Celebrating 20 years
How the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival changed my life!
Ubud Writers and Readers Festival celebrates a major anniversary this month and if you have never been you must put it on your ‘to do’ list. I can’t believe it’s 20 years since I took part in the first iteration in 2004. Originally established by Janet de Neefe and Heather Curnow to bring positive focus and energy to Ubud after the devastating Bali Bombings in Kuta in 2002, it has become an internationally acclaimed festival.
I launched my Indonesia based books there in 2006 and 2013. While I chose Substack over Ubud this year to launch my new travel memoir, I thought I’d dip into the archives and revisit some of those wonderful UWRF days.
‘Delicious, delicious, delicious! If you weren’t there, I’m sorry to tell you, you really missed out!’
These were the words I wrote following the festival for the Australian online magazine Arts Hub .
‘This was an experience so special, so unique in the world of writer’s festivals, that you had to pinch yourself several times a day to see if you were dreaming, or if you had in fact died and gone to heaven!’
‘The spectacular opening at dusk in the court yard of the Ubud Palace with speeches by dignitaries and a performance of the magical kecak dance set the sensual aesthetic for our week to come. As we sipped our cocktails, adjusted our name tags and mingled under the stars, we knew the famous were among us, though fame brought no privilege at this festival. You were a writer or a reader or both, and even that line was blurred and forgotten. As the week progressed, we were just a crowd of intellectually curious beings inspiring one another, while the venues, events, attention to detail, generous hospitality and rich culture of Ubud, gave us a taste for more. And while fame was not played upon, the stars of this festival undoubtedly, were the Indonesian writers. Riding a resurgent wave in the Post-Suharto era of new literature, they are vibrant, articulate and, regardless of age, incredibly sexy people. ‘‘I have fallen in love here every day,” said an Australian man in tears as he responded on the last afternoon to the inspired stream of consciousness rave of novelist and playwright Putu Wijaya.’
‘We fell in love with Ibu Toeti Heraty, Indonesia’s first lady of literature, in her opening speech and later when she read her poems in her soft, halting voice; with novelist Dewi Anggraeni’s witty and probing interview with writer, editor, and activist Goenawan Mohamed ; and with General Pastika, the Chief Commissioner of Bali’s Police Force who led the Bali bomb investigation, for the compassion, intelligence and insight with which he openly discussed the hard tasks he faces as a responsible (and widely read) community leader.
’I fell in love with the young poets from different islands: Kalimantan, Aceh, Sulawesi among others. Men and women who read their work with such force and passion, that my heart called for no translation.’
’We fell in love again at the poetry slam, when around 20 poets, myself among them, slammed off against each other in a spirit of warmth, camaraderie and mock competition, the diehards ending up in a Reggae bar, dancing the night away.’
’And we all fell seriously in the most popular session of the festival, for four young female writers; Ayu Utami, Dewi Lestari, Djenar Maesa Ayu and Fira Basuki, who are burning a path through the Indonesian literary scene with their frank and open writing, dubbed “Fragrant Literature”. These wonderfully articulate young women explained how they didn’t care for fame or labels as long as their writing was being read, and intelligently fielded tricky questions from the floor about their “babes-of-the-media “ status.’
Read the whole article here.
THE TURNING POINT.
For me the festival was a pivotal experience — not only was I introduced to a rich vein of Indonesian literature, I made deep connnections with fellow artists, writers and publishers and set the direction for my artistic life and work for the next decade and beyond.
One of those publishers suggested I write a novel about my Indonesian experiences. Simple as that — how could I say no? I went with a different Indonesian publisher in the end but the idea was born — if someone asks me to do something I usually do it!
In the days prior to the 2004 Ubud Writer’s Festival I ran my first writer’s retreat in Ubud. UWRF was my motivation and marks the beginning of my so-far 20 year career as a Writers Journey guide and mentor, taking groups on international creative adventures to Bali, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, Italy, France, Morocco and more.
In 2005 I returned to Indo five times, running more retreats and workshops in Ubud at Janet de Neefe’s wonderful restaurants, Casa Luna and Indus, taking part in UWRF again as well as being invited to the Utan Kayu Literary Biennale in Java and Sumatra.
