Welcoming the 15th of Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Around 180 speakers from 30 countries consisting of writers, musicians, poets, dancers, directors, and artists from Indonesia and other countries will also participate in enlivening the 2018 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) which will be held on October 24 to 28 Ubud.

DENPASAR, NusaBali

After 14 years of success, the
Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) is now being held for the 15th
time in 2018. An international event involving 180 speakers from 30 countries
will bring writers, artists, musicians, directors, poets, to State figures who
will fill panel discussions, workshops, and various other events at UWRF 2018.

The big event which will be held
for 5 days in several locations in Ubud, such as Neka Museum, Indus Restaurant,
and Taman Baca, had previously held a press conference with several media crews
on (16/10) in Kubu Kopi, Hayam Wuruk street, Denpasar.

The press conference was held to
explain in advance the background and detailed matters that will be presented
at the 2018 UWRF, which only counts the day. There were also three speakers
present at the press conference, including, Drs. Ketut Suardana, M. Phil, as
the Founder of the Saraswati Swari Mudra Foundation which has accommodated
UWRF, Kadek Purnami, as the General Manager of UWRF, and Carma Citrawati, the
Balinese Writer who received the Rancage Literature Award, as well as the
Speaker who will perform at one of the 2018 UWRF sessions.

The theme of UWRF this time is
'Jagadhita,' or in English it is defined as 'the world we create,' which, Jagad
means Earth, and Hita is the desire for welfare. So, Jagadhita is the
achievement of living prosperity through the things that are done by humans who
are on earth according to their karma. The same was conveyed by Ketut Suardana
on his opening remarks at the press conference that afternoon.

"This theme is very
spiritual because we are building by doing a universal relationship with
society, nature, as well as a God that we believe in. That is what then becomes
a fundamental basis for achieving Jagadhita itself, the world that we create,"
he said.

In addition, Kadek Purnami added
that the background of the UWRF was based on the Foundation's response to
tourism in Bali after the Bali Bombing I. The event also aimed to share ideas
between writers and readers, as well as artists and their fans to meet in one
event called UWRF.

Meanwhile, on the event which was
divided into 13 programs and nearly 200 events, one of the discussion panels
will be filled by the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the
Republic of Indonesia, which is Susi Pudjiastuti who will talk about a topic entitled
'Sink It,' then there are also great Indonesian writers, which will also share
their ideas, including; Dewi Lestari, Aan Mansyur, Djenar Maesa Ayu, Leila S.
Chudori, Butet Manurung, Warih Wisatsana and many others.

This time, URWF will also give an
award to Indonesian legendary writer, which is Sapardi Djoko Damono, for his
dedication that continues to work consistently in his old age. In addition to
the awards, a number of books from young writers and seniors were also launched
in the 'Book Launch' session, to the launching of anthology books written by
artists who are members of UWRF 2018 in bilingual version (Indonesia – English),
which later can promote the works of Indonesian writers to the international
level.