Dr. Drs. I Ketut Suardana, M.Fil.H, is the Co-Founder of the non-profit organization Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati. He works closely with the Festival Director to develop and deliver our strategy in line with the vision of the foundation.
Melbourne-born Janet DeNeefe is the visionary Founder and Director of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. Crafted in the wake of the 2002 Bali Bombings, she created the festival as a beacon of hope, aimed at rebuilding both the community spirit and economy after this tragic event. Since its inception in 2004, the festival's triumphant launch marked the beginning of a remarkable journey. Today, it stands as one of the world’s premier festivals, that infuses vitality into Indonesia's literary arena. DeNeefe penned the books, Fragrant Rice, To Stir with Love, and Bali: Food of MyIsland Home. Together with her husband Ketut, she is the driving force behind Ubud's renowned establishments: Casa Luna, Indus Restaurant, Casa Luna Cooking School, and Honeymoon Guesthouse and Bakery. With more than three decades in Bali, DeNeefe has made a mark on the rich tapestry of the island's cultural landscape.
Laksmi DeNeefe Suardana is Bali’s first Puteri Indonesia and Miss Universe Indonesia 2022. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in the Business of Fashion from Polimoda, Italy – one of the fashion capitals of the world. While her advocacy and life mission are to promote education, literacy, women's empowerment, and sustainability, she is also passionate about Indonesia’s cultural diversity and, of course, cuisine, its maritime spice history, and healing ingredients. Being away from home for eight years, she often cooked her favorite Indonesian dishes and experimented with local ingredients. Food, fashion, wellness, stories, culture, and philanthropy are some of the things bringing her the most joy.
The mission of the Foundation is to empower individuals and communities to unleash their creative potential, enabling them to thrive in our fast-paced, ever-evolving global society. The Festival serves as our creative engine, fueled by the proceeds from ticket sales at our events and workshops, allowing us to pursue our dreams of igniting creativity, providing education, and supporting the younger generation.
For the Foundation, it's all about putting Ubud on the map as a hub for arts and culture. Its aim is to spotlight Indonesian writers on the world stage during our annual Festival and help young Indonesians unlock their potential through education and literature. Plus, the revenue the Festival generates from ticket sales covers free public events, workshops for local kids, high school students, and their teachers, and even enables local residents to participate, regardless of their budget.
The Foundation also supports emerging voices across the Indonesian archipelago. Each year, a team of independent curators sifts through numerous submissions, selects the best, translates their works, and publishes them in the Festival’s Emerging Writing Anthology Series. The winning authors receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Ubud to showcase their talent in front of international audiences.
This year, the Festival turns 20! To celebrate, the Foundation has some exciting plans that will help us stride boldly into the future:
1) It aims to turn up the volume with Indonesia's school children, nurturing the next generation of readers and writers.
1) It aims to double down on our support for Indonesia's up-and-coming authors, giving them even more chances to change their lives.
3) And it's putting Indonesian writing on the world map, so the world's fourth-largest country, this giant archipelago state, can have its voice heard loud and clear.
If you want to be part of these initiatives, you can become a Festival Friend or lend a hand to our Anniversary Fundraiser.
Dwi Ermayanthi (Erma) plays a pivotal role in the festival, overseeing all aspects and ensuring the successful attainment of our key objectives while upholding the core values that define our event. With her extensive experience as a project manager in the cultural and art industry, Erma brings over a decade of expertise in working on various festivals in Ubud.
Hannah Curtis leads the international program and works closely with the national program team to develop and deliver a comprehensive four-day festival program. She has extensive experience working for renowned Australian cultural institutions, including The Art Gallery of NSW, the National Gallery of Victoria, and the popular Melbourne Art Book Fair. Hannah holds a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Studies and a Postgraduate degree in Fine Art, Art History, and Arts Management.
In his role, Gustra Adnyana's active involvement underscores his commitment to fostering artistic endeavors and Indonesian cultural initiatives. His responsibilities also include building networks and bridges between international and local communities to ensure continuous connectivity. Gustra has extensively collaborated with Indonesian writers, artists, and communities throughout Indonesia, with a particular focus on Bali. He is notably dynamic in literary and visual arts, dedicating his free time to supporting emerging artists, writers, and creative individuals in organizing art events.
Ni Wayan Primayanti (Prima) is a program coordinator at Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati. She assists the Indonesian Program Manager and connects mostly with Indonesian writers and communities involved in Music, Art Performance, Film Screening, Book Discussions, and many more. She is passionate about event organisation, journalism, media, and culture. Previously she worked as a television producer in Jakarta before moving to Bali. Besides the festival, Prima gives communication lectures at LSPR Institute of Communication and Business in Bali.
