Upcoming Ubud Writers Festival: Ubud, Bali

It won't be long before October is upon us and it is the Ubud Writers Festival that will take centre stage in Bali for those interested.

The list of prominent writers attending from around the globe reads like a who's who in the literary world. I regularly receive updates from the organisers on the upcoming festival and in the last update I was pleased to read of two special guests who will be attending and that is Cokorda Raka Kerthyasa and the other is Anita Desai.

This event is well worth checking out if you are in Bali at the time and of course I will be posting more updates on the festival as it draws nearer. Meanwhile, here is a section from the newsletter on the two writers mentioned:

Acclaimed author Anita Desai has joined a line-up that is guaranteed to add fuel to our theme Desa-Kala-Patra. Anita has received numerous literary awards and has been short-listed twice for the Booker Prize. Throughout her novels, short stories and children's books Desai focuses on the dilemma of identity and family relationships and the social changes that India has undergone in recent times. Desai will share her life and times in a number of panel sessions and special events.

This month we are also very proud to introduce our Festival patron, Cokorda Raka Kerthyasa. A well-known Ubud personality, Cok Raka is from the Ubud Royal Family and is a strong supporter of the Arts. After completing a degree in Fine Arts in Australia he returned to Bali to set up the now famous Ibah Hotel that is situated above the Tjampuhan River in Ubud. Over the years, he has written many poems, some of which were published and launched last year. We are very excited to have Cok Raka supporting our event and I am sure you will get to meet him at the Festival.