2025 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival – My thoughts, insights & musings

I acknowledge the Erawirung people as the Traditional Custodians of the skies, lands and waters of the place where I live and wrote this blog. I honour their culture and care for Country.

I acknowledge the Wadawurrung people as the Traditional Custodians of the skies, land and waters of the place where I was born. I honour their culture and care for Country.

I extend my respect and gratitude to all First People of Australia, for their care and custodianship of this incredible continent that I call home. I honour their survival for millennia despite it all.

I acknowledge that spiritual connection to Country is vital for our wellbeing and resilience.

I acknowledge my role in truth telling in caring for Country.

I acknowledge my privilege to be able to attend the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and learn from authors, artists and activists from all around the world. This year is the third time I have attended this festival, and it has been another awesome experience that has left an indelible mark on both my heart as well as my noggin.

I extend my respect and gratitude to the people of Bali, in particular Ubud, for their warm hospitality, and acknowledge their cultural connection, care and custodianship of their Country which is the home of this festival.

Please read this blog in the spirit it was shared; with love, compassion, and a desire to learn. I wish to state that in no way am I wanting to impose myself on others with my writing, but I feel a deep desire to share my thoughts and inspirations with whoever may be reading this, and I am very grateful that you are, I warmheartedly wish you all the very best.

I strive to be a better person each day but sometimes I am not. I wish to live in a society that sustainably exists within our planetary limits and that has a loving heart at its core. Hopefully my writing will go some way to showing why this is important and how we can achieve this.

I hope this blog inspires some reflection and hope and who knows, it might even encourage you to consider attending next year’s Ubud Writers & Readers Festival.

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I have been thinking about my own mortality in recent times, and these thoughts have come to the fore during the course of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF). Most of us are scared to reflect on death and the fact that we are all going to die. Reflecting on our mortality is not about being depressed or morbid, on the contrary, it can help us create real perspective on our priorities, provide meaning, create urgency, and to motivate us to treat our time as a gift and not waste it on the trivial and vain.

The phrase memento mori is Latin for ‘remember you must die.’ It is a reflection on the impermanence of life and a constant reminder not to take your time on earth for granted and not worry about things beyond your control. The ancient Stoics were renowned for their practice of memento mori and frequently meditated on the certainty of death. Seneca said:

“Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life, let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. … The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.”

Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations (7.56):

“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly.”

So, with these thoughts in mind, I would like to take a moment to dedicate this blog to Troy Holmes. Troy died on Monday 27^th October 2025. Troy openly shared his journey online and in recent years this has included his fight with cancer. His state of mind and outlook on life was inspiring, as was his ability to transform his diet and body. Here is a link to a piece written by Ex Omnia about Troy, it encapsulates him beautifully, I love this … “Troy was just the kind of guy to knock out a delicious Aloo Gobi for 50 people who needed it, and in under an hour, fuck off to do something else just as awesome – like train for a charity boxing match or get us some free donuts.”

I am grateful that Troy reached out with a friend request on Facebook several years ago to rekindle our friendship which started when we both went to Oakhill College. Troy and I both played Aussie rules and it was fun playing against him, he played for Baulkham Hills and I played for Westbrook. Troy was still having a kick into his 50’s, most recently playing in the AFL Masters National Carnival in Darwin during September and October 2025. I remember Troy for his generosity, spirit and authenticity and I send all my love to Troys family and friends.

I would also like to dedicate this blog to Chris Grove. Chris died suddenly on 29^th June 2025 from a brain aneurysm. Chris was also a friend from Oakhill, and we were great mates during Years 11 and 12. We both enjoyed geography, as a result I went on to study Planning and Chris became a Geologist. Our paths went in different directions but I was always going to catch up with Chris ‘one day’. Well, that day will never come. Whenever I remember Chris a smile inevitably comes to my face, we had a hell of a lot of fun back in the day and he was a great friend.

Here are the words used to describe Chris in his funeral notice …

Chris has a deep passion for life and a remarkable ability to light up every room he entered. He was the life of the party, always making those around him laugh with his quick wit and infectious energy. Grounded by his love for family, Chris cared deeply and unconditionally, offering unwavering support to his friends and loved ones. He was a natural storyteller, always ready to share stories from his childhood or adventures from his travels. He was fortunate to find his calling as a geologist – a career that he loved that allowed him to travel the world, collecting rocks, stories and friends along the way. Chris will forever be loved and remembered for the wonderful life he lived.

I send all my love to Chris’ family and friends.

And finally, I would like to dedicate this blog to Brendon Morris. Brendon took his own life on 23^rd March 2025. I didn’t know Brendon very well but I am proud to have been a member of Team Breno, raising money for the Black Dog Institute through their One Foot Forward fundraising initiative during October. Team Breno collectively raised $6,507 and walked/rode 706 kilometres. I send all my love to Desma and Brendon’s family and friends.

