Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Podcast

In a powerful conversation from the 2025 Festival, Indonesian journalist and Editor-in-Chief of IDN Times Uni Lubis and Indonesian historian and Founder of Historia.id Bonnie Triyana speak with host and American Professor of Journalism Janet Steele about the controversy over the government’s plan to amend history books. They offer a brave, nuanced and ultimately important analysis of another flashpoint in the world’s third-largest democracy and the fear of historical amnesia. Watch and listen to this lively panel now at ubudwritersfestival.com/media and on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Simplecast.

In this next #UWRF25 highlight conversation, American writer, journalist and private diplomat Michael Vatikiotis invites New York Times Diplomatxic Correspondent Edward Wong and Chinese Senior Fellow Zhou Bo to examine the complexities of China–United States relations and how contemporary politics influence these powers. Listen in as they untangle their geopolitical landscape and the interactions between competing world powers. Listen in this clip as Wong describes Trump’s approach on the world stage as driven more by short-term tactics than by a coherent long-term strategy, with decision-making often shifting from day to day, a dynamic that has played out in the widening US–Israel conflict with Iran, where rapidly shifting goals and mixed messaging have marked America’s involvement in the region. Watch and listen to this lively panel now at ubudwritersfestival.com/media and on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Simplecast.

Hear from an all-star line-up of women at the top of their fields as they explore creativity as a gift passed from mother to daughter—from the creation of life to the creation of art, community, and more.Appearing in one of our live recorded highlight conversations of #UWRF25, Indonesian multidisciplinary artist Agnes Christina, Australian author and producer Courtney Collins, British, Delhi-based artist Olivia Fraser, and Irish Book Award–winning writer Sinéad Gleeson talk with Jenny Valentish about what drives them and how their creativity nurtures each of them in a world where women are often responsible for more roles than they are recognised for.You can enjoy this latest highlight session, recorded live at our 2025 Festival, at ubudwritersfestival.com/media and on podcast platforms including Spotify and Simplecast.

If you are after more conversations from #UWRF25, take this latest highlight session with you on your early commute or as you unwind after a busy day.In this illuminating conversation, Scottish historian and author Sam Dalrymple goes back in time to when, as recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia—India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait—was bound together under the single imperial banner known as the Indian Empire, or simply the Raj. Join host Husnara Khanom as Dalrymple explores five partitions and Asia’s enduring legacy of war, exile, and division.You can enjoy this latest highlight session, recorded live at our 2025 Festival, at ubudwritersfestival.com/media and on podcast platforms including Spotify and Simplecast.

Listen back to highlight events from #UWRF25, with new episodes released every week.In this week’s episode, Australian Rewilding Facilitator and writer Gina Chick, British-born essayist and novelist Pico Iyer, and Indonesian travel writer Agustinus Wibowo join Krishna Sen in an extraordinary conversation on seeking discomfort, showing how embracing fear, trying new things, and taking risks makes discomfort a catalyst for growth rather than an obstacle to development.You can enjoy this latest highlight session, recorded live at our 2025 Festival, at ubudwritersfestival.com/media and on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Simplecast.   

Beginning the year with one of the timeliest panels from our 2025 Festival, we hope you enjoy hearing Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Shiori Itō, and Virginia Haussegger in a provoking panel moderated by Kirsten Han. Hear from these incredible three female firebrands as they discuss writing their stories as women and claiming their place in a man’s world, unapologetically.Watch and listen to this lively women-only panel, recorded live at our 2025 Festival, at ⁠⁠⁠www.ubudwritersfestival.com/media⁠⁠⁠ and on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Simplecast.

Hear from a panel of speakers brought together at #UWRF25 as they explore how, in an increasingly digital world where identity is reduced to labels, titles, and qualifications, we can begin to internalise that identity is greater than what we see on the surface, featuring Australian speechwriter and journalist Brigid Delaney; Turkish writer, activist, and PEN International board member Ege Dündar; transnational novelist and filmmaker Thammika Songkaeo; hosted by Singaporean writer and journalist Kirsten Han.You can enjoy this latest highlight session, recorded live at our 2025 Festival, at ubudwritersfestival.com/media and on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Simplecast.

