Scent and The Written Word

Ray Shabir is an Indonesian poet and writer. His first book, Public Feelings & Other Acts, was published in 2018 and followed the next year by his art show Gallery of Anxiety. In 2021, he released his second book, KINK, his first poetry collection. Most recently, Ray released his sophomore poetry collection, Benevolence!, a project that explores love, grief, and tenderness through raw, diaristic verses. Beyond writing, he has worked as a model, artist, and graphic designer, and is always at work on his next book.

 Ray Shabir adalah penyair dan penulis asal Indonesia. Buku pertamanya, Public Feelings & Other Acts, diterbitkan pada 2018 dan setahun kemudian diikuti oleh pameran seni Gallery of Anxiety. Pada 2021, ia merilis buku keduanya, KINK, yang merupakan kumpulan puisi pertamanya. Baru-baru ini, Ray merilis kumpulan puisi keduanya, Benevolence!, sebuah proyek yang mengeksplorasi cinta, duka, dan kelembutan melalui bait-bait yang mentah dan bernuansa diaristik. Di luar dunia penulisan, ia juga berkarya sebagai model, seniman, dan desainer grafis, serta terus mengerjakan buku terbarunya.

Zech Soakai is a storyteller, educator, and award-winning performance poet. Raised in South Auckland, he considers his work as a writer, orator, and educator significant in village building and warrior raising—so that his communities may continue to flourish. Zech was privileged to attend the Rhodes Poetry Retreat in Monolithos under the tutelage of Greek-Australian poet Luka Lesson. His written works can be found in Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry in Aotearoa New Zealand by AUP in 2023, and Remember Me: Poems to Learn by Heart from Aotearoa New Zealand by AUP in 2023. Zech is now writing his poetry manuscript at a furious pace for his upcoming first solo collection after a successful stint as Guest Curator for Auckland Writers Festival 2025.

Zech Soakai adalah pendongeng, pendidik, dan penyair pertunjukan peraih penghargaan. Dibesarkan di South Auckland, ia memandang perannya sebagai penulis, orator, dan pendidik sebagai bagian penting dalam membangun komunitas dan menumbuhkan jiwa-jiwa pejuang, agar masyarakatnya dapat terus tumbuh dan berkembang. Zech berkesempatan mengikuti Rhodes Poetry Retreat di Monolithos di bawah bimbingan penyair Yunani-Australia, Luka Lesson.Karya-karyanya dimuat dalam Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry in Aotearoa New Zealand AUP, 2023 dan Remember Me: Poems to Learn by Heart from Aotearoa New Zealand AUP, 2023. Saat ini, Zech tengah menulis manuskrip puisi untuk koleksi solo perdananya, setelah sukses menjalani peran sebagai Kurator Tamu di Auckland Writers Festival 2025.