Thirteen short story writers from Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and\nEast Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have been selected for the 2026 Emerging\nWriters programme, organised by the Singaraja Literary Festival (SLF) in\ncollaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Culture through the\nNational Talent Management (MTN) Lab and Presentation programme.<\/p>\n
The selected writers will participate in intensive online training\nfrom 19-22 May 2026. They are also scheduled to attend and present their\nwork at the SLF event, which will take place in Singaraja from 3-5 July\n2026.<\/p>\n
The 13 selected writers are Agus Wiratama (Bali), Bunga Damai\nPrasasti (NTB), Eyok El Abrorii (NTB), Beatrix Polen Aran (NTT), I Gede\nAries Pidrawan (Bali), I Made Sugianto (Bali), Intan Soraya (NTB), Lina\nPW (Bali), Lisa Pingge (NTT), Mariemon Simon (NTT), Nityasa Wijaya\n(Bali), Novita Hidayani (NTB), and Puspa Seruni (Bali).<\/p>\n
Founder of SLF, Made Adnyana Ole, said that the Emerging Writers\nprogramme aims to identify talented short story writers from the\nBali-Nusa Tenggara region. The curation and mentoring process for the\nprogramme is carried out by Royyan Julian, Kiki Sulistyo, and Maria\nPankratia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, they are invited and facilitated by the Ministry of\nCulture to attend the SLF, and they will present their works,\u201d said Ole\nduring a press conference at the Mahima Singaraja Community on Saturday\n(16 May 2026).<\/p>\n
Founder and Director of SLF, Kadek Sonia Piscayanti, explained that\nthe selection process was rigorous. A total of 65 writers from Bali,\nNTB, and NTT submitted hundreds of short stories and short story\npremises for curation.<\/p>\n
According to Sonia, the curators assessed the works based on the\nmaturity of the language, the sharpness of the thematic exploration, and\nthe potential for access for emerging writers.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoyyan pays attention to language as the primary tool in short story\nwriting, so maturity is a major consideration in addition to the\noriginality of the work,\u201d said Sonia.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Kiki Sulistyo assessed that the exploration of themes and\nthe novelty of perspectives were important factors in determining the\nquality of the stories. Maria Pankratia, on the other hand, focused on\nproviding access for emerging writers to have space to develop.<\/p>\n
Sonia added that the MTN Lab and Presentation are part of the\nnational priority programme, MTN Seni Budaya, which is managed by the\nMinistry of Culture. The programme is designed to identify, develop, and\npromote Indonesian artistic and cultural talent in a structured\nmanner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis programme also serves as a space for the creation and\ndevelopment of literary works with fresh ideas from Bali, NTB, and NTT,\u201d\nshe added.<\/p>\n
This year, SLF carries the theme of Stri Sasana, which is expanded\ninto Energi Keseimbangan Semesta. The theme is interpreted as an effort\nto ignite the energy of balance through the ability to adapt, to be\nresilient in facing challenges, and to be wise in carrying out multiple\nroles in social life.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/13-writers-from-bali-and-nusa-tenggara-qualify-for-the-slf-2026-emerging-writers-programme-1780622525", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }