Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) is an annual literary festival held at Ubud, Bali in Indonesia. It is organized by the not-for-profit foundation Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati. The festival was first conceived of by Janet DeNeefe, Co-founder of the Foundation, as a healing project in response to the first 2002 Bali bombings. It was first held in 2003 as part of an effort to help revive tourism, the island's main economic lifeline, after terrorist bombings devastated the island's Kuta district a year earlier. The festival is usually held in October each year.[1] It is known as the biggest festival of words and ideas in Southeast Asia, which is participated by the world's most celebrated writers, artists, thinkers and performers.[2][3] The literature festival is also considered as one of the best five in the world.[4]

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival
UWRF
GenreLiterary festival
Location(s)Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Years active2003 – present
Previous eventOctober 24–28, 2018
October 23–27, 2019
Next eventOctober 28 - November 1, 2020
Websitehttp://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/

Chronology
  • 12th edition of UWRF was held in 2015 in 38 venues across Bali, in which more than 200 writers from all over the world took part. A controversy was raised over the proposed discussion about Indonesia's anti-communist purges that killed an estimated 500,000 people in 1965.[5]
  • 13th edition of UWRF was held in 2016, attended by 160 of the world's leading authors, artists and performers.[6]
  • 2017 UWRF was the 14th edition of the festival, which was held from October 25–29, participated by more than 150 authors, artists and activists from 31 countries.[7]
  • 15th edition of UWRF was held from 24 October to 28 October 2018 which was focused on gender equality and diversity.[8]
  • "Karma" was the theme of the 16th annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, which was held on 23–27 October 2019. 180 speakers from 30 countries participated in the festival. There were more than 170 programs, including panel discussions of various issues, film screenings, art exhibitions, book launches and writing workshops.[9]
  • 2020 UWRF was postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

References
  1. "Writers, activists gather for Ubud festival". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  2. "What to expect at Southeast Asia's biggest festival of words and ideas". Asian Correspondent. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. "The show goes on: Ubud writers festival to bring big names to Bali as Mount Agung rumbles". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. "Calling All Readers! Ubud Writers and Readers Festival to Kick Off This Month". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  5. "Ubud writers' festival debates massacre 'that we're not supposed to talk about'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  6. "Literary fest to discover new voices, unexpected conversations". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  7. "Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Set to Return With Over 150 Speakers". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  8. "2018 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival ends on high note, celebrates gender equality, diversity". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  9. "Calling All Readers! Ubud Writers and Readers Festival to Kick Off This Month". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  10. Cahyana, Ludhy (2020-07-17). "UWRF 2020 Ditangguhkan Karena Pandemi, Jadwal Baru Belum Ada". Tempo. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
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