Utan Kayu International Literary Biennale

Abdul Hadi W.M. (Indonesia)

(Madura, 1946) studied literary, culture, and philosophy at Gajah Mada University and participated in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in 1973-74. Among his published collections of poetry are Laut Belum Pasang (1971), Potret Panjang Pengunjung Pantai Sanur (1975), Meditasi (1975), Tergantung Pada Angin (1982), Anak Laut Anak Angin (1982), Pembawa Matahari (2000), Madura, Luang Prabhang: Seratus Puisi (2006), and Dari Hitu ke Barus (2007). He was awarded an Arts Award by Indonesia (1979), the SEA Write Award by Thailand (1985), and Hadiah Mastera from the South East Asia Literary Council in Kuala Lumpur (2003). Despite writing poetry, he also translate and writes books about sufism and literary and islamic culture.

Abidah El Khalieqy (Indonesia)

(East Java,1965) has published Ibuku Laut Berkobar (1987), Perempuan Berkalung Sorban (2000), Menari di Atas Gunting (2001), Atas Singgasana (2002), and Geni Jora (2004). She was awarded the Arts Prize from the Government of Yogyakarta Special Region in 1999.

Acep Zamzam Noor (Indonesia)

(Tasikmalaya, 1960) completed his education in Painting at the Arts and Design Faculty of the Bandung Technology School (1980-1987) and has lived and worked in Perugia, Italy (1991-1993). Among his published poetry collections are Di Luar Kata (1996), Di Atas Umbria (1999), Dongeng dari Negeri Sembako (2001), Jalan Menuju Rumahmu (2004), and a collection of Sundanese poetry Dayeuh Matapoe (1993) which was nominated for the Rancage Award in 1994. In 2000 and 2005 Acep received an Award for Literature from the Centre for Language of the National Education Department. In 2005 he was also awarded the SEA Write Award from Thailand. In 2006 he received the Culture Endowment from the Governer of West Java.

Agus Noor (Indonesia)

(Tegal, 1968) has published a number of short-story compilations: Memorabilia (1999), Bapak Presiden yang Terhormat (2000), Selingkuh itu Indah (2001), and Rendezvous – Kisah Cinta yang Tak Setia (2004). In 1992, his short story “Musuh” received the literature prize for the Yogyakarta Arts Festival. Three of his works, “Keluarga Bahagia”, “Dzikir Sebutir Peluru”, “Tak Ada Mawar di Jalan Raya” were selected by the Jakarta Arts Council selected to for Anugerah Cerpen Indonesia in 1999. The prose “Pemburu” was selected was one of the best for 1990-2000 by literary journal Horison. In 1998 he participated in the Writing Program of Majelis Sastra Asia Tenggara (Mastera, the South East Asia Literature Council)

Amarzan Ismail Hamid (Indonesia)

(North Sumatra, 1941) has been writing poetry since 1956, broadcasted in various newspapers and magazines in Medan and Jakarta. He also writes short stories, novellas, scripts, essays and critiques. He works as a journalist. In the 1968-1979 period he was exiled to Nusa Kambangan and Buru Island by the Soeharto regime. His collection of poetry Memilih Jalan (Choosing Paths, 1965) did not see the light of day because it was destroyed by the military authority of the time.

Avi Basuki (Indonesia)

Avi Basuki was a model when she first started her writing career. At the suggestion of senior writer Seno Gumira, she wrote her first Travel Piece for Jakarta Jakarta – a magazine now defunct. However, her love for writing remains and she actively writes from Milan. Her first book, TANGO, was launched along with two short films on the same subject. She is now working on her next book, still on the theme of dance. Besides being a travel-fashion-design journalist for several Indonesian publications, she also works as a digital artist for Televisionet – a Web TV in Milan and appeared in several feature films such as Malena, Vajont, Extreem Ops, etc. She continues to explore her love for yoga, travel and dance, for Tango is the drug of her life.

Ayu Utami (Indonesia)

(Bogor, 1968) is a journalist-activist and novelist. Raised in Jakarta and completing her studies at the Faculty of Letters of Universitas Indonesia, she has been a reporter for magazines Humor, Matra, Forum Keadilan, and D&R. She become known as a novelist since her debut novel Saman won the 1998 Jakarta Arts Council novel writing competition, to the acclaim of critics for giving new colour to Indonesian literature. For Saman she was given the Prince Claus Award 2000 from the Prince Claus Fund, an organization based in the Hague with a mission to support and enhance cultural activities and development. In 2002, she launched her second novel Larung.