Hear highlight conversations from #UWRF25 as we release a new episode each week.For our second episode, listen to Australian award-winning author Gail Jones as she discusses her new book The Name of the Sister. In conversation with non-fiction writer Bri Lee, Jones delves into her latest work, following a young woman discovered in the outback with no identity who, unable to speak, sparks a media firestorm. This gripping mystery explores how history is told and identities are formed in the absence of reliable fact.Listen to her lively conversation now at ubudwritersfestival.com/media and on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Simplecast.

We are delighted to announce the release of the first podcast episode from #UWRF25.In our first episode, join moderator Petra Molnar as she talks with brilliant minds Omar El Akkad, Neal Hall and Shiori Itō about how they choose to confront unthinkable atrocity with their pens, the tools that allow them to write in these times of urgent need, and why it is necessary to write on the battleground.Listen to the most urgent conversations from this year’s Festival, available at ⁠https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/media⁠ and on podcast platforms such as Spotify and Simplecast.

In this week's #UWRF24 highlight conversation, the UK’s largest BookTuber and the Internet's Resident Librarian, Jack Edwards, along with digital creator and blogger Sintia Astarina and Bali-based book cover designer and industry expert Ndari, share their journeys into the world of book blogging, the creative process behind their work, and insights into their experiences in shaping the world of literature in the digital age.This engaging conversation, moderated by Syarafina Vidyadhana, is now available to watch at ubudwritersfestival.com/media. You can also tap the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms like Spotify and Simplecast.

Catch up on our latest #UWRF24 episode with award-winning authors Felix Cheong, Nam Le, and Omar Musa, alongside host Veronica Sullivan, as they explore the art of genre-shifting and how conventional forms in literature are being challenged. Revisit a rich discussion as they make sense of the creative process behind shifting genres and discuss its challenges.The complete session is now available to watch at ubudwritersfestival.com/media. Or, tap the link in our bio to listen to the session on podcast platforms like Spotify and Simplecast.

This week, we are delighted to bring you an intimate conversation recorded live at #UWRF24. Listen in as New York Times bestselling translator and Korean-to-English writer Anton Hur discusses his debut novel, Toward Eternity, with Norman Erikson Pasaribu. Known for his award-winning translations, Anton proves his literary prowess in this tale, crafting a narrative that is both expansive in scope and deeply introspective. The wide-ranging talk on the profound discourse of memory, language, and the essence of humanity is now available to watch at ubudwritersfestival.com/media, or tap the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms like Spotify and Simplecast.

Listen back to a stellar group of expert podcasters and journalists, including Maltese author Paul Caruana Galizia, award-winning Indonesian journalist and anthropologist Tito Ambyo, and Australian Walkley Award-winning reporter Annika Blau, as they discuss how podcasts captivate audiences and transcend traditional media barriers. This extraordinary panel, recorded live at our 2024 Festival and moderated by freelance journalist and Lecaturer Janak Rogers, lets you dive into the world of this revolutionized medium and provides context about the rise of podcasts. The full session is now available to watch at ubudwritersfestival.com/media, or tap the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms like Spotify and Simplecast.

In the past decade, liberal democracies around the world have been attacked from within, and Myanmar is no exception. The civil war in Myanmar, which began with a coup d'état exactly four years ago, has displaced millions, killed or maimed thousands more, and left the country in poverty. Even though the resistance has reached a turning point, leading to a particularly devastating year for the Myanmar military, there is still no resolution in sight.Return to an extraordinary panel conversation recorded live from #UWRF24, featuring dissident writer and Burmese activist Ma Thida and Ben Bland, an expert on Asian geopolitics, as they discuss the stress tests and decline of democracies in Asia with a spotlight on Myanmar, which, although it may be in the middle of a bloody civil conflict, potentially stands on the precipice of a new democratic awakening, moderated by award-winning journalist Drew Ambrose.

The creative process of character development is one of the most crucial elements of storytelling. Revisit this one-of-a-kind meeting of literary minds between prolific Indonesian author Abi Ardianda, Irish fiction writer Alan Murrin, and bestselling Malaysian novelist Ong Chin Huat, as they discuss the art of balancing traits, desires, and fears to create relatable protagonists, formidable antagonists, and other memorable characters that bring fictional worlds to life and create rich, unforgettable stories.This one-of-a-kind conversation, moderated by the arts and culture editor of Guardian Australia, Steph Harmon, is now available to watch at ubudwritersfestival.com/media, or tap the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms like Spotify and Simplecast.

