GIANYAR, balitourismnow.com – In its 23rd year, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) returns to Ubud, Bali, from 21–25 October 2026. The festival will bring together more than 150 writers, thinkers, journalists and poets from Indonesia and around the region for over 100 conversations and panel discussions under the theme Samarasā: Awareness. Empathy. Action.
“In a world this fractured, awareness gives us clarity when everything feels blurred by noise. Empathy builds the bridges we keep failing to build ourselves,” said UWRF Founder and Director Janet DeNeefe.
She added that awareness and empathy must lead to action. This spirit will be reflected throughout the programme, from author talks and panel discussions to literary lunches and late-night spoken word performances.
One of the featured conversations is with Tari Lang, who will discuss her memoir My Neighbour, The Dictator. She recounts her experience as a 14-year-old in 1965, when her parents were imprisoned without trial following General Suharto’s coup, and how that history shaped her life.
The festival will also explore truth, censorship and freedom of expression. Defying Silence Together brings investigative journalist Dandhy Laksono together with novelist Randa Abdel-Fattah. Other sessions, including Forbidden Stories: Banned Media and Magazines with human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis and The Violence of Culture with Michael Shaikh and Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes, examine the risks of speaking out.
Technology and artificial intelligence are also key topics. Burning Books, Accepting Artifice: Man or Machine features Brian Lang and Dee Lestari, while Reimagining the World: Nation-state and Technology brings together Richard King and British novelist Rana Dasgupta.
Beyond borders, UWRF celebrates diverse voices and solidarity. The Bandung Conference of Writers brings together writers from Asia and Africa, inspired by the legacy of the 1955 Bandung Conference. Meanwhile, Literature: A Mirror to the World features 2006 Man Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai and Palestinian author Adania Shibli.
Women’s voices and experiences also take centre stage. Women Who Write Women features Sisonke Msimang, Oka Rusmini and others, while The Domestic is Political with Amanda Echanis explores the wider social meaning of domestic life. Translating Women is Translating Change, with Tiffany Tsao, examines how women’s stories travel across languages.
The festival also explores universal experiences such as grief and ageing. The Story of a Heart features palliative care physician and author Rachel Clarke, while Pakistani writer Fatima Bhutto discusses violence and survival in The Hour of the Wolf. In Ageing: A Social Movement, David Carlin and Peta Murray, co-authors of How to Dress for Old Age, offer a fresh and humorous perspective on growing older.
Indonesian voices remain central to the programme. Dandhy Laksono will discuss Reset Indonesia, focusing on socio-political reform and environmental justice. Author and musician Reda Gaudiamo will explore children’s literature in Big Worlds for Little Readers, highlighting the power of stories to address big ideas with warmth and imagination.
Making his UWRF debut, Pakistani-American writer, composer and performer Ali Sethi, best known for the hit Pasoori, will discuss music, culture, longing and identity.
“Ali Sethi’s presence at the Festival this year is one we are especially proud of. His work captures precisely what we set out to achieve: keeping human stories at the forefront, giving voice to longing and identity, and dreaming up the human ability to change, to adapt, to hope, to love, to hear and to be heard,” said Namal Siddiqui, Head of Programming.
Through its diverse programme, UWRF 2026 continues to position literature and storytelling as a space for dialogue, empathy and meaningful human connection. [niph]