Selepas acara peluncuran buku Gerbang Nuswantara, saya baru bisa bernapas lega dan bersantai. Saya dan perwakilan penerbit saya, Mariska, diundang untuk menghadiri acara makan malam penulis di Honeymoon Guesthouse. Karena saya datang terlambat untuk menghadiri acara pembukaan dan sibuk mempersiapkan acara saya, makan malam ini adalah acara pertama yang saya hadiri di festival ini.

Di acara ini saya mulai bertemu dengan penulis lain, baik dari dalam negeri maupun dari belahan dunia lain. Malam itu saya berkesempatan berkenalan dengan Xinran Xue ("The Good Women of China") dan suaminya Toby Eady (agen sastra), Adam Breasley (aktivis pendidikan), Christina Lamb ("I Am Malala"), Eka Kurniawan ("Cinta itu Luka"), Achmad Fawaid (penulis lepas), Zaky Yamani ("Bandar: Keluarga, Darah, dan Dosa yang Diwariskan"), IBG Wiraga (ilustrator "Buku Mewarnai Bali"), Henny Mangoendipoero (istri dari Stanley Harsha, penulis "Seperti Bulan dan Matahari", PBK).

Hari berikutnya saya bertemu dengan lebih banyak lagi orang-orang menarik dan menginspirasi, seperti Adimas Immanuel ("Pelesir Mimpi"), Norman Ince (guru sekolah/pembaca yang kritis), Brigid Delaney ("Wild Things"), M. Aan Mansyur ("Melihat Api Bekerja"), Seno Gumira Ajidarma ("Kitab Omong Kosong"), dan Peter Van Dongen (ilustrator "Rampokan"). Saya bahkan sempat ikut kelas workshop penulisan naskah film dasar oleh M. Irfan Ramly (penulis skenario). Saya mendapat pengetahuan baru di sini.

Di acara makan siang penulis pada hari Senin, saya bertemu banyak penulis lain seperti Jane Maryam ("Menikah"), Amanda Curtin ("Elemental"), Gill Westaway (manager acara sastra), Diana Greentree ("The Camros Bird), Laura Viviana (penulis copywrite), Mazin Qumsiyeh (profesor & penulis HAM), dan Janet DeNeefe (pendiri dan direktur UWRF).

UWRF adalah festival yang diadakan oleh Janet dan suaminya pertama kali sebagai ajang pemulihan pasca bom Bali 2002 yang membawa penulis dan pembaca dari seluruh dunia untuk berkumpul di Bali, khususnya Ubud.

About #UWRF15 

After the Gateway to Nuswantara book launch, I could breathe and relaxed. Me and my publisher representation, Mariska, were invited to attend the writers dinner at Honeymoon Guesthouse. Because I came late for opening events and was busy with my launch preparation, the dinner was the first event I attended in the festival.

At the dinner I started to meet other writers, both locals and from around the world. That night I met Xinran Xue ("The Good Women of China") and her husband Toby Eady (literary agent), Adam Breasley (education activist), Christina Lamb ("I Am Malala"), Eka Kurniawan ("Cinta itu Luka"), Achmad Fawaid (ghostwriter), Zaky Yamani ("Bandar: Keluarga, Darah, dan Dosa yang Diwariskan"), IBG Wiraga (illustrator of "Bali Coloring Book"), Henny Mangoendipoero (wife of Stanley Harsha, author of "Like the Moon and the Sun", PBK).

The next day I met even more interesting and inspiring people, like Adimas Immanuel ("Pelesir Mimpi"), Norman Ince (highschool teacher/a critical reader), Brigid Delaney ("Wild Things"), M. Aan Mansyur ("Melihat Api Bekerja"), Seno Gumira Ajidarma ("Kitab Omong Kosong"), and Peter Van Dongen (illustrator of "Rampokan"). I even attended the basic scriptwriting workshop class program by M. Irfan Ramly (scriptwriter). It was yet another new knowledge for me.

And on Monday writers brunch, I met other writers such as Jane Maryam ("Menikah"), Amanda Curtin ("Elemental"), Gill Westaway (literary event manager), Diana Greentree ("The Camros Bird), Laura Viviana (copywriter), Mazin Qumsiyeh (professor & human rights writer), and Janet DeNeefe (founder & director of UWRF).

UWRF is a festival that first held by Janet and her husband as an effort to the Bali bombing 2012 recovery that has been brought many writers and readers from around the world to gather in Bali, especially Ubud. All the people that I met in this writers-readers festival have their own expertise that enriched the whole programs and also adding knowledge if you have a chance to chat with them. If you are a reader, you definitely must attend the UWRF next year!

Rahayu.