First Lineup Revealed for 2025 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF), taking place from 29 October to 2 November 2025, has launched its early bird ticket sales and unveiled its first lineup, featuring Booker Prize winners and some of Indonesia’s most celebrated literary voices.
Praised worldwide for its diverse and intimate program, the Festival will once again gather the world’s most exciting writers and thinkers for five days of electrifying conversation and thoughtful debate. Exploring the theme Aham Brahmasmi, a Sanskrit concept that has been translated as I am the Universe, the program will delve into the profound connection between the individual self and the cosmos, recognising that each person embodies the same creative potential as the universe itself.
The first international lineup features literary luminaries such as the winners of the 2025 International Booker Prize, Indian author and women’s rights activist Banu Mushtaq, who won the prestigious prize for her first collection of short stories, Heart Lamp, translated by co-winner Deepa Bhasthi. Also joining is German author Jenny Erpenbeck, who won the 2024 International Booker Prize for her novel Kairos, which tells the story of a relationship set against the collapse of East Germany.
The Festival will also bring together masters of nonfiction with equally sharp minds, including British-born essayist and novelist Pico Iyer, whose work spans topics from mysticism to geopolitics, award-winning American novelist Omar El Akkad, known for the haunting dystopia American War, and Belgian writer David Van Reybrouck, author of Revolusi, a Financial Times Best Book of the Year that unravels Indonesia’s fight for freedom after three centuries of Dutch colonial rule.
Returning to Ubud are several frontrunners from Indonesia’s contemporary fiction scene, including playwright and poet from Eastern Indonesia Shinta Febriany; author and winner of the 2024 Chommanard Women’s Literary Award Ratih Kumala, who will dive into her latest work Koloni; and Balinese writer Ni Made Purnamasari. All three authors have been appointed as curators for the 2025 Festival’s Emerging Writers Program.
They will be joined by prolific Indonesian travel writer Agustinus Wibowo, who explores identity through journeys to remote borders, and beloved Balinese writer Ni Nyoman Ayu Suciartini, whose works have repeatedly won national literary competitions; as well as former UWRF Emerging Writer and now prolific novelist Juli Sastrawan, who explores the intersection between fiction and historical memory through his work.
Artistic Director and Festival Founder Janet DeNeefe says:
“We are proud to reveal the first lineup of international sensations alongside outstanding Indonesian storytellers, who will gather in Ubud for a four day long weekend. What started as a community initiative in response to the first Bali bombing has grown into a global hub of ideas, experiences and empowerment. It’s the perfect place for meaningful cross-cultural exchange at a time when we need it most.”
Echoing this enthusiasm, Gustra Adnyana, who is responsible for the Indonesian program, added,
“The festival is unique in its diversity of speakers and audiences, beautiful settings, and Balinese hospitality. And we continue to be the most prominent platform for showcasing the nation’s emerging and established writers and artists to spark interest in Indonesian literature, art and film.”
Joining the program team as the new International Program Manager is Namal Siddiqui, who brings experience curating programs for the Emirates Literature Foundation, Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, and various art foundations across the UAE. As a poet, she has championed artist collaborations and community-focused initiatives. She will co-curate the international program alongside Janet DeNeefe and Hannah Curtis.
Namal steps into this role with a clear vision, saying:
“This year’s Festival, staying true to its theme, will offer an inclusive and comprehensive exploration of current socio-political and cultural issues. Our authors are diverse, from all around the world, both award-winning and emerging, and along with co-curators Hannah Curtis and Gustra Adnyana, I can’t wait to share the Festival with everyone.”
Janet DeNeefe concludes:
“It is such a pleasure to welcome Namal Siddiqui to the team. In many ways, she reflects the spirit of the festival, internationally connected and a talented poet. I have no doubt that she will bring a wealth of new ideas to the 2025 program, and we’re all excited to work with her to deliver yet another magical Festival.”
ABOUT 2025 FESTIVAL
For the twenty-second time, Southeast Asiaʼs leading literary festival will once again bring together writers, poets, and thinkers to Ubud, Baliʼs cultural highland, for a 4-day program featuring author talks, panel discussions, live music, spoken word, literary lunches, late-night readings, workshops, and much more.
This year, the Festival explores Aham Brahmasmi, a Sanskrit concept from ancient Hindu wisdom that originates from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Translated as I am the Universe, it signifies the unity of the human self with the universe or the highest cosmic power and it acknowledges that each individual holds the same creative potential as the universe itself. The concept of Homo Deus, Human Gods, envisions humans evolving into ‘godsʼ through advanced technology, making this theme even more significant. The tools we create can transform our lives and help solve major challenges, but they also have the potential for control and destruction. The awareness of Aham Brahmasmi reminds us that our intelligence, no matter how advanced, must be grounded in consciousness and interconnectedness.
