Outside of Indonesia, little is known about the country's writers and their works. Helping to change that situation is the annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) which, since the festival's first incarnation in 2004, has brought more than 350 Indonesian authors to Ubud to stand alongside their fellow authors from around the world. UWRF is committed to introducing Indonesian writers to an international audience—not just established authors, but also emerging ones. Although this collection is but a small sample of literary works by emerging authors who have joined the festival over the years, it will introduce you to the heart of Indonesia: to a world of hardship and heartbreak, conflict and peace. Each and every story adds to the sum of its parts: the complex and rich culture of one of the world's most misunderstood nations. In this volume's stories and poems, penned by authors from Sumatra to Papua of different ethnic groups, languages, and religions, the common thread is the affirming voice of human expression. John McGlynn & Laura Noszlopy (editors), selected the works of Adek Dedees, Amanche Franck OE Ninu, Arif Fitra Kurniawan, Benazir Nafilah, Budy Utamy, Dewi Ria Utari, Emil Amir, Fitrawan Umar, I Nyoman Manda, Ida Ahdiah, Ilham Q Moehiddin, Imam Muhtarom, Irianto Ibrahim, Jaladara, Kurnia Effendi, Mario F Lawi, Mashuri, Mugya Syahreza Santosa, Niduparas Erlang, Olyrison, Reda Gaudiamo, Sunlie Thomas Alexander, Uda Agus, Wa Ode Wulan Ratna, Zeffry Alkatiri, Zelfeni Wimra, and Zen Hae for the anthology.
John H. McGlynn has translated several dozen publications under his own name, and through the Lontar Foundation, which he co-founded in 1987, has ushered into print close to two hundred books on Indonesian language, literature, and culture. He is the Indonesian country editor for MANOA, a literary journal published by the University of Hawai'i Press; the senior editor for I-Lit, an on-line journal focusing on Indonesian literature in translation; a contributing editor to Words Without Borders and Warscapes, U.S. based literary journals; and an editor advisor for Jurnal Sastra, an Indonesian-language on-line journal. He is also a frequent speaker at seminars both in Indonesia and abroad.