We pride ourselves on being a platform where diverse perspectives on urgent issues in Bali, the region, and around the globe can be shared with clarity, nuance, and respect.With the latest ceasefire and hostage deal between Hamas and Israel, we invite you to revisit our panel discussion with award-winning author and human rights lawyer Sara M. Saleh, prominent author and Palestine's former Minister of Culture Atef Abu Saif, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies at the Australian National University Amin Saikal, and lecturer at Reichman University Dr. Ori Goldberg. Together, they seek to understand the dire impact by exploring the historical roots, critical events, and pivotal moments shaping this enduring conflict.Recorded live from #UWRF24 and moderated by journalist Hannah Lucinda Smith, this extraordinary talk is now available on YouTube, Spotify, and Simplecast.Join us to shape Indonesia's literary future!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ubudwritersfest/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UbudWritersFestX (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/ubudwritersfestTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ubudwritersfestVisit our website: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.comJoin our newsletter: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/subscribe/

Love is as complex in literature as it is in reality, capturing the essence of our deepest emotions and weaving stories of passion, heartbreak, and connection. In this discussion, recorded live at #UWRF24, authors Dee Lestari, Laura Elizabeth Woollett, and Kylie Needham explored the emotional landscapes they create, the societal influences shaping romantic narratives, and fresh perspectives on love. What makes a love story resonate over time? How do novels reflect and challenge our understanding of love, passion, and connection?To watch the full session, visit our website at ubudwritersfestival.com/media, or click the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms Spotify and Simplecast.Join us to shape Indonesia's literary future!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ubudwritersfest/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UbudWritersFestX (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/ubudwritersfestTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ubudwritersfestVisit our website: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.comJoin our newsletter: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/subscribe/

Listen to an urgent conversation from this year’s festival featuring renowned best-selling authors Amitav Ghosh, Sathnam Sanghera, and Isna Marifa as they explored the history of European colonialism and its outcomes. Their dialogue challenged the notion that history is settled and delved into how the legacies of colonialism continue to shape our social, political, and economic landscapes.To watch the full session, visit our website at ubudwritersfestival.com/media, or click the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms Spotify and Simplecast.Join us to shape Indonesia's literary future!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ubudwritersfest/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UbudWritersFestX (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/ubudwritersfestTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ubudwritersfestVisit our website: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.comJoin our newsletter: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/subscribe/

In this first episode, Nobel Prize–winning author and journalist Maria Ressa explores the impact of social media on journalism, the fight for press freedom, and the need for ethical storytelling in a fractured world, moderated by Janet Steele.In an era of disinformation and heightened political tensions, Maria explains in this clip how lies spread faster than truths and how these platforms are being used on a grand scale as manipulation tools by authoritarian regimes.To watch the full session, visit our website at ubudwritersfestival.com/media, or click the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms Spotify and Simplecast.Join us to shape Indonesia's literary future!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ubudwritersfest/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UbudWritersFestX (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/ubudwritersfestTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ubudwritersfestVisit our website: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.comJoin our newsletter: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/subscribe/

For our 2023 Festival Highlights finale, listen to unexpected stories of pride and resilience from four incredible queer poets and writers. Hear from Virginia Helzainka, Chris Tse, Norman Erikson Pasaribu, and Broede Carmody as they discuss their journeys of self-discovery, and the rich diversity of queer poetics and the queer community, in conversation with fellow Adolfo Aranjuez.In this short highlight moment, Indonesian writer Norman Erikson Pasaribu talks about using poetry to advocate for a world where queerness is not just tolerated but warmly embraced.To watch the full session, visit our website at ubudwritersfestival.com/media, or click the link in our bio to listen to this session on podcast platforms Spotify and Simplecast.Join us to shape Indonesia's literary future! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ubudwritersfest/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UbudWritersFest Twitter: https://twitter.com/ubudwritersfest TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ubudwritersfest Visit our website: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com Join our newsletter: https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/subscribe/