Beni Setia (Indonesia)

(Bandung, 1954) graduated from a farming college in Soreang, 1974, and has since studied literature independently. He writes in Sundanese and Indonesian in the form of poetry, short stories and socio-cultural articles. Among his publications are Legiun Asing: Tiga Kumpulan Sajak (1987), Dinamika Gerak (1990) and Harendong (1996).

Chris Keulemans (Netherlands)

Chris Keulemans (1960) made his debut in 1992 with the novella Overal om me heen is ruimte (All around me there is space), which was followed by Een korte wandeling in de heuvels (A short walk in the hills). He also wrote Van de zomer naar de werkelijkheid (From summer to reality). In these three books he reflects upon various personal subjects such as: football, running a bookstore and Eastern Europe. His latest work, a multi-media project entitled De Amerikaan die ik nooit geweest ben (The American I have never been) (2004), consists of a novel, photo documentation on dvd, a radio documentary and a website. From 1990 to 1998 Keulemans worked at the political cultural centre De Balie, the last three years as director. He regularly publishes in the newspapers De Volkskrant, Vrij Nederland and the literary magazine De Gids.

Cyril Wong (Singapore)

(Singapore, 1977) is a countertenor and poet, the author of five published collections of poetry, co-author of a novel in verse Excess Baggage and Claim (2007), and winner of the National Arts Council of Singapore Young Artist Award for Literature (2005) and the Singapore Literature Prize (2006). His poems have been adapted to dance, drama, film and music. These collaborations have been presented in various countries, including the 27th Bali Arts Festival 2005 and the Magdalena International Festival of Women in Contemporary Theatre (USA, 2005). His poems have appeared in journals around the world; Atlanta Review, Fulcrum 3, Poetry International, Dimsum, and Poetry New Zealand, to name a few.

Darmanto Jatman (Indonesia)

(Jakarta, 1942) completed his studies in Yogyakarta. Educated in Christian schools while living among high-caste Javanese family, he became interested in theology, philosophy and psychology. As a poet, he uses traditional javanese metaphors in his work. His published anthologies are Isteri (Wife) and Anak (Child). He teaches at the Social Studies and Political Studies faculties of Universitas Diponegoro in Semarang, where he currently resides with his family.

Dewi Lestari (Indonesia)

Dewi Lestari Simangunsong (Dee) was born in Bandung, 20 January 1976. Dee completed her studies in the International Relations Program of Parahyangan University. She first became known as a singer with the RSD vocal group. Considered in the rank of women writers after her first part of the trilogy novels “First Supernova”: Ksatria, Puteri dan Bintang Jatuh (2001), then continued to the next series: “Akar” (2002) dan “Petir” (2004).

Dorothea Rosa Herliany (Indonesia)

(Magelang, 1963) is the founder of Akar Institution, a non-profit organization in Magelang, and the publisher Indonesia Tera in Yogyakarta. She has received a number of awards, from the Minister for the Environment (1994), Jakarta Arts Council (2000), Language Centre (2003), and Khatulistiwa Literary Award (2006) to name a few. Among her published works are bi-lingual English and Indonesian anthologies Kill the Radio (2007 [2001]), Life Sentences (2004), and Santa Rosa (2006 [2005]).

Edmundo Paz Soldán (Bolivia)

(Bolivia, 1967) is the author of seven novels and two short story collections. He was awarded the 2002 Bolivian National Book Award for Turing’s Delirium and a 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship. He has won the prestigious Juan Rulfo Award, and was a finalist for the Romulo Gállegos Award. He is an associate professor at Cornell University. One of the few McOndo writers who live in the United States, he is frequently called upon as the movement’s spokesperson by the American media and was named a Young Global Leader 2007 by the World Economic Forum.

Es Wibowo (Indonesia)

Es Wibowo (Purwodadi, 1958) began writing essays, cultural reports, short stories and poetry in the early 80s. This Civil Engineering graduate of Universitas Tidar Magelang was the winner of the 10 best poems in the National Poetry Writing competition organized by Studio Seni Sastra Kota Batu, 1996. In the same year, he also won the Purbacaraka Ward in Denpasar. He has sat as the coordinator of the literature dialogue forum of Kedu, Cagar Seni Menoreh. He now is active in various arts activities as well as leading the Padepokan Jalatundha in Magelang.

