Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Podcast

Mulat Sarira is a Balinese philosophy that invites us to reflect on various aspects of ourselves and broader humanity, such as our relationship with the environment, society and the spiritual. It becomes a symbol of knowledge and philosophy. This panel will share more about this year’s theme, framed in reflective dialogue to interpret the changing role of literature in today’s society.

In his recent book “Chiribiquete: The Cosmic Maloka of the Jaguar Men”, Carlos Castano-Uribe shares his research of more than 30 years of the Chiribiquete National Park, a biodiversity hotspot and site of major cave paintings in the Colombian Amazon. Considered an important part of Colombian cultural heritage he states that ‘if there is a place where mystery and hope make up the same word, it is Chiribiquete: all the kingdoms in one kingdom, all the worlds in one world ”. Meet Carlos Castano-Uribe in conversation with Nicolas Montoya.

The freedom of gender expression and fluidity continues to face challenges throughout times. Art and literature is widely considered as moderate fluid spaces that create spaces for openness to the issue of gender flexibility. Two authors, Stebby Julionatan and Hendri Yulius will dissect the journey of Indonesian literature that accommodates the expressions of marginalized writers.

Elora Hardy is the creative genius behind IBUKU, an architectural company that constructs breath-taking bamboo structures. Arief Rabik is the force behind Indonesia’s Environmental Bamboo Foundation and the founder of the 1000 Bamboo Villages project. Meet these young changemakers who are paving the way to a greener world in conversation with Gill Westerway.

Described as a unique, brave piece of work that speaks to our world at this time, Laura Jean Mackay’s award-winning novel, The Animals in That Country, takes us on an extraordinary journey of speculative fiction, where victims of a flu-like pandemic develop the ability to communicate with animals. How important is our unique bond with the animal world?

In Our Final Warning, Mark Lynas explores the course we have set for Earth over the next century and beyond. He delivers a vital account of the likely consequences of global heating and the ensuing climate catastrophe. Is time is running out and what will happen if we fail to save our planet? Listen to his comprehensive researches and experiences.

As one of the most fearless defenders of Balinese culture and people, designer Niluh Djelantik is on a mission to build better tourism in the island post-pandemic. She has been actively supporting small and medium enterprises across Bali. Join her with Janet DeNeefe as she speaks about the potential sustainable reboot for the travel industry to create a better normal for Bali’s tourism.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the creative behaviour of artists, including writers and readers. Digital-based writing media are increasingly emerging, as is the presence of literacy appreciation activities in cyberspace. Everything can be an opportunity as well as a challenge. Raisa Kamila, Kadek Sonia Piscayanti, and Liswindo will discuss how writers respond to this reality, especially in the creative process.

Irrealis moods are not about the present, past, or future, they are about what might and could have been but never was. In his latest work, Homo Irrealis, André Aciman explores what time means to artists who cannot grasp life in the present. Join his conversation with Michael Vatikiotis to talk about the power of imagination.

The literary ecosystem changes over tie, especially during the pandemic, where literary pages were reduced in the media. Listen to three poets across generations: Joko Pinurbo, Ni Wayan Idayati, and Gody Usnaat share their diverse creative processes. Join them as they show how poetry is able to live across generations.

In the midst of accelerating the flow of information, there are still barriers that hinder our understanding of humanity. In the patriarchal socio-cultural system, women are one of the groups affected by this intertwining of issues. Hear the stories of women writers, Kalis Mardiasih, R. Valentina Sagala, and Intan Andari, who went beyond the barriers and reflect on true inclusivity.

In his latest book, Joseph Conrad’s Eastern Voyages, Ian Burnet shares his account of Joseph Conrad’s adventure in Singapore and East Borneo River where his first books are all set. Ian speaks to Virania Munaf about Conrad’s life as a sailor, his stories on the high seas and his legacy to literature.

Set during the gold-rush era in Australia, Stone Sky Gold Mountain is a poignant novel full of unforgettable characters that deal with issues of identity, belonging, racism, and sexual violence. Join Mirandi Riwoe as she shares a heart-breaking and universal story about the exiled and displaced, about those who encounter discrimination and yearn for acceptance.

From the outspoken Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict to Ella Deloria, the Dakota Sioux activist who preserved the traditions of Native Americans on the Great Plains, their revolutionary findings gave birth to cultural anthropology. Join Charles King, author of Gods of the Upper Air, to learn more about the radical ideas and passionate lives of these adventurous pioneers.

Lives Between the Lines is a family story of Michael Vatikiotis’s grandparents and parents in the Levant, spanning from the mid-1800s to the end of the Second World War in 1945. Once a place of ethnic harmony and pluralistic tradition their lives eventually became caught up in the conflict between clashing faiths and contested identity. Michael Vatikiotis speaks to Kelly Falconer about his fascinating family history.

How do we endure loss and find meaning in our lives? Ruth Ozeki’s The Book of Form and Emptiness is a heart-breaking and humane tale, considered as a powerful meditation that contains the chaos of the world, while giving it meaning. Ruth speaks to Desi Anwar about her poignant novel that blends jazz with climate change and attachment to material possessions.

Greatly affected by the tragic Sewol Ferry incident of 2014, when more than 300 Koreans, mainly schoolchildren, lost their lives, Kim Hyesoon composed Autobiography of Death, a cycle of forty-nine poems – one for each day the dead must await reincarnation – to produce a deeply moving work for the children lost to this disaster. Kim speaks to Sonia Piscayanti about how we give a voice to death and trauma.

Known as the world’s village, Ubud has shifted its image throughout the years. For decades, everything local and traditional has been fused with a cosmopolitan and international perspective. So, what about Ubud today? In the midst of the intertwined transformation of times, especially during the pandemic, is it still the world’s village? How do the Ubud Palace define the region?

Since 2007, Mayank Austen Soofi has been documenting Delhi’s everyday life. During the city’s most desperate COVID-19 moments, he collected images and heartfelt stories of the people’s collective grief. Joshua Irwandi shadowed hospital workers and pandemic victims in Jakarta and is responsible for the photo that stopped a nation in its tracks. Rio Helmi* talks to them about the power of pictures when words are not enough.

The leading authority of forest medicine in Japan, Dr. Qing Li, shares stories with a world-renowned tree scientist, ecologist, educator, and conservationist, Meg Lowman ‘Canopy Meg’. The two experts will be joined by Suzy Hutomo to talk about the life-changing power of trees and the importance of forests, at a time when we are returning to nature, more than ever, for health and happiness.