I have thought about Brendon, Chris and Troy a lot this year. They were all my age, hence I have also reflected a lot about my own mortality and the obligation we all have to live our lives with kindness, generosity and purpose.

So, on that note, it is time to get into this blog about the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, a festival that reminds me not only of the genius contained within each of us, but also of the wisdom of our interconnectedness and the boundless possibilities of our human experience.

The Lead Up …

We arrived in Ubud on Tuesday 28^th October, the only direct flight from Adelaide leaves at 6.30am, so an early start, and with the time difference we landed in Denpasar a bit before 10am Bali time. It wasn’t long before Komung arrived, and took us up to Ubud, arriving at our lodgings, the Ladera Villa around midday. This is the fourth year in a row that I have stayed here and have loved it every time. It was lunchtime so we decided to head to one of our favourite local restaurants, Warung Gauri. I enjoyed Nasi Goreng with Pork Belly followed by Dadar Gulung for dessert. It was delicious as always, Nasi Goreng and Dadar Gulung are two of my favourite Indonesian dishes. We also reacquainted ourselves with their dog, Huggy, a pug who slept at my feet for the majority of our time at the warung.

Most days in Ubud end with Happy Hour at the Honeymoon Guesthouse located across the road from the Ladera Villa, and our first day back continued this tradition. We love sitting here and watching the world go by, it is also a chance for me to have a Turmeric Jamu, another of my Indonesian favourites. Today’s happy hour was also a chance to catch up with Deb and Scott, who are also in Ubud for the week. They looked extremely relaxed having just spent a few days at Sarinbuana Eco Lodge. We love their company and it was great to catch up with them regularly over the next few days.

Tonight we dined at Taco Feista, another one of our favourite local restaurants. Next door is Mageli Gelato, a cute little shop that sells awesome gelato. We also learned that this is where Abby lives. Abby is a black dog that we’ve met each time we have been in Ubud, usually when we’ve dined at Taco Fiesta, and it was great to meet her again tonight.

As I reflect on my first day back in Ubud I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to be here. I love Ubud, I love its people, its culture and its vibe, it has become one of my favourite places in the world to be.

We had one more free day before the Festival and I started it with a walk along the Campuhan Ridge Walk. This was the first time I was able to enjoy a decent walk for well over a week as I have been recuperating from a bout of the flu which put me on my arse for a few days. It felt good to finally feel active again and getting a sweat up. Unfortunately the flu put pay to my walking ambitions as part of Team Breno in the One Foot Forward challenge but I added 7.2 kilometres today which was a solid return to action. Today’s walk also had me thinking about Troy Holmes as I had only just heard about his death, and he was not far from my thoughts for most of the day. Especially when I listened to The Doors, his favourite band, which found their way into the playlist often over the next few days.

Today I had the opportunity to read a couple more chapters from ‘The Road to Freedom’ by Joseph E. Stigletz, I also started reading ‘Nexus’ by Yuval Noah Harari. I am enjoying both books.

Day 1 – Thursday 30^th October 2025

Today started with another walk along the Campuhan Ridge Walk, it’s one of my favourite ways to start the day, however this time I met Jack and we chatted while walking for almost half on hour. It was great to meet Jack, and this experience reinforced the notion that a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet, and Jack is now a friend.

I like to get to the festival early, so was happy to see the 8am shuttle bus waiting in the Puri Lakasan Museum car park when I arrived. Getting to the festival early gives me a chance to wander around and reacquaint myself with the venue before the rest of my fellow festival attendees arrive.

The Festival Welcome and Keynote address was held at the Indus Restaurant and I found a spot standing towards the back. I started chatting to the lady next to me, her name was Libby and she is from Denmark, WA, my cousin Lonnie happens to live in Denmark … and they know each other. Small world. It is these random interactions that are one of my highlights of the festival, and as you will see over the course of this blog, I enjoyed many of these highlights over the next four days.

The keynote address was provided by David Van Reybrouck, an award-winning Belgian cultural historian, archaeologist, and the author of Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World. David’s keynote was quite moving as he explored human potential to transform lives and solve challenges as opposed to our potential for control and destruction. I was interested to learn that Indonesia was the first country to declare independence and rid itself of colonial rule after World War Two, only two days after the fall of Japan. I have only started to learn more about Indonesia in the last few years since coming to Ubud, but it has become obvious to me that Indonesia has played an important role in global history and I look forward to learning more about this at David’s session tomorrow.

Following the keynote address it was time to head to the Alang-Alang stage to hear William Dalrymple talking about his book The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. This book recounts the rise of the East India Company in the second half of the 18th century, telling the remarkable story of how one of the world’s most magnificent empires disintegrated and came to be replaced by a dangerously unregulated private company, based thousands of miles overseas and answerable only to its shareholders. The East India Company is an example of unfettered corporate greed and its history is fascinating, starting from humble beginnings trading silks and spices and transforming into an empire shaping power with a private army twice the size of the British military.

