August 29, 2023 — by IDWRITERS
Last updated on August 29, 2023 at 10:51 pm
Held annually in Ubud, Bali’s cultural heartland, the festival is Southeast Asia’s flagship literary organisation.
Praised worldwide for its diverse and intimate program, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival gathers over 150 of the world’s most exciting writers, thinkers, and performers for five days of electrifying conversation, thoughtful debate, and joyful celebration of literary culture. Alongside author in-conversations and panel discussions are a wide-ranging offering of Indonesian dance and performance, literary lunches, guided tours of Ubud’s famous markets, temples and rice fields, late night comedy, musical, and spoken word galas, as well as book launches, workshops, and events designed to enrich and inspire the imaginations of emerging writers and young people.
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Get ready to immerse yourself in a literary celebration like no other as the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) returns for its momentous 20th anniversary festival from 18-22 October 2023. This year, the festival embraces the theme of Atita, Wartamana, Anagata: The Past, the Present, and the Future.
The Festival theme is inspired by the Balinese concept of ‘Tri Semaya,’ which is the philosophical view of time as non-linear, circular and collective. It embodies the idea of Atita, Wartamana, Anagata as inseparable and existing simultaneously. The concept evokes a metaphysical representation of ‘being’ that goes beyond the life of a single individual. It places an importance on balance and harmony that weaves a delicate thread that ties humanity together across time and space. It transcends individualism for our mutual sustenance from one generation to the next.