F. Rahardi (Indonesia)

(Ambarawa, 1950) did not complete his secondary education, 1967. He was on the editorial of agriculture magazine Trubus (1977-1997). His published poetry anthologies include Soempah WTS (1983), Catatan Harian Sang Koruptor (1985), Tuyul (1990), Silsilah Garong (1990), Pidato Akhir Tahun Seorang Germo (1997); as well as the short story collection Kentrung Itelile (1993); and lyrical prose Migrasi Para Kampret (1993).

Feryal Ali-Gauhar (Pakistan)

(Lahore, 1959) studied the politics and economics of development at McGill University, Montreal and trained as a director for television in Europe and the United States. She works as a development communication specialist in Pakistan and teaches film at the National College of Arts in Lahore. She has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund and lectures on Women’s rights and development at several national institutions. Celebrated as an actress, filmmaker and writer, she is the author of two novels, The Scent of Wet Earth in August and No Place for Further Burials, and is currently based in New Delhi developing a screenplay from her latest novel on Afghanistan.

Ghassan Zaqtan (Palestine)

(near Bethlehem, 1954) obtained a teachers’ training degree from Jordan and worked as a physical education teacher. Zaqtan worked with the Palestinian resistance movement and was editor of Bayader literary magazine of the PLO. He is the editor of the literary page of the Al-Ayyam daily newspaper in Ramallah, and the editor of the new poetry quarterly Al-Shou’ara. He has published a number of poetry collections, and his first novel in 1995. His poetry abounds with luminous imagery, ranging in topics from life and death to the particular themes running through contemporary life. He has participated in various international poetry festivals, and his works have also been translated into French. He lives in Ramallah.

Gus tf (Indonesia)

Gus tf (West Sumatra, 1965) is a collector and slave of poetry, a member of the poetry journal Puisi editorial. A number of his work have won competitions, such as the poetry writing competition of Direktorat Kesenian Ditjen Kebudayaan RI (1990) and received the Sih Award from the journal Puisi (2002). Besides into English, a number of his poetry has been translated into Arabic, German, and Portuguese. His published work include Sangkar Daging (1997) and Daging Akar (2005).

Hamsad Rangkuti (Indonesia)

(Medan, 1943) was chief editor of the literary magazine Horison and has served on the Jakarta Arts Council. His short story anthology Bibir dalam Pispot (Lips in a Pisspot) won the Khatulistiwa Literary Award 2003. His other short stories anthologies include Lukisan Perkawinan (Wedding Portrait) and Cemara (Pine). His first novel, Ketika Lampu Berwarna Merah (When the Light is Red) won the prestigious Jakarta Arts Council Award (1981). Semi-retired, he continues to write and teach creative writing.

Hao Yu-hsiang (Taiwan)

holds a Ph.D. from the Chinese Department of National Taiwan University and is currently an Associate professor at National Dong Hwa University. She is the recipient of the Best Books of 2005 in Taiwan, the literary awards from Taipei City Government, the Zhonekuo shibao [China Times], Zhongyang ribao [Central Daily News], the New Fiction Writer Award from Lianhe wenxue [Unitas] and so on. Her works include the short story collection Xi [Washing],three novels A Scene at the sea, A Love Story of Anny, Travelling Backward, the script of film Amour-Legende, three essays A Dream: Travel in China, Traveling in My Wardrobe, and Eroticism of Contemporary Female Writings in Taiwan.

Hassan Daoud (Lebanon)

(Lebanon, 1950) studied Arabic Literature in Beirut and is currently the chief editor of the cultural supplement “Nafawez” at Al-Mustaqbal Daily. He has published eight novels and two collections of short stories, a number of which have been translated and published in English, French, German and Italian, and has participated in various literary and cultural functions held throughout the Middle East, Europe, India and Asia. Hassan Daoud is also an accomplished translator from English to Arabic, having translated K. Narayan’s Painter of Signs, among others.

Idanna Pucci (Italy)

Idanna Pucci Since leaving her ancestral home in Florence, Italy, Idanna has pursued her interest with diverse cultures through far-flung travels and explorations. Living between New York, Florence and Bali, Idanna has written The Epic of Life: A Balinese Journey of the Soul (1992), The Trials of Maria Barbella (1998), Against All Odds: The Strange Destiny of a Balinese Prince (2005) and Una Vita per l’Africa (A Life for Africa, 2006). Her latest book was published on the occasion of the exhibition she organized in Rome at the Auditorium, on her great-uncle the pacifist explorer Pietro Savorgnan di Brazzà (1852-1905), founder of Brazzaville in Congo, who is still remembered in Africa for his humanity and for his battle for the rights of the African people.

