Festival starts in Ubud village

The Jakarta Post, Ubud, Bali

Moments of healing and celebrations coincide this week in Bali with the commemoration of the bombing two years ago at the Writers and Readers Festival in Ubud.

As survivors and relatives of the bombing victims prayed together with local residents at a memorial near Kuta, the Ubud festival entered its first day with various workshops.

Features of the event which runs until Oct. 17 is not limited to high brow literature -- though celebrated author Pramoedya Ananta Toer is on the guest list. The various workshops are not the typical indoor affairs, but include dinners, brunches and strolling as part of the "work."

Aspiring writers and bookworms will find a wealth of interesting things with which to be inspired -- including a rare meeting with food writer and author of Fragrant Market Janet De Neefe, scheduled for Saturday morning. Another is experiencing an evening walk on Tuesday with one of the world's foremost travel writers, the Lonely Planet's Tony Wheeler.

Tuesday will also see a morning session for hopeful playwrights with key speaker Australia's Katherine Thomson. Later in the day Graham Nunn, international award winner for haiku, shares his experiences about the Japanese literary tradition, which have gone global.

On Monday, a discussion was held on the media in Southeast Asia, and one of the themes highlighted was the unresolved issue of covering terrorism and Islam. Among the speakers were George Negus, author of World of Islam.

The festival, said De Neefe, who is also one of the organizers, "may serve as a healing tool for the island and its people" following the bombing and its aftermath.

The event, which also includes exhibitions and performances, saw an elaborate opening at the Puri Ubud Royal House on Sunday.

More information on http://ubudwritersfestival.com.

Organizers:

Janet De Neefe (0361) 973282, infor@casalunabali.com;

Debe Campbell (0361)423596, infor@theworksbali.com