Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Podcast

Dengan kebijaksanaan dan kejujuran yang mengagumkan, penulis, cendekiawan akademis, dan mantan Menteri Agama Indonesia di Kabinet Pembangunan Keempat pada 1998 silam, M. Quraish Shihab yang memimpin Pusat Studi Al-Qur'an membagikan penafsirannya yang melimpah, tentang seluk-beluk masyarakat, dan kapasitasnya untuk menjawab tantangan dalam komunitas Islam global. Nantikan penjelajahan yang mencerah...

For our next 2023 Festival Live-Recorded highlight conversation, listen to Geraldine Brooks, an American Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, as she discusses her recent novel 'Horse' with Australian journalist Leigh Sales. Casting fresh light on America's past, her latest novel explores the story of a real-life racehorse named Lexington, one of the most famous thoroughbreds in American history, packe...

In a compassionate conversation, Cuban American artist Edel Rodriguez, Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani, and Indonesian artist Agus Nur Amal (PM Toh) speak of their personal experience as refugees. Appearing in our short clip, Edel Rodriguez talks about hearing Donald Trump in 2015, as a candidate for president, echoing Castro’s talking points, and how he felt the need to sound the alar...

Listen to another of the highlight conversation recorded live from the 2023 Festival featuring Intan Paramaditha, Dee Lestari, and Lala Bohang. These three Indonesian literary powerhouses spearhead the Indonesian literary era, breaking barriers, and paving new paths for future writers. With powerful prose, Dee Lestari resonates with millions; Intan Paramaditha fearlessly challenges norms, and Lala...

For our upcoming 2023 Festival live-recorded highlight sessions, hear the highly regarded Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva discuss her five-decade-long fight for environmental justice in India. In conversation with Indonesian forest conservationist Farwiza Farhan, she shares her tireless efforts to save forests, shut down polluting mines, expose the dangers of pesticides, spur on the global c...

This week, listen to Dr. Ravinjay Kuckreja, Darma Putra, and Sugi Lanus in an extraordinary conversation as they reflect on the 2023 Festival theme. The theme draws inspiration from the profound Balinese concept of ‘Tri Semaya,’ a philosophical view of time as non-linear, circular, and collective. Darma Putra, a writer and reader of ancient texts, will explain this philosophy, while Dr. Ravinjay K...

Join us for our second highlighted conversation recorded live from our 20th Anniversary, where our speakers provide an analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Hear from Middle East experts Michael Vatikiotis and Antony Loewenstein as they shed light on a relentless and deadly conflict that has persisted for decades. In conversation with investigative journalist Kirsti Melville, they discuss...

The time has come, and we'll be bringing you conversations recorded live from our 20th Anniversary.  Start your highlight program journey with Festival Founder and Director Janet DeNeefe and some old Festival friends - Toni Pollard, Kadek Purnami, and Festival Manager Dwi Ermayanthi - as they recall the humble beginnings, surprises, and future of the annual event we've all come to love. Available...

To celebrate the birthday of female Indonesian heroine, Raden Adjeng Kartini (1879-1904), who fought for gender equality and the right to education for all, our #UWRF22 Highlight Session will bring you a panel discussion on Women in Fiction. Women throughout history, and even now, face discrimination in the literary world. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, writing as a profession was primarily...

It is no secret that politicians wield disinformation as a political tool, to drive people apart and control them. For example, the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar was partly incited by Facebook posts. There were even conspiracy theorists who denied that the COVID-19 pandemic existed, which led to people disregarding masks, among other things. Online disinformation seems to influence peoples' public...

Enjoy another one of our #UWRF22 highlight episode sessions with one of the finest Southeast Asian correspondents and private diplomats of our time, Michael Vatikiotis. In a conversation moderated by Janet Steele, Vatikiotis will talk about his new book, Lives Between the Lines: A Journey In Search of the Lost Levant.  It's a fascinating memoir, detailing the author’s Greek and Italian forebears w...

Today, Indonesia celebrates its National Film Day.  On March 30, 1950, legendary Indonesian filmmaker Usmar Ismail directed the country’s first full-length feature film produced by a national company. To mark this special occasion, this week’s #UWRF22 Highlight Session will bring you our Main Program discussion called “From Book to Screen”. Adapting a book into screen can be a delicate process. Au...