On the way, I ran into Scott and Deb who had come to the festival for the day, so sat with them for this session. I did have a spare seat next to me up until the last minute, that’s until David Van Reybrouck took it. So, I thanked him for his keynote and then the session started …

This was probably the session I was most looking forward to as one of my highlights from last year’s festival was listening to William talk about his book The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World. I have also fallen in love with the podcast, Empire with William Dalrymple and Anita Anand.

The moderator for this session was Gill Westaway, and this was probably one of her easiest gigs as William Dalrymple essentially takes the stage for 50 minutes and provides a presentation coupled with slides. She gets to sit back and take in his brilliant storytelling with the rest of us, albeit she doesn’t get to see the slides.

William did not disappoint and he was again one of my highlights of the festival.

I purchased The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World following last year’s festival and it was a fascinating read. I have yet to purchase The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company, but I am sure it will find its way onto my bookshelf in the not-too-distant future.

The next session at the Alang Alang stage was an enlightening discussion on the profound philosophy of the 2025 festival theme Aham Brahmasmi — the declaration that I am the Universe. This panel was moderated by Sarah Macdonald and included Srijan Pal Singh, and Dr Ketut Suardana. The panel illustrated how interconnected our fabric of reality truly is, and how it is important for us all to remember how much we rely on each other.

I was fascinated by this discussion, in particular the ideas that hydrogen is the link between us and the universe, all mistakes are beautiful and cosmic intelligence reflects our spiritual existence. I also loved the idea that when you ‘get in the zone’ with your writing you are actually tapping into the ocean of universal consciousness. Whatever we call it … flow, synchronicities, coincidences, serendipity, fate, karma, universal consciousness, the alignment of the stars … it’s a fascinating thing to ponder.

I few other notes I made from this session included, when nature is sick, we are sick, death is a liberation – seeking immortality is a dangerous idea that goes against nature and writing is communication with the future and the past.

Scott, Deb and I enjoyed lunch from the food stalls at the festival, pondering what we had just heard and what we will go and see this arvo. We all decided to see Sam Dalrymple but after that I was heading off to see Melati Wijsen and Deb and Scott were going to listen to the ‘People, Governance and AI’ session.

We headed back to the Alang Alang stage for Sam Dalrymple (UK) talking with Husnara Khanom (UK) about his book Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia. I first learned of this book listening to the Empire podcast and I have purchased it but am yet to read it. Sam is the son of William Dalrymple and he has inherited his storytelling prowess.

The British Raj’s end is often associated with the partition between India and Pakistan, followed by Bangladesh a couple of decades later. Dalrymple goes further 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 as the Raj. Dalrymple investigates the five partitions that tore it apart, diving into the broader account of Asia’s legacy of war, exile, and division.

It was fascinating to learn that Burma used to be one of the richest parts of Asia, Rangoon was the New York of its day, and the Indian/Pakistan border can be seen from space as it is so lit up/militarised.

I can’t wait to get my head into this book.

My next session was Melati Wijsen talking with Laksmi DeNeefe Suardana about her debut book, Change Starts Now. In this book, Melati Wijsen, shares 100 lessons from her journey as a young changemaker, offering honest insights, hard-earned wisdom, and practical tools for confronting today’s challenges. Through stories of success and failure, she shows how anyone can lead meaningful change with courage, clarity, and conviction.

We need more Melati’s in the world. Melati Wijsen is a full-time changemaker who knew at a young age that she wanted to take action. Her idols were not Barbie or Taylor Swift, but Mahatma Gandhi and Jane Goodall. Her first achievement was building a youth-led movement to say no to plastic bags and today she’s created a global platform for youth to empower each other and accelerate change.

She founded YOUTHTOPIA | The learning platform for young changemakers and I encourage you to check it out. YOUTHTOPIA came to life with the vision of accelerating positive change through the leadership of youth. Every young person can be a changemaker, but not everybody knows where to start. That is why YOUTHTOPIA exists. To help harness Gen Z’s energy for change. To one day empower millions around the world to be catalysts for change. How awesome is that!

This was a great conversation, and I took a heap of notes as I found Melati and Laksmi so inspiring. Here is a summary of those notes:

Melati is naturally an introvert and is an example of the importance of seeking discomfort, being comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Inspired by First People of Australia’s idea of didirri, active listening or as Melati explained, listening with your eyes using all senses.
We all need to be changemakers/activists. Change making is a lifestyle – what do we eat? How do we vote? Why do we do what we do?
Does our society foster the creativity that we need to ask better questions?
70% of Gen Z have climate anxiety. Climate crisis is an information crisis; we have to believe that a better world is possible.
We need to learn to slow down despite the urgency of the change we need, slowing down is part of the change we need. We need to reduce productivity and make less stuff.
We have an apathy epidemic.
Change is the only constant in our world.
Trust is essential for positive change.

