatan penting di Pengadilan Federal, Lattouf v ABC, yang menjadi preseden baru mengenai hak karyawan untuk menyatakan pendapat politik. Antoinette dinobatkan sebagai salah satu dari 100 Perempuan Berpengaruh versi Australian Financial Review (AFR), serta dikenal sebagai pembicara TEDx dan salah satu pendiri Media Diversity Australia.

Our Festival is run by a not-for-profit organisation, which means we never make a profit from your ticket purchases or d...
11/07/2025

Our Festival is run by a not-for-profit organisation, which means we never make a profit from your ticket purchases or donations. Everything goes back into putting on the Festival you love.

Discover how you can be part of the future of our Festival. And remember, adding an in-cart donation to your ticket purchase is a simple way to make a big impact.

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Festival ini dikelola oleh organisasi nirlaba, artinya kami tidak mengambil keuntungan dari penjualan tiket atau donasi Anda. Seluruh dana yang terkumpul akan kembali digunakan untuk memastikan keberlangsungan festival yang Anda nantikan setiap tahun.

Cari tahu bagaimana Anda bisa ikut ambil bagian dalam masa depan festival ini. Dan ingat, menambahkan donasi saat membeli tiket adalah cara sederhana untuk memberikan dampak yang besar.

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Our Story

From humble beginnings in 2002, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has evolved into one of the world’s most celebrated literary and artistic events – an annual pilgrimage for lovers of literature and conversation in stunning surrounds. Bringing together some of the world’s most powerful voices in a melting pot of artists, authors, thinkers and performers, the Festival is a platform for meaningful exchange and cross-cultural dialogue. A place where artists and audiences alike can discuss shared inspirations, ideas and concerns, the Festival transcends cultural and geographical borders to create a truly global community. Across five days, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival delivers an eclectic program of events – from fiery conversations to intimate literary lunches; gripping live performances to hands-on workshops.

Like many of the Festival’s previous themes, this year’s is drawn from a Hindu philosophy, but this time it’s one that is known universally. For many in the West, karma is a simplification of justice served. For Balinese Hindus, Karma Phala is the spiritual principle that each action has a consequence equal in force, and similar in form. “Karma Phala nak cicih” describes the belief; cicih means certain and swift.

“As actions in their previous life affect their present, and deeds committed in the present affect their future, Balinese Hindus are aware their fate is not divine in origin, but in their own hands,” commented UWRF Founder & Director Janet DeNeefe.

This year’s Festival, named one of the five best literary events for 2019 by The Telegraph UK, will explore the impacts of our personal and collective actions on our social and physical environments.