In this week’s #UWRF22 Highlight Sessions episode, indulge yourself in an emotional journey alongside three international female poets who share their stories about their creative lives with a celebrated Balinese poet. In the conversation is the female Balinese poet, Kadek Sonia Piscayanti, with Venilla Rajaguru from India, Afra Atiq from the United Arab Emirates, and Bejan Matur from Turkey. They...

Speculative fiction immerses us in a vision of the world that could become true from a plethora of latent possibilities. Speculative fiction uses storytelling as a tool to educate and influence people's perspectives by creating a world that expands on contemporary society. Renowned authors Laura Jean McKay, Norman Erikson Pasaribu and Sequoia Nagamatsu will speak to the power of speculative fictio...

This week’s #UWRF22Highlights episode seeks to mark International Women’s Day by featuring a discussion on Women Representation in Cinema and Popular Culture. You can listen to Indonesia’s two prominent female film directors, Nia Dinata and Kamila Andini, as well as female Indonesian visual artist, curator, and craftswoman, Ika Vantiani, as they talk about their creative evolution and challenges t...

In the week’s #UWRF22 highlight episode, the Indonesian artist, Saras Dewi, and the Director of Museum MACAN, Aaron Seeto, come together to discuss the journey in tracing the development of contemporary art in Indonesia. Join the Social Affairs Editor, Jewel Topsfield, who is asking questions on how contemporary Indonesian art identifies in the midst of a cosmopolitan and cross-border art climate....

In this #UWRF22Highlights episode, join Miles Merrill in an important and critical conversation with the Australian Poetry Slam Champion, Huda Fadlelmawla, as well as West Timor-based writer, Felix K. Nesi, and the broadcaster/comedian, Sami Shah. The participants give their unique perspectives on race, racism, and racial justice. You can listen to this #UWRF2022 session on Spotify, or watch it on...

The 21st of February is International #MotherLanguageDay! To celebrate the power of mother languages, we are presenting another #UWRF22 highlight session. This time, featuring Irish Novelist, Audrey Magee, who’s ‘The Colony’ novel got shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022. As well as the celebrated Indonesian Writer, Saut Poltak Tambunan, and Indonesian Writer and Translator, and selected Festi...

Join music editor Lauren Ziegler for a special in-conversation with Meita Kasim, Sally Breen, and Gede Robi. It’ll be a powerful and accessible exploration about music, and its key role in social activism and human rights movements. In this special episode, the three guests share how music has influenced their lives, their passions, and fuelled their creative pursuits. You can listen to this #UWRF...

The third highlight episode features Australian author and columnist, Brigid Delaney, as well as American former foreign correspondent and travel writer, Eric Weiner. In this special meeting of minds, the duo discusses with Gill Westaway their latest works. They also share their perspectives in their eternal search for spirituality, cultural enlightenment, and bliss. You can listen to this episode...

Listen to an engaging conversation with Huda Fadlelmawla, Bandana Tewari, and Fariha Roisin who share their unique perspectives with Eva Fernandes, on the wellness industry—which has become a multi-billion-dollar business that claims to improve our health, happiness, and longevity! You can listen to this #UWRF2022 session on Spotify, or watch it on YouTube 👉 http://bit.ly/UWRF22FestivalHighlights...

In this session, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a scholar of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, who shares her incredible story of survival after being accused of espionage and sentenced to an Iranian jail for 804 days. You can listen to this #UWRF2022 session on Spotify, or watch it on YouTube 👉 http://bit.ly/UWRF22FestivalHighlights .

Passionate about sustainable development, urban spaces and the well-being of his community, Ridwan Kamil is one of Indonesia’s most visionary Governors. With a background in architecture, he believes that cities are for the people to enjoy. Ridwan Kamil talks to Janet DeNeefe about his community projects, his COVID-19 initiatives and lessons he has learned during this pandemic.

Cyntha Hariadi’s Kokokan Mencari Arumbawangi and Ziggy Zezsyazeoviennazabrizkie’s Di Tanah Lada both focus on the behaviour and thoughts of children. However, they actually touch on a wider issues, including the chaotic relationship between humans and the exploitation of our natural resources. Together with essayist and archivist, Setyaningsih, listen to their reflections and dreams about represen...

Muna Masyari, Ramayda Akmal, and Tias Yuliana present the dark reality of women in traditional customs and modern utopias. Their novels show the multiple layers of female characters as well as their efforts to address the local socio-cultural situation. Listen to these three Indonesian female writers to learn more about how to represent women in literary works.