It gives me so much confidence in the future when I listen to people such a Melati. I have now had the privilege to listen to some brilliant young woman at Ubud, including Helena Gualinga, Grace Tame, and now Melati Wijsen.

Here is a link to the YOUTHTOPIA website again.

I stayed on at the Indus Restaurant for, ‘The Gravity of Grief’, moderated by Jewel Topsfield with Andreas Kurniawan and Rob Waters. This panel discussed their personal journeys of grief and resilience, exploring the depths of human emotion. In times of deep sorrow, can we remain stoic through our pain? It’s only natural for us as humans to lose direction yet emerge resilient in the face of grief. When grief is at its strongest, how do we persevere?

When your heart is confused about what should be done, just be human.

Andreas Kurniawan lost his son at a young age, in his book ‘A Man Who Loses Grief with Washing the Plate’ he explores the concept of washing dishes as a metaphor for coping with grief. He emphasises the importance of finding meaning in everyday tasks and the transformative power of these actions in the healing process of grief. This idea had me thinking about Thich Nhat Hanh who writes about washing dishes mindfully in ‘The Miracle Of Mindfulness’.

Rob Waters related a story about his poem called 45. This poem confronts the dark reality of the Stolen Generations, focusing on one of the most notorious institutions in the nation’s history, the Kinchela Boys Home. He was visiting the Kinchela Boys Home and met with some of the men who were sent there. They told him that number 45 was actually his uncle, Rob didn’t know that. Rob’s story had me thinking about the session this morning where we were thinking about serendipity and universal consciousness. Here is a link to Rob Waters performing his poem ‘45’ at the 2023 Australia Poetry Slam Final that he won. I encourage you to watch it, it is extremely moving.

A few other points made by the panel included crying is a sign of being human, it is not weakness, we need truth listening, not truth telling, sometimes we just need someone to listen, healing comes through sharing stories and when grieving bathe in the love of family.

That was the end of the main sessions for the day. However, I must mention that the heavens opened up this afternoon. By the time Deb and Scott found their up to the Indus Restaurant they were already soaked. Luckily the rain eased up as we wandered up to COMO Uma for the special event, ‘Short Stories, Long Nights’ but we still had to walk-through ankle-deep water. But Amy had it worse as she had to get a motor bike ride and by the time she arrived she was soaked. Luckily, it’s not cold in Ubud.

Anyway, despite the rain, we were looking forward to this event. I have attended the poetry night each time we’ve been to Ubud as they have been awesome, and tonight was no different. Tonight’s event featured Ege Dündar (Türkiye), Eva Fernandes (India), Gratiagusti Chananya Rompas (Indonesia), Neal Hall (USA), Omar Musa (Australia), Ray Shabir (Indonesia) and Shinta Febriany (Indonesia) and was moderated by Miles Merril (USA).

Tonight was not just about poetry; we were also treated to some wine-pairing with artisan cheese. The James Kalleske Wines we tasted are from the Barossa and as an added bonus we also met James at the event. He came over to say g’day when he heard we were from South Australia. This was a great fun night and was topped off with a delicious meal at the COMO restaurant.

Day 2 – Friday 31^st October 2025

This morning I walked throughout the centre of Ubud, spending a bit of time at the market. I love going to the Ubud market early in the morning as its mainly fresh produce stalls and full of locals.

After spending day 1 at both the Alang Alang and Indus Restaurant stages, today I was ensconced at the Valley Stage. The Valley Stage is within a big tent which would get unbearably hot if it were not for the air conditioners. I tend to sit near the air conditioners as I am a wuss when it comes to the heat and humidity.

The first session was David Van Reybrouck talking about his book Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World with Bonnie Triyana. This is the first book I purchased at the festival … and isn’t the last.

Revolusi, is a superb history of Indonesia’s fight for independence, it traces Indonesian pre-history, Dutch colonialism, the Indonesian National Revolution, and the modern era. The book paints a vivid picture of imperial brutality against Indonesian resilience.

It was at this session that I first learned of the Bandung Conference. The Bandung Conference was the first large scale Asian-African Conference, where Asian and African states, many of which were newly independent, took place in April 1955 in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The twenty-nine countries that participated represented a total population of 1.5 billion people, 54% of the world’s population at the time. And they demanded a voice of their own.

