The 8th International Ubud Writers & Readers Festival will take place in Bali, Indonesia from 5 – 9 October 2011. The UWRF will hold the festival in over 50 venues around Ubud, featuring a mixture of ticketed and free events, all underpinning the festivals aims;

Sharing through storytelling, ideas and literature craft in the spirit of cross-cultural understanding;
Foster greater international awareness and understanding of Indonesian literary cultures;
Create opportunities for Indonesian writers to present their work to a global audience;
Expose Indonesian audiences to the work of international writers.

The theme for this year’s Festival is Nandurin Karang Awak – Cultivate the Land Within. The theme “Nandurin Karang Awak: Cultivate the Land Within” is inspired by a line in Gaguritan Salampah Laku, a long poem in traditional metres. It was composed by Bali’s greatest Kawi-Wiku (poet-priest) Ida Pedanda Made Sidemen. In one part of the Geguritan, Ida Pedanda Made Sidemen says,”…idep beline mangkin, makinkin mayasa lacur, tong ngelah karang sawah, karang awake tandurin…” (My intention now, pursuing the life of simplicity, [since I] don’t have any rice field, [I shall] cultivate the land within myself).

This theme will provide a broad platform for attending authors to discuss about present and future issues, particularly ones that related to “land” the physical land as well as the metaphorical one, from alienation, exile, annexation, marginalization, to identity.

http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/