February 28, 2026 — by IDWRITERS
Last updated on February 28, 2026 at 2:01 am
Jakarta — IDWRITERS officially introduces OTHER MAPS, an independent literary journal dedicated to Indonesian literature in English translation. Published quarterly, OTHER MAPS is a curatorial platform that brings Indonesian writing into global circulation and literary conversation.
In the global literary landscape, the distribution and recognition of literary works are often influenced by dominant languages as well as established cultural centers. This structure influences which works are translated, read widely, and considered globally relevant. Through OTHER MAPS, IDWRITERS expands the space by presenting perspectives, histories, and lived experiences from Indonesia to global readers.
OTHER MAPS was created as a long-term initiative to strengthen the presence of Indonesian literature on the global stage. It is managed independently with a mission to increase circulation, readership, and critical engagement with Indonesian literary works across languages and cultures. Operating outside bureaucratic and institutional frameworks, OTHER MAPS emphasizes editorial quality, translation integrity, as well as publication sustainability, while also opening a space for diverse perspectives that enrich the global literary conversation.
In the process of its establishment, the Founder of IDWRITERS, Valent Mustamin, has brought together several peers with solid track records in writing, literature, media, and translation to take part in establishing and developing OTHER MAPS. The editorial team is reinforced by Damhuri Muhammad, Lita Soerjadinata, and Desca Angelianawati as Senior Editors; Foggy FF as Managing Editor; as well as two of IDWRITERS’s Editors-at-Large, Hana Anandira and Dena Igusti, who will contribute to translation and editing.
The name OTHER MAPS reflects an approach which treats literature as a space that contains diverse geographies and perspectives. It platforms writings borne out of local histories, social experiences, as well as contexts of various ways of living in Indonesia. Every text is positioned as a new lens onto the global literary landscape.
As a journal focusing on works in translation, the translation process is central in OTHER MAPS’s editorial work. Writers are encouraged to submit works in Indonesian, and selected pieces will be developed through a collaborative process between writers, editors, and translators to ensure accuracy, literary quality, as well as integrity of voice and context. This approach places translation as an intellectual and editorial work that extends meanings across languages.
Inaugural Issue: On Indigeneity: Reclaiming Spotlight
Our debut Volume 1 Issue 1, scheduled for publication in April 2026, engages the theme “On Indigeneity: Reclaiming Spotlight.” This theme explores indigeneity as experiences that are formed through communal memories, connections with both land and sea, local knowledge systems, and the dynamics of social and economic change.
The writings in the inaugural issue will highlight how communities, including coastal communities and indigenous groups, record their realities through literature whether through narrative, critical reflection, or other creative expressions.
OTHER MAPS is envisioned to launch in three formats: Web Edition (digital) as the main channel, PDF Edition (downloadable format), and Print-on-Demand (physical copy for global distribution). This multi-format model is designed to support accessibility for global readers, operational sustainability, as well as distribution across borders, without any dependency on a centralized infrastructure.
For further information:
https://othermaps.id
Media contact
hello@othermaps.id
+6285133368410
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