In 2006 I was awarded a four month Asia Link Residency in Jakarta with Komunitas Utan Kayu, during which time I wrote a novel, recorded a CD of jazz poetry and worked with local punk and noise musicians in a music/poetry project called Mum and Her Bastard Sons. At the 2006 UWRF I launched my novel Take Me To Paradise (published by Saritaksu Editions) and the jazz poetry CD, Singing Srengenge.
Marilyn wakes up one morning and instead of catching the bus to work, catches the ‘I don’t like Mondays’ flight to Bali. But is she too late to indulge her paradise dream? How many western women have arrived before her and fallen headlong for the lush green island, its exotic culture, and their attractive driver?
Chisato Hara in the Jakarta Post, Oct 8, 2006 wrote:
‘While Cornall’s first work of prose — she has previously written plays, poetry, songs and a screenplay — explores underlying themes of abandonment, self-denial and loss, it is never pedantic nor forced in their treatment, and at times borders on self-effacing. Instead, what stands out is her sense of humor, one that finds the comic in all encounters, especially the absurd and awkward. Part travel journal, part diary, Take Me to Paradise is a gem of a novella likely to become a well-worn travel companion. ‘
Read Chapter 1 here. Buy a signed copy here.
In 2008 I adapted, presented and performed in the stage show of Take Me To Paradise, directed by Brian Joyce at OzAsia Festival, with Indonesian actors: poet Sitok Srengenge, artist and puppeteer Jumaadi and two Indonesian musicians: Wendy Anggerani and Deva Permana.
As you can see, coming from a performance background, I’m never satisfied to have my book just sit on a shelf. In fact during my time in Indonesia I revived my performance persona which had been in hibernation for a number of years. I took part in a number of performance art festivals in Jogjakarta and performed my words at literary festivals in other regions. While Indonesia was always my first stop, I branched out to Hong Kong, China, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, meeting and collaborating with writers, artists and musicians.
THE TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
When the 10 year anniversary of UWRF came around I knew I wanted to be there. My Bali publisher, Sarita Newson, put her design magic into a beautiful collection of my poems, songs and stories written during a decade of visiting Indonesia. The Indonesian artist Jumaadi generously lent his whimsical illustrations to the volume.
Archipelagogo, Love Songs to Indonesia, was launched and celebrated at UWRF in 2013. At a lively event at Bar Luna I performed a number of the poems and songs from the book in the acapella style.
Many of these love-song-poems about people, places and the complexities of cross cultural relationships, have been spoken and sung at different times to intimate audiences at other literary festivals in the Asia Pacific: Salihara Literary Biennale, Darwin’s Wordstorm, Braidwood’s Two Fires Festival, St Kilda Writers Festival, Hong Kong International Literary Festival.
- Take a sneak peek inside the book here. Read reviews here. Get your signed copy here.
- Buy two books for $25AUD plus postage here.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR OCTOBER!
- Become a Founding Member of my Substack Newsletter and receive both books for free!
I’m sad not to be attending the 20th Anniversary of UWRF. While the festival has grown and developed and Ubud is no longer the sleepy town we once knew, it still offers a uniquely intimate literary experience and important showcase of regional and international writing. Hopefully it will continue for years to come!
I’d love to get your comments or hear about your own life changing events/moments. All the best, Jan.
Jan Cornall is a Sydney based writer who leads international writer’s workshops, retreats and journeys with her company Writer’s Journey.
Since April 2023 Jan has been on Substack, sharing chapters of her latest travel memoir set in Vietnam and Cambodia, Looking For Duras, Finding my Mother: A Mekong Journey. Follow Jan on Substack here.
Writing Journeys coming up in 2023/24
Story Hunters, India, Nov 4–19, 2023.
Moroccan Caravan, Feb 23 — Mar 8 , 2024.
Haiku Writing In Japan, March 27 — April 1 2024.
Sensing Italy, June 4 -15, 2024.
Gascony Residency, June 18–30, 2024
© Jan Cornall October 2023.
