Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Podcast

It’s been 26 years since Irvine Welsh gave the world Trainspotting, the book deemed by Rebel Inc. “the best book ever written by man or woman” that went on to define a generation. Since then he’s written 11 more books, plus plays and adaptations. Give Born Slippy. NUXX a spin, then listen in as he reflects on a life spent with razor-sharp words. Featuring Irvine Welsh and Sam Cooney.

Crafting the perfect sentence in one’s mother tongue is hard enough, without the complications that working in a second language brings. But that hasn’t stopped this panel. Not content to create in just one language, they share accounts of their personal experiences of the joys and frustrations of becoming multilingual wordsmiths. Featuring Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes, Jamie Marina Lau, Rodaan Al Galidi, and Tara June Winch.

Award-winning hip-hop artist Akala’s bestselling Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire is a searing polemic on race and class in the British Empire. With a life and outlook shaped by these elements, Akala takes us from the personal to the universal as he confronts the issues at the heart of the legacy of Britain’s racialized empire. Featuring Kirsti Melville and Akala.

Indonesia has 150 million internet users and 800,000 hoax-distributing websites, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. In a system swimming with fake news, what is the relationship between rising social media use and increasing religious conservatism? How is social media being manipulated for political gain? Join our panel as they unravel these weapons of mass distortion. Featuring Erin Cook, Stanley Widianto, Famega Syavira Putri, Nirwan Dewanto, and Andreas Harsono.

In a 2019 Entertainment Weekly interview, Amy Tan reflected on the 30 years since her groundbreaking novel The Joy Luck Club was published, commenting on the remarkable difference in Asian representation in literature and film. This panel weighs in on what has changed regarding the reach of and desire for Asia Pacific literatures, and asks what the future might hold. Featuring Kadek Sonia Piscayanti, Sally Breen, Richard Oh, and Melanie Mununggurr-Williams.

After a childhood in care, 17-year-old Norman Greenwood saw his birth certificate for the first time: his name was Lemn Sissay, he was British-Ethiopian, and his mother had never stopped trying to get him back. Celebrated writer, poet and performer Lemn shares a deeply personal account of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph. Featuring Lemn Sissay and Kate Evans.

With a vast domestic market and burgeoning production power, Indonesia’s film industry has huge potential. In recent times, Indonesian films and industry professionals have enjoyed rising international prominence. Could Indonesian cinema be a form of soft power to expand the nation’s impact in regional and global cultural scenes? What does the future hold for homegrown films? Join our cinephiles to find out. Featuring Leila S. Chudori, Garin Nugroho, Richard Oh, Seno Gumira Ajidarma, and Rayya Makarim.