Bandung was the catalyst for many world events, it influenced the American civil rights movement and the establishment of the European Union. However, by 1965, all leaders at Bandung were either killed or removed. The likes of Sukarno in Indonesia, Nkrumah in Ghana and Lumumba in Congo, all deposed or murdered, replaced with Suharto in Indonesia and Mobutu in Congo who each oversaw military dictatorships that lasted 32 years. It is apparent that as soon as these newly independent nations actually acted independently and implemented policies for the benefit of their people they were seen as leftist/socialist/communist so the United States/CIA intervened. I guess that’s been the pattern across the world since the Cold War.

The world needs a new Bandung – to promote a multipolar, inclusive and peaceful world.

A few other points made during this session:

When we think of revolutions we are taught about the French, American and Russia revolutions. However the Haitian Revolution of 1834 and the Indonesian Revolution are just as significant.
Structural racism is what colonialism brought to the world.
Independent countries inherited colonial structures and institutions and borders.
Elections create aristocracy, Lottery creates democracy

I was also fascinated to learn about Musyawarah mufakat, a cornerstone of Indonesian culture and governance which embodies a profound commitment to consensus-building and collective decision-making. This principle emphasises open dialogue, respectful deliberation, and the pursuit of solutions that benefit all involved. It transcends mere voting or majority rule, striving for a harmonious outcome where everyone feels heard and valued.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World by David Van Reybrouck. I have learned just how significant Indonesia is on the world stage and we have them as neighbours, how cool is that!

The next session at the Valley Stage was titled ‘Warriors of Writing: Resistance Through Poetry’ featuring poets Jazz Money (Australia), Stebby Julionatan (Indonesia) and Zech Soakai from NZ and moderated by Eva Fernandes. Beyond its introspective functions, poetry can be a powerful tool for activists fighting for equality: the form sparks empathy and understanding through original language and lyric and emerges as both a weapon for change and a vehicle for solidarity.

This was a great session where the panelists talked about moving from mass destruction to mass love … it is not enough to change the system we need to change ourselves … hold hope just as much as holding anger … to dream a new future we are honouring ancestors and honouring descendants … and the true currency of change is relationships.

And … WRITE YOUR TRUTH!

I love the poetry sessions, and we have another one coming up today. But first I attended ‘Writing in the Coloniser’s Tongue’ with Dana Dajani (USA), Ray Shabir (Indonesia) and S. Shakthidharan (Australia) moderated by Janak Rogers (Australia).

Speaking in the mother tongue has become an act of resilience in a world where the coloniser’s tongue is often favoured. Even when the unique poetry of the mother tongue can’t be accurately translated, we play with language to create similar meanings. This session asked, but can writing in the coloniser’s tongue itself be an act of resilience?

I have to agree with Ray Shabir when he said the person who started writing the book is different to the person who finished it. I was also astonished to learn that there are some 40 million Arabic words and about 500-600,000 English words.

But the highlight of this session was the performance by Dana Dajani. I was hoping to find a link to her performing the poem she performed on the interwebs, but alas.

Next up was ‘Poetry: A Tapestry of Words’ featuring Ghayath Almadhoun, Jazz Money, Ni Made Purnama Sari, Shinta Febriany, Rob Waters and Titan Sadewo and moderated by Miles Merril.

This was such a brilliant session that had me feeling privileged for being in Ubud to witness amazing people doing their thing. To listen to other languages. To hear the soul of humanity and our emotion and passion. This session brought love, invoking both tears and gratitude.

The message I took from this session was the human impulse to create is innate in each of us – whether it be art, cooking, kids, music. It nourishes us and says I am human and I want you to see me as a human. The artist helps us dream a new world.

Shout out to Titan Sadewo whose performance just blew me away. Here is a link to a sample of his work.
This has not been a good year when I reflect on the fascism, genocide and war going on but sessions like these at Ubud renew my faith in humanity.

My last session for the day was ‘Seeking Discomfort’. As wanderers and nomads, we followed the rhythm of nature in smaller communities and shared discomfort among us. However, today’s modernity indulges and manufactures our every comfort: instant delivery, infinite entertainment, the world’s knowledge at our fingertips. What does discomfort mean to us in today’s age? What can unease teach us? How do we survive outside our snug boxes? If we were only to listen, would Mother Nature and her old-age ways of life guide us to seek discomfort? Krishna Sen (Australia) moderated this session which featured Agustinus Wibowo (Indonesia), Gina Chick (Australia) and Pico Iyer (USA)

The title of this session is what drew me in, I watch Yes Theory on YouTube and their whole premise is to Seek Discomfort … as well as a stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet.

Anyway, this was an interesting panel. Pico and Agustinus are travel writers and as Gina said, ‘I am nature’, I didn’t know who Gina was before Ubud, but she was great and her memoir, We Are the Stars sounds awesome, this is the blurb … If you’re ready to get lost in jungles, wander into wolf-dens, sing with storms, rescue orphaned animals, dive to the depths, dance ’til your knees wobble, fall in love, find yourself by losing it all, and most of all be real; this book is for you.

