Meet the Ten Emerging Writers Representing Contemporary Indonesia at Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2025
Ten emerging literary voices from across Indonesia were chosen to take part in the 2025 Emerging Writers Program of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF). Organized by Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati, the program’s curatorial panel – composed of acclaimed literary figures Ni Made Purnama Sari, Shinta Febriany, and Ratih Kumala – selected these writers after a rigorous review process. The selected participants underwent a series of workshops and mentoring sessions before their works were published in the Festival’s annual bilingual anthology and presented at UWRF 2025 this past October.
About the Festival and the Emerging Writers Program
Since its inception in 2008, the UWRF Emerging Writers Program has played a crucial role in discovering and nurturing Indonesia’s next generation of writers, helping introduce them to both regional and global literary audiences. This year’s submissions offered fresh and diverse perspectives on contemporary Indonesia – ranging from local culture and social issues to historical reflections and the realities of the digital era.
From December 2024 to February 2025, the Festival received short story submissions from 647 writers representing regions from Aceh to Papua – an impressive increase compared to previous years, which reflects the program’s growing appeal nationwide.
To ensure a thorough selection process, submissions were reviewed in two stages: a preliminary round narrowing the list to 30 candidates, and the final stage that determined the 10 selected writers. The curators assessed the works based on storytelling quality, originality, and narrative depth.
The wide range of themes stood out, ranging from deeply personal stories about love and family to broader explorations of environmental, social, and political realities. “Traditional and cultural themes were strongly represented – some very promising. However, many treated culture as mere decoration, using local language or lengthy exposition. Cultural or thematic issues should be thoughtfully positioned as the story’s central conflict, one that drives the characters’ choices,” noted Ni Made Purnama Sari, one of the curators involved in the preliminary selection.
The Selected Writers
Alief El-Ichwan is from Tasikmalaya, a city in West Java. An alumnus of Padjajaran University, he writes poetry, short stories, articles, and essays. As a journalist, he participated in the Kompas Short Story Class in 2017 and the Tempo Short Story Writing Class in 2024.
Annisa Ivana is from Jakarta. As a writer, her work spans several areas: fiction, reportage, and advertising. Outside of her busy schedule, she enjoys spending time imagining and exploring various places in Indonesia.
Charlotte Diana is from Semarang, the capital and largest city of Central Java province. She works as a private employee and writes as a form of healing. Her short story Humor Tentang Satu Dua Nol is featured in the anthology Decluttering Rasa by WR Publishing. Several of her other short stories have been published on the Ignite GKI website.
Kukuh Yudha Karnanta is from Surabaya, the capital city of East Java province. He teaches in the Department of English Language and Literature at Airlangga University Surabaya and has written several short stories, poems, essays, reviews, and journal articles.
Garut, West Java-born Ridwan Malik studied English Literature at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta and is now active as an editor at the online media platform Hanya Wacana. He also manages a small publishing house, Maliré – which birthed his first novel, Ajengan Anjing.
Rie Arshaka was born in Banjarmasin, the largest city in South Kalimantan on the Indonesian side of Borneo. He is the founder of RL-5000 Charity Group. Several of his short stories have been included in anthology books, including 15 Best Short Stories ASKS 2023 and 14 Best Short Stories Piala H.B. Jassin 2024.
Robbyan Abel Ramdhon is from Lombok, an island in the West Nusa Tenggara province. He started writing actively in high school when he became involved in the Sanggar Budaya Pelangi school theater group. He also participated in the Akarpohon Community, a literary community in Mataram.
Rosul Jaya Raya is from Bekasi and is of Madurese descent. He has loved literature since his time at an Islamic boarding school, and has won several short story writing competitions. A literature enthusiast, he is actively involved in various literary activities in Surabaya, the capital city of East Java province and where he is based.
Udiarti is from Sragen Regency in Central Java Province. She is the author of the novel Rumah Kedua Ibu, published by Semut Api in 2021, and one of the Founders of Mirat Kolektif (where her theater scripts have been performed) in Surakarta. An alumna of the Women’s Thought School 2023, she is also actively involved in managing kalamsastra.id, an online literary magazine.
Wawan Kurniawan is from Makassar, a city on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi. He writes poetry, short stories, essays, novels, and translates some of his favorite works. In 2021, he published a poetry collection titled Museum Kehilangan by GPU. In early 2025, he released a novel titled Seratus Tahun Kebisuan by Diva Press.
The Curators’ Thoughts
The curators shared constructive feedback for each selected writer – highlighting narrative strengths while noting areas for improvement in story structure and consistency. These insights will be explored further during mentorship sessions leading up to UWRF 2025, which will take place from October 29 to November 2.
Ratih Kumala, author of Gadis Kretek (The Cigarette Girl), expressed optimism for the selected writers’ futures. “Short stories may be limited in length, but many of these pieces have remarkable potential for development. I see them as rich blueprints for longer works. It wouldn’t surprise me if we eventually see their novel versions on bookstore shelves,” she said.
“Their stories highlight Indonesia’s depth of imagination and the courage to tell bold, original stories. Through this program, we aim to amplify their voices globally and continue fostering a diverse and inclusive literary community,” said Janet DeNeefe, Founder and Director of UWRF.
For more information about Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, visit their website and Instagram. See you there!
Curious on what UWRF 2025 has in store? Check out EnVi’s article about their programs here!