Iman Budhi Santosa (Indonesia)

(Central Java, 1948) established the Persada Study Club, a community of young poets in Yogyakarta’s Malioboro with Umbu Landu Paranggi and friends in 1968. He writes on literature and culture in Indonesian and Javanese, for a wide range of printed media, and has been active in moving the literary life of Indonesian and Javanese literature in Yogyakarta. Among his poems collections: Tiga Bayangan (1970), Dunia Semata Wayang (1996) and Matahari-Matahari Kecil (2004). His novels: Barong Kertapati (1976), Dorodasih (2002), and the newest, Gadis Teater (2007). Since 2004 he has been the Javanese language and literature Officer of the Yogyakarta Arts Council, and is also currently editor at a Yogyakarta publishing house.

Intan Paramaditha (Indonesia)

Intan Paramaditha was born in Bandung, November 15, 1979. She graduated from the University of Indonesia and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study literature in the University of California, San Diego. Her anthology of short stories, Sihir Perempuan (Black Magic Woman), was nominated for the national Khatulistiwa Literary Awards in 2005. In addition to fiction, she writes articles on literature, cinema, gender & sexuality, which have been published in national and international journals.

Jerome Kugan (Malaysia)

(Kota Kinabalu, 1975) is a writer, poet and musician based in Kuala Lumpur. As a multidisciplinary artist, Jerome projects a devil-may-care persona prone to attacking the apathy and mediocrity of others. Jerome obtained a scholarship to study at the University of Canberra, Australia, where he discovered sexual freedom and performance poetry. He currently works as managing editor for KLue magazine.

Joko Pinurbo (Indonesia)

(Sukabumi, 1962) answered his calling to write poetry in the late 70s. His first anthology of poetry, Celana (Pants, 1999), received the Lontar Literary Prize in 2001. He was also among the Tempo Select Literary Figures 2001 (along with Ayu Utami). His anthology Di Bawah Kibaran Sarung (Under My Flapping Sarong, 2001) received the Literary Prize from the Language Centre of the National Education Department for 2002. In 2005 he received the Khatulistiwa award for his poetry anthology Kekasihku (My lover, 2004). His other collections of short stories include Pacarkecilku (2002), Telepon Gengam (2003), Pacar Senja - Seratus Puisi Pilihan (2005), and Kepada Cium (2007).

Joni Ariadinata (Indonesia)

(Majapahit, 1966) has written and published the short-story collections Kali Mati (1999), Kastil Angin Menderu (2000), Air Kaldera (2000), and Malaikat tak Datang Malam Hari (2004). His short story “Lampor” was selected as the best of 1994 by Kompas. In 1997 he received the Best Short Story Award from BSMI for “Keluarga Mudrika”. He established the Indonesia Short Story Journal and Lembaga Kajian Kebudayaan Akar Indonesia in 2000. He was editor of the literary journal Horison in 2004. Joni won the Anugerah Pena Award in 2005 for his collection of short stories Malaikat tak Datang Malam Hari.

Kangni Alem (Togo/France)

Born in Togo, 1966, Kangni Alem Alemdjrodo holds a PhD in French, Comparative and French African Literature of University of Bordeaux III, France. Novelist, playwright and short story writer, he has published more than ten books. He is professor of theater and literature at University of Lomé, Togo. His works explores the political and historic memory of African peoples through themes like slavery, dictatorship and racial and cultural métissage. He lives between Lomé and Bordeaux in France. Some publications: Chemins de croix, Atterissage, Cola cola jazz, Canailles et charlatans, Un rêve d’Albatros… Encounter Kangni Alem through his weblog.

Kimberley Blaeser (USA )

Kimberley Blaeser (Billings, Montana, 1955) is of Anishinaabe and German heritage. She grew up on the White Earth Reservation. She is a reporter/photographer, technical writer, lecturer, instructor and teaching fellow and has been lecturing at the University of Wisconsin since 1990. Her interests include wildlife and nature photography, which helps to feed her creative writing and compliment her work in Native American Literature. Kim has published three books and has made more than sixty appearances in anthologies and journals. Her most recent book is titled Absentee Indians and Other Poems.