One thing that Agustinus said that resonated with me was always try to communicate in the language of the country you are visiting. To be honest I have been slack with that here in Ubud, I must do better.

To be able to seek discomfort is a privilege. Comfort reduces our world view. We can use discomfort to initiate our evolution but our culture has a vested interest in removing our discomfort. Comfort is different to contentment. We need discomfort with purpose.

The main message I took from the session was, … We may feel as though we can’t change the world but we can take responsibility for our own lives, and if we all do that, we can change the world.

An early end to the main program for me today but I did attend the special event ‘History Duet: Cosmos and Kingdom’ at Honeymoon Garden, just down the road on Jalan Bisma from where we are staying.

This event featured Bonnie Triyana (Indonesia), David Van Reybrouck (Belgium), Herald van der Linde (Netherlands), Dr Ketut Suardana (Indonesia) and William Dalrymple (UK) moderated by Ketut Yuliarsa (Indonesia).

However, tonight’s highlight was going to the Halloween Party at the El Tora Bar in Jalan Bisma. A cover band, ‘Hells Bells’ entertained us with ACDC and other rock n’ roll songs, they were awesome. This was a fun night spent with great friends.

Day 3 – Saturday 1^st November 2025

Today I was back at the Indus Restaurant until the last session which was down at the Valley Stage. I arrived early as is my usual routine. This morning I chatted with Glen a retired American living in Bali and later I chatted to Suzanne. Suzanne is an author from Singapore who was in Ubud for the release of her debut crime novel, ‘Until Even the Angels’, a story of class division in a rapidly changing world, childhood friendships gained and lost, and bonds that erode, but can never be erased. She gave me her bookmark which is a great way to promote a book. I will get some created for my own book and if I ever need a business card it will be in the form of a bookmark. The conversations with other attendees is one of the things that make Ubud Writers and Readers Festival such a wonderful place to be. Anyway, we best shut up and get into the day.

Indus Restaurant Stage – Before everyone arrives

Patrick Winn (USA) is the author of Narcotopia, a gripping account of Southeast Asia’s most notorious narcotic syndicate and its evasion of CIA investigations. This session was moderated by Omar Musa.

This was a fascinating session where I learned about the Wa for the first time. The Wa State has a population of 600,000 and is ruled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA). The Wa State comprises two non-contiguous territories within Myanmar’s borders but are off limits to Myanmar authorities. While Wa State functions like a sovereign state it does not seek formal independence status with the international community. The UWSA sits at the core of a Southeast Asian drug trade generating $60 billion each year in meth alone, the national economies of most ‘real’ countries are smaller than that.

Unsurprisingly, while the US government would tell us the UWSA are monsters poisoning our society for profit, it has been secretly nurtured through the malice and incompetence of US agents.

In many Southeast Asian countries’ meth is not used as a recreational drug, it is used to increase productivity. It enables people to work double shifts and tedious repetitive tasks become pleasurable, all about making money.

A war on drugs is a war on the poor.

I didn’t buy Narcotopia at the Festival but I have subsequently purchased it and have just started reading it.

Next up was ‘Crafting Political Memoirs and Biographies’ with Alex Chula (Thailand), Edward Wong (USA) and Ma Thida (Myanmar), moderated by Virginia Haussegger (Australia), who sought to expose how the grand currents of politics carve our lives, and how biography and memoir reveal the constant dance between history’s knowledge and our perceptions of each other.

I was taken by the thought that we need to be more humane when writing and that writing is a gift to humanity.

The next session was moderated by Kate Sawyer (UK) with Bri Lee (Australia), Dee Lestari (Indonesia) and Juhea Kim (USA) talking about ‘World Building in a World Breaking’. On a collapsing planet, how do writers develop their fictional worlds? Modern apocalyptic literature carries a feeling of fantastical realism, so what are the inspirations and goals of world-building in fiction today? The speakers explored world-building in fiction and the world builders’ main source of inspiration: our world.

I am always intrigued how fiction writers build their stories and worlds. Dee Lestari talked about how they write about things they weren’t told but is correct, drawing on the universal consciousness. She also talked about the need for structure in your writing practice. We need to manage the noise of our chaotic world. For Bri Lee, for her latest novel Seed, she spent a four week trip to Antarctica where each day she could attend lectures and presentations. But I left this session with the thought, Inspiration is a spring in our soul, open yourself to the world and you will find the power to write!

‘Indonesian Poets: New Forms, New Voices’ moderated by Kadek Sonia Piscayanti with Hamzah Muhammad, Ni Made Purnama Sari and Ray Shabir was next on my agenda. Poetry in Indonesia is evolving, and a new wave of voices is leading the way. In this panel, contemporary poets came together to explore how form, language, and media are transforming their practice.