Nicola Walpen leads the Marketing & Communications team, overseeing integrated festival campaigns and creating engaging content and materials to drive year-round attendance and audience engagement. He has prior experience in communication roles for Indonesian conservation non-profit organizations and the city government of Zurich. Nicola holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Communications from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
As a Media Relations Coordinator, Dewi engages with local, national, and international media to foster partnerships and amplify exposure for Ubud Writers & Readers Festival & Ubud Food Festival. Graduating from the University of Indonesia in 2020, Dewi has years of experience working in research, community engagement, and campaign & advocacy. She is also an avid reader and aspiring writer.
Patricia Emanuelle (Nuelle) supports digital marketing activities for the Festival, promoting the festival brand by creating engaging content on multiple digital and social media platforms. She also works to engage people with both festivals using various activation strategies, collaborating with other departments to develop fresh, creative angles. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Design, with a major in Branding Design. Currently residing in Ubud, Emanuelle enjoys her time outside of work pursuing various art and literature-related interests.
Yogi Pradana is a graphic designer for the Festival, who brings creative ideas to life in both digital and print visuals and ensures they are executed in an exciting manner. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication Design from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts Denpasar.
Rain Siahaan leads the partnerships team for the festival. She brings a decade of combined professional experience with a global management consulting firm, a multilateral organization, non-profit board management, and technology companies across Southeast Asia. Her focus area includes structuring and managing a range of investments and partnerships for the public, private, and social sectors. Rain holds a BA degree in International Relations from Universitas Indonesia.
Puji Widiani brings a wealth of expertise to her role as Partnership Coordinator for the Festival. Her primary focus is fostering effective communication with partners and she believes there's always something to learn from every interaction. She graduated with a major in Hindu Theology in Denpasar and is currently pursuing her master's in Communications in Denpasar. She strongly believes in the importance of continuous learning, as life never stops teaching. Therefore, she loves to explore new things to facilitate her growth.
Natalie Valentine's (V) role as a Partnership Coordinator for both the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival and the Ubud Food Festival is centered on consolidating partnerships. Leveraging their background in project management within the art industry, Valentine plays a pivotal role in ensuring seamless integration of various stakeholders.
Made Dwinanda Sidhi (Dede) serves as the stall holder coordinator for the Ubud Food Festival and deals directly with entrepreneurs, ranging from food products and restaurants to local crafters and technology businesses. Coming from a background in event management and creativity, he has been involved in large event projects since 2016. His primary task is curating all the products presented at the festival.
Kadek Dharmayeni Putri Widiarta (Putri) is a Program Coordinator and supports the development of the programmes of the festival. She assists the International Program Manager and works closely with the national programme across teams and stakeholders. Experienced in project management, event creation, public relations activities, and community engagement, she also participates in education organizations to further her growth.
I Made Suka Merta (Abut) leads the Production and Operations team, responsible for delivering the physical elements of the Festival, including all panels and events. He works closely with the Marketing & Communications teams to bring creative ideas to life and ensure they are executed safely and sustainably. Additionally, he oversees security and safety, collaborating with suppliers to equip all events with the latest technology and technical equipment.
Ni Wayan Widiatmini (Widi) is responsible for ensuring efficient management of income and expenditure through processing, budgeting, and forecasting. Her responsibilities encompass processing invoices, handling expenses and salaries, as well as generating invoices for earned income. She also establishes and maintains control measures to guarantee the accuracy of the Festival's records.
Eka Septiarti is responsible for directly supervising and coordinating the activities of clerical and administrative support staff. She prepares and manages reports, manuals, correspondence, and other documents using a database or word processing software. She also plans and organizes travel by booking flight tickets for the speakers. Meeting new speakers and volunteers is her favorite part of these festivals, as she can learn a lot from them.
Inten Poniari works as an Administrative and Ticketing Officer for the Festival. She is responsible for managing online ticket sales and purchases, while overseeing the Box Office during the festival.
Wayan Nick Ariawan (Nick) serves as the Office Assistant, assisting with the setup and teardown of product booths and logistical arrangements both before and after the festival. He also helps coordinate transportation, storage, and distribution of festival equipment, materials, and merchandise.
Ruth Onduko serves as the Volunteer Coordinator at the Festival. With her professional background as a Community Manager and Independent Art Manager, Ruth draws upon her wealth of experience to actively contribute to the Festival's mission of celebrating literature and culture. Her aim is to collaborate with hundreds of dedicated fellow volunteers to help make the festival a vibrant and enriching cultural experience.
