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Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

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Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) is an annual four-day literary festival held every October in Ubud on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Established in 2004, it is considered Southeast Asia’s biggest and most meaningful literary Festival. It hosts up to 170 writers and artists from all corners of the world. Discussions on cultural, literary and political issues are held alongside book launches, film premieres, long-table lunches, workshops, readings, live music, village walks and performances.[1] It is organised by the not-for-profit foundation Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati.[2]

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
(UWRF)
GenreLiterary festival
Location(s)Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Years active2004–present
Previous event18–22 October 2023
Next event23–27 October 2024
Websitewww.ubudwritersfestival.com

History

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The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival[3] was first conceived by Melbourne-born Janet DeNeefe, co-founder of the Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati, together with her native Balinese husband Ketut Suardana, and their daughter Laksmi DeNeefe Suardana as a healing project in response to the first 2002 Bali bombings.[4][5][6] It was first held in 2004 as part of an effort to help revive tourism, the island’s main economic lifeline after terrorist bombings devastated the island’s Kuta district a year earlier.[7][8]

Since 2019, the Festival’s Perth Edition, presented in partnership with Writing WA, has provided an annual forum to exchange views with writers and creators from both countries on a wide range of topics. After two years in virtual form in 2020 and 2021, the Perth Edition was held in person again in the Rechabite Hall in the Australian city of Perth, Western Australia between 21–23 October 2022.[9]

Description

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The Festival is known as the biggest Festival of words and ideas in Southeast Asia, in which many celebrated writers, artists, thinkers, and performers participate.[10][11] In 2019 the Festival was named one of the top five literary festivals in the world by The Daily Telegraph in the UK,[12][13] and in 2022, it was chosen as one of the prime cultural festivals in autumn by The Wall Street Journal.[14] In 2023, it was named South-East Asia’s most significant literary event by the Australian weekly newspaper, The Saturday Paper.[15] In 2024, it was named one of the best literary festivals to visit around the world by Dua Lipa's lifestyle platform Service 95.[16]