The energy in this session was brilliant, the vibe was lots of fun with quite a bit of interaction between the panel and the audience.

I learned about the diverse ways we create which drew on the last session, only this time it was poets. I loved how they seek to find beauty in the everyday, in the mundane. Also that it is great to cringe at old work because it means you and progressing/evolving.

One of the panellists talked about how they draw inspiration from hip hop. I love hip hop, and I love poetry, hip hop is lyrical poetry!

The Indus Restaurant filled up for the next session, ‘Peter Greste: The Correspondent’.

Peter Greste’s journey from foreign correspondent to political prisoner is captured in The Correspondent (2024), a biopic directed by Kriv Stenders. Based on his memoir The First Casualty, the film traces his campaign for press freedom, culminating in his arrest in Egypt. This conversation was moderated by Drew Ambrose.

An empty seat was left on the stage for Arnon Nampha, a Thai lawyer and activist known for his critical stance on the Thai monarchy, a highly controversial topic in the country. Initially celebrated as a leading human rights defender, Nampa’s involvement in pro-democracy movements has led to numerous criminal charges and he is currently in jail.

When faced with being imprisoned with no idea of when you may be released Peter said you must abandon hope but not give up. You must accept the reality and focus on controlling what you can control. He also noted that prisons in the global south are like universities, they contain some of the smartest minds in the world.

We need more understanding of each other especially when we are being polarised, noting that understanding others is not agreeing. He used example of people he met in South Africa. They were lovely people, but they supported apartheid.

The irony of locking Peter up is the Egyptian Government, in trying to take away his voice gave him a platform to speak for media freedom.

Good journalism is a public good, we need a stronger ABC.

Journalism is a vocation.

It was time for a change in surroundings, so I wandered down to the Valley Stage for my last session of the day, ‘The Reconciliation of Spirituality and Capitalism’ with Agustinus Wibowo (Indonesia), Craig Leeson (Australia) and Steve Stine (USA). First, we were guided by religion, then the state, and now, under free-market capitalism, we have lost our way. In an extremely polarised world, how do we strike a balance between spiritual practice or faith and profit without harming humankind or our Earth? Where one system lights a path of inner understanding, the other drives us towards financial materialism and individual triumph. Can we reconcile our spiritual knowledge and social fabric, extracting lessons from both systems to create a better world?

This was an interesting session and I was inspired by Craig Leeson who talked about the power of storytelling and that one person can make a change.

That was another excellent day at Ubud, one more day to go.

Day 4 – Sunday 2^nd November 2025

It was a peach of a morning, here are some pictures from my walk. Ubud is a beautiful place.

I also came across this paving stone, it says ‘Love breaths life into the heart, brings strength to the mind and brings grace to the soul’. What an awesome thought to start the day with!

Traditionally I spend the last day of Ubud Writers and Readers Festival at Indus Restaurant, my favourite stage.

The first session today was ‘Voices of the Global South on the New Order’, moderated by Michael Vatikiotis (US) with three Indonesian panellists, Inaya Rakhmani, Uni Lubis and Zhou Bo.

The first session today was ‘Voices of the Global South on the New Order’, moderated by Michael Vatikiotis with Inaya Rakhmani, Uni Lubis and Zhou Bo. This discussion aimed to provide insights into how democracy can stay resilient and relevant amid technological, social, and geopolitical upheavals and how we can all stay hopeful amidst this rapid change.

This panel revealed the high level of frustration in the Global South. We are in a period where we are trying to silence truth, corruption has been institutionalised as we become an oligarchy, military is now a business, becoming the military industrial complex we were warned about by President Dwight D Eisenhower, it needs war, violence, fear and conflict to profit and grow and we have the United States destroying all norms, raising the question; do we need to look to China for leadership?

If there are no rules or truth what are we left with?

Are we in a Bandung moment? Do we need a new Bandung movement to come together and reframe current rules, bring a new generation of leadership to the fore and focus on truth telling, truth listening and building trust. The world to come together and reframe, reconcile and rethink how we engage with each other and the Earth.

I think so.

After thinking about the democratic and geopolitical issues in the world it was nice to pivot to the craft of short story writing. Next up on the Indus Restaurant Stage was Sarah Macdonald (Australia) talking with Andrew Lam (USA), Ning Ken (China) and Theresa Devasahayam (Singapore), together they delved into the world of short stories.

In a world of novels, why do we write in short form? Short stories can have their own set of challenges compared to long-form work, but can they also have their benefits? Can they serve as an entry point for both new readers and new writers? The stories may be short, but they can hold all the complexities of a novel.

Short story is the most natural form of storytelling and goes back thousands of years to when we relied on the oral tradition. The key to a short story is yearning – there needs to be emotion and feeling.

Parents give birth to children, but God gives them their personality.