Laksmi Pamuntjak (Indonesia)

Laksmi Pamuntjak (Jakarta, 1971) has since 1994 written columns and articles on politics, film, food, classical music and literature for Tempo Magazine and elsewhere. She translated and edited Goenawan Mohamad: Selected Poems (2004), published Jakarta Good Food Guide (2001), and co-founded Aksara, a bilingual bookstore in Jakarta. Her first collection of poetry, Ellipsis, appeared on The Herald UK 2005 Books of the Year list. A treatise on violence and the Iliad entitled War, Heaven, and Two Women came out in 2006, along with her first collection of short stories, The Diary of R.S.: Musings on Art (2005). The Anagram, her second poetry collection, published in March 2007.

Lan Po-chou (Taiwan)

(Taiwan, 1960) is a fiction writer, specialist in literary reportage and documentary producer. After graduating in 1984 from the French Department of Fu Jen Catholic University, he joined the literary reportage team of the Renjian Magazine in early 1987 and began engaging in research, writing, and investigation on the history of the people in Taiwan. He has won the Jury Award for Fiction and the China Times Literary Award. His novel Song of the Veiled Carriage was nominated for the Hung Hsing-fu Award for Fiction. His published works include the novella Travellers (1989), novels The Vine Entwining the Tree (2002) and The Birth of a Young Writer (2004). His works of literary reportage include Sunken Bodies, Exile, and 288 (1991), Song of the Veiled Carriage (1991) and In Search of the Obliterated History and People of Taiwan (1994).

Mamang Dai (India)

A journalist and former civil servant based in Itanagar, Mamang Dai has written extensively about the culture and history of Arunachal Pradesh. She is a member of the North East Writer’s Forum, and has to her credit a number of published short stories and poems. She has published Arunachal Pradesh: The Hidden Land and River Poems, among others. The Legends of Pensam, her latest book, was launched in July 2006.

Mong-Lan (Vietnam)

(Vietnam, 1970) poet, writer, painter, photographer and dancer. She left her native country on the last day of evacuation of Saigon in 1975. Mong-Lan’s books of poetry include: Song of the Cicadas, which won the 2000 Juniper Prize and the 2002 Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writers Awards for Poetry; and Why is the Edge Always Windy?. She received her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona, was the recipient of a Wallace E. Stegner Fellowship in poetry for two years at Stanford University, and was a Fulbright Grantee in Vietnam. Her poetry has appeared in several anthologies such as Best American Poetry and The Pushcart Prize Anthology, and has appeared in leading American literary journals.

Oka Rusmini (Indonesia)

born in Jakarta, 11 July 1967. She has published the anthology of poetry Monolog Pohon (Tree Monologue, 1997) and the novel Train Bumi (Earth’s Dance, 2000). Thanks to her novel, Oka received an award from the Language Centre of the National Education Department in 2003. Her novella “Sagra” won the best serial story awarded by Femina magazine in 1998, and was compiled into the short story anthology Sagra (2001) along with a number of other short stories, such as “Putu Menolong Tuhan” (Putu Helps God) which was selected as the best short story by Femina in 1994 and “Pemahat Abad” (Carver of Centuries) which was awarded best short story for 1990-2000 by the Horison literary journal. In 2002 she received the SIH Award from Jurnal Puisi (Poetry Journal). She has participated in the ASEAN writing program (1997); Winternachten Literary Festival in Den Haag and Amsterdam, Holland, and has been a guest writer at Hamburg University, Germany (2003).

Remy Sylado (Indonesia)

(Ujungpandang, 1945) was born Yapi Panda Abdiel Tambayong. He writes not only poetry, novels, and theatre scripts, but also essays and song lyrics. In his fiction – now in the hundreds, a number of which have been translated into foreign laguageages – this writer has the unique charcteristic of reintroducing old Indonesian words that are rarely used. He is one of the key figures in the birth of the Mbeling poetry style through the magazine Aktuil published in Bandung in the 70s. Among his published work are Sekuntum Melati Buat Rima (1968), Orexas (1980), Pingkan dan Matindas (1985), Di Sebuah Sudut Taman (1999), Ca Bau Kan (1999), Kerudung Merah Kirmizi (2002), Kembang Jepun (2003), and Parijs van Java (2003). He won the Khatulistiwa Literary Award 2000 for his novel Kerudung Merah Kirmizi.