Chronology

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  • 2015: The 12th edition of UWRF was held in 2015 in 38 venues across Bali, in which more than 200 writers from all over the world took part. A controversy was raised over the proposed discussion about Indonesia's anti-communist purges that killed an estimated 500,000 people in 1965.[17]
  • 2016: The 13th edition of UWRF was held in 2016, attended by 160 of the world’s leading authors, artists and performers.[18]
  • 2017: The 2017 UWRF was the 14th edition of the festival, which was held from 25 October to 29 October participated by more than 150 authors, artists and activists from 31 countries.[19]
  • 2018: The 15th edition of UWRF was held from 24 October to 28 October 2018, focusing on gender equality and diversity.[20]
  • 2019: The theme of the 16th edition, held from 23 October to 27 October 2019, was Karma. 180 speakers from 30 countries participated in the Festival. There were more than 170 programs, including panel discussions of various issues, film screenings, art exhibitions, book launches and writing workshops.[21]
  • 2020: The 2020 Festival, which was planned to be held from 29 October to 8 November 2020, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] The theme was proposed to be called Kembali.[23]
  • 2021: In 2021, the inaugural Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Perth (UWRF Perth) is scheduled to be held on 8–10 October in Perth, Western Australia, organised in partnership with Writing WA and overlapping with the Bali event, which is scheduled to run from 8–17 October.[24]
  • 2022: After two years of being held online and hybrid, the 19th edition of the Festival was held again fully in person from 27 October to 30 October 2022 with more than 150 writers and thinkers. The Festival’s theme Memayu Hayuning Bawana centred around humanity’s capacity to strengthen the ties between individuals and our world.[25][26][27]
  • 2023: The 2023 Festival marked the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Festival, taking place from 18 to 22 October 2023, and explored the theme Atita, Wartamana, Anagata: Past, Present, Future. It featured over two hundred speakers and an equal number of programs, attracting more than 15,000 festival-goers, making it one of the most successful editions to date.[28][29][30]
  • The 2024 Festival will take place between 23 and 27 October, exploring the theme 'Satyam Vada Dharmam Chara: Speak the Truth, Practice Kindness'. The program will delve into how words and ideas shape public discourse, influence societal norms, and how writers can amplify the values of truth and kindness in a world that is increasingly going the other way.[31][32][33]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Southeast Asia's No 1 literary festival, in Ubud, Bali back after Covid-19". South China Morning Post. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Uniting Humanity at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2022 - NOW! Jakarta". NOW JAKARTA | Uniting Humanity at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2022 - NOW! Jakarta. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Home page". Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Laksmi Deneefe Suardana" (in Indonesian). Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Laksmi Deneefe Usung Misi Edukasi Anak di Ajang Putri Indonesia" (in Indonesian). Kumparan. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Laksmi Deneefe, Puteri Indonesia Bali 2022 yang Menyukai Dunia Literasi" (in Indonesian). Tempo (Indonesian magazine). Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  7. ^ "KEMBALI 2020: A Rebuild Bali Festival set to reflower Indonesia's creative industry and communities". Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  8. ^ Yasmin, Nur (2 October 2019). "Calling All Readers! Ubud Writers and Readers Festival to Kick Off This Month". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 3 October 2019. "Karma" is the theme of the 16th annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival...
  9. ^ "Superstar Balinese chef coming to Perth". PerthNow. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  10. ^ "What to expect at Southeast Asia's biggest festival of words and ideas". Asian Correspondent. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  11. ^ Delaney, Brigid. "The show goes on: Ubud writers festival to bring big names to Bali as Mount Agung rumbles". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Calling All Readers! Ubud Writers and Readers Festival to Kick Off This Month". Jakarta Globe. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  13. ^ Topsfield, Jewel (2 October 2020). "Ubud writers festival still standing after COVID-19 twists the plot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  14. ^ Nelson, Andrew. "Why Fall—Not Summer—Is the Best Time for an Island Vacation". WSJ. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  15. ^ Croggon, Alison (28 October 2023). "Ubud Writers & Readers Festival". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  16. ^ Jamie (20 March 2024). "The Best Literary Festivals To Visit Around The World". Service95. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Ubud writers' festival debates massacre 'that we're not supposed to talk about'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Literary fest to discover new voices, unexpected conversations". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  19. ^ "Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Set to Return With Over 150 Speakers". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  20. ^ "2018 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival ends on high note, celebrates gender equality, diversity". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Calling All Readers! Ubud Writers and Readers Festival to Kick Off This Month". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  22. ^ Cahyana, Ludhy (17 July 2020). "UWRF 2020 Ditangguhkan Karena Pandemi, Jadwal Baru Belum Ada". Tempo. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  23. ^ sikuska (21 August 2020). "KEMBALI 2020: A Rebuild Bali Festival set to reflower Indonesia's creative industry and communities". Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Ubud Writers & Readers Festival and Writing WA announce partnership festival". Books + Publishing. 26 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Fight for truth: battling false and misleading information in Southeast Asia and beyond". Southeast Asia Globe. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  26. ^ Expat, Indonesia (7 October 2022). "Uniting Humanity Through Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2022". Indonesia Expat. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  27. ^ "'Uniting Humanity' at this year's Ubud Writers and Readers Festival". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  28. ^ Yong, Clement (19 October 2023). "Bali's Ubud begins 20th writers' festival aimed at drawing 15,000 people". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  29. ^ Croggon, Alison (28 October 2023). "Ubud Writers & Readers Festival". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  30. ^ Yong, Clement (25 October 2023). "'How do you compete with Bali?': Lessons for Singapore Writers Festival from Ubud writers event". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  31. ^ "2024 Festival Theme & Artwork". uwf. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Ubud Writers Festival Luncurkan Tema 2024: Satyam Vada Dharmam Chara". kumparan (in Indonesian). Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  33. ^ Hermawan, Deny (6 April 2024). ""Satyam Vada Dharmam Chara" Jadi Tema Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2024". BERNAS.id. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
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