A novel is a short story that couldn’t find an ending.

The next session was titled ‘Alternative Knowledge Formation in Indonesia’ with Annisa R. Beta talking with Inaya Rakhmani, Juli Sastrawan and Marissa Saraswati. Together, they explored how alternative forms of knowledge can help dismantle power structures and address social injustices.

Here are some notes from the session:

Need to find a new table that is inclusive – include everyone no matter age, gender, ethnicity. The old table was binary, hierarchical.
There are many smart and curious people without the privilege of a qualification or education. Expereince is a great source of knowledge and wisdom, not just years – young person experience is just as important! Care is important, requires deep listening and to slow down, care doesn’t have a deadline.
Maybe winning isn’t the point, maybe it is sharing? Encouraging a spirit of acceptance where everyone gets the opportunity to be involved – democratic, inclusive.
I am buoyed by the sense of global leadership within Indonesia but can’t shake this feeling of hopelessness with it all.
Role of educator is not to tell what to think but give the tools to understand.
Inferiority is learned – as is domination.
Decolonise knowledge by being mindful of intention, acknowledge privilege and be aware of material effects.
I have so much confidence in the younger generations.

Bali is not just a destination; it is a living memory, constantly shifting with time. Through cameras, videos, and archives, visual capturers attempt to hold onto fleeting moments, shaping stories that may one day be remembered as legends. The next session, ‘Timeless Bali’ Edward Speirs, Marlowe Bandem and Rio Helmi,. spoke with Gatari Surya Kusuma, about how they see Bali today, what they wish to preserve, how they choose to retell its landscapes, faces, and traditions, and what hopes they carry for Bali’s future, whether as visitors or as Balinese themselves.

This discussion revealed the slippery slope of mass tourism which destroys what attracts us to a place. Even in just the last three years that I have been coming here I have noticed the expansion of tourist accommodation, particular in Ubud. I love Ubud and my reason for coming here is to attend the writer’s festival and hopefully learn more about the local culture and history along the way, but I do worry if I am part of the problem?

Do you want to be a traveler or a tourist?

The penultimate session for this year’s festival was Translating Poetical Ambiguity with Clarity. Thi session was meant to have Debra H. Yatim (Indonesia) talk with three poets, unfortunately two were unexpectedly unable to attend which left her speaking with Ghayath Almadhoun . This didn’t bother me as I have been moved by Ghayath every time of have heard him speak, I first saw him at my first festival in 2023.

This was a great conversation where it dawned on me that I love reading Rumi, but I am not reading Rumi, I am reading a translation. He is still one of my favourites, but has me wishing I could hear his poetry in Arabic. When you listen to Arabic you can hear its poetic nature. According to Ghayath the best Arabic poets haven’t been translated, I can only imagine how good some of this poetry is.

This discussion highlighted that the bible has been translated several times, from Aramaic, to Greek, to Latin, to English.

I was getting hungry so decided to enjoy some Balinese Tapa at the Indus Restaurant. As I was enjoying my tapas and green tea, I ended up chatting with Rosalie and Rox. They were from Lombok but originally from New Zealand. It was another one of those interesting conversations with fellow attendees that makes this festival so much fun. Thanks for the chat, Rosalie and Rox.

My last session for Ubud was the Book Launch of Omar Musa’s, Fierceland at Casa Luna. I purchased Fierceland back in September but have yet to read it. It is book is a haunting saga of family, corruption, and redemption, alive with ghosts of history, language, and the forest itself. I loved Omars previous novel Here Come The Dogs and his latest album, The Fullness, has been on high rotation in my playlists throughout 2025.

Omar started the book launch with a reading from his book, he read the introduction which is from the forest. It was eloquent, lyrical, powerful and vivid, as only Omar can be.

This was a great conversation and a few things that were said resonated with me. The first was – if privilege was a resource how do we spend it and life is a magic to be lived.

Straight after Omar’s book launch I had to walk down to the Arcadia Restaurant where I was meeting Amy, Deb and Scott for tea. Dining at Arcadia was a final night treat and I enjoyed the ‘The Pastures’ Set Menu. It was one of the best meals I have had. The food was delicious, the atmosphere excellent and the company awesome.

So that was my experience of the 2025 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. I would like to end this blog by returning my thoughts to Troy, Chris and Breno, and send love to their respective family’s and close friends and share the final message from Troy that his children, Kane and Dakota shared on his behalf, ‘Do good things for yourself and others, never take your health for granted, and be kind’.

And remember, our superpower as humans is kindness, empathy and compassion.

I can’t wait for the next Ubud Writers and Readers Festival which will be held from 21 to 25 October 2026, I already have my accommodation booked!

And with that I wish you all the very best.

Thank you for reading this blog.

If you enjoyed this blog, you may enjoy some of my others.

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