Sam Wagan Watson (Australia)

(Brisbane, 1972) won the 1999 David Unaipon Award for his volume of poetry Of Muse, Meandering and Midnight (published as part of the UQP Black Australian Writers Series). His ancestry is Irish, German, Bundjalung and Birri Gubba. A former prefect of the Morayfield State High School, he has been a salesman, public relations officer, fraud investigator, graphic artist, laborer, law clerk, film industry technician, and an actor. Smoke Encrypted Whispers (2004), hailed as a stunning collection of exhilarating road poems, urban song-lines and ancestral ties, have become the hallmarks of this popular poet.

Sean M Whelan (Australia)

has been a writer and performer of spoken word, poetry and short stories for almost ten years. His written work has been widely published both locally and overseas. His spoken word performances have been broadcast on radio RRR and JJJ, Australia’s National Youth Radio Station.
In 2003 he traveled to New York courtesy of an Australia Council grant to perform at the launch of Short Fuse, a global collection of Fusion Poetry. His first collection of poetry was published in 2003 by Hit & Miss publications titled Love is the First Hate.

Sharanya Manivannan (India / Sri Lanka / Malaysia)

Sharanya Manivannan Born in India in 1985 and growing up in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, Sharanya is a writer, dancer, painter, photographer, actress and journalist who has gained reputation as a spoken word artist through her solo show, Ochre As The Earth, in Kuala Lumpur. Her work negotiates the intricacies of imagined exile, and has frequently been described as brutal, sensual and original. “Onstage, she exacts a commanding presence, her reading voice and image sensual, lyrical, literate and emotionally charged… There’s a winning combination of rawness and finesse in her work that’s quite astounding” commented Klue magazine. Sharanya’s work draws heavily from her Tamil culture, but is also influenced by other elements including the flamenco concept of duende and the Huichol concept of iyari. Learn more about Sharanya on her blog.

Shin Joong Seun (South Korea)

Shin Joon Seung Born in Geochang, South Kyungsang Province (1955 ), Mrs. Shin received a Korean Literary Prize in 2006 for her novel The Secret Flower Garden (Bimil-Ui Hwawon) after over 12 years of writing this belated debut in 1993. She is an editor and reporter for several magazines who has also published a number of short stories and novels. Five of her short stories from the collection Noona-nun Bom-eemyun Esa-rul Kanda (My Elder Sister Moves in Every Spring) have been given new life as plays on stage.

Sindhunata. SJ (Indonesia)

(Malang, 1952) is the chief editor of the cultural journal Basis. He has worked as a journalist for Kompas, and is author of a number of books on culture, but is better known for his novel Anak Bajang Menggiring Angin (1983). His recent collection of poetry is Air Kata-Kata (2003), and he currently lives in Yogyakarta.

Terence Ward (USA)

Terence Ward was born in Boulder, Colorado and spent his childhood in Iran and Saudi Arabia during the 1960’s. He received his BA in political science at the University of California at Berkeley, and continued his studies in Egypt at the American University of Cairo, where he specialized in contemporary Islamic political movements. He currently works as a cross-cultural consultant specializing in the Middle East. His critically acclaimed book, Searching for Hassan, is a literary journey chronicling his family’s odyssey back to Iran after 30 years.

Triyanto Triwikromo (Indonesia)

(Salatiga, 1964) His collection of short stories, Rezim Seks (1987) was reprinted along with his second collection Ragaula (2002), followed by Sayap Anjing (2003), Children Sharpening the Knives (2003), and Malam Sepasang Lampion (2004). This Best Indonesian Poet according to Gadis magazine 1989 has also published a number of poetry collections. He participates in various theatre and literature events, including Wordstorm Nothern Territory Festival 2005 in Darwin, Australia. He is currently a journalist and literary editor for the daily Suara Merdeka, Semarang.

Ugoran Prasad (Indonesia)

(Tanjungkarang, 1978) graduated in Sociology from Universitas Gajah Mada (2003). Two of his works that have been published are Di Etalase (novel, 2003) and Waktu Batu (performance piece, 2004). Besides fiction, he also writes on the performing arts, especially in the journal Lebur Theatre/Performance/Art of which he is Associate Editor. Day-to-day he is research staff and development at Yayasan Teater Garasi (Garage Theatre Foundation).

Violetta Simatupang (Indonesia)

graduated from Tourism Schools in Switzerland and USA. She began her career as a Public Relations Manager in a hotel in Bali, as well as facilitator in various inhouse training programs. She writes poetry and short stories in Indonesian and English which has been published in a number of newspapers and cultural journals. Anak-Anak Vampir (2003) is her first collection of poetry.

The Participants