Program Book of ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

The Story of Now
PROGRAM
BOOK
The Story of Now
Created by:
ASEAN Literary Festival 2016
The ASEAN Literary Festival is a cultural event where all ASEAN countries can share
in proximity, familiarities in culture literary interests often influenced by the
colonial experience. This Festival is the first literary event to focus primarily on the
quality of the ASEAN regions literary works. By building a bridge between people of
literature and the general public, we aim to promote the cultures, arts and literary
works not only in our region but to the broader global audience.
The festival presents ASEANs poets, novelists, playwrights, critics, scholars and
artists who perform, share and discuss the role of literature in our cultures which
will help our member countries to foster a just society, encouraging human rights
and democracy.
We are very honored to open the 3rd ASEAN Literary Festival 2016 with Nobel Prize
Winner Jos Ramos-Horta. This event will also include an modern Indonesian puppet show and a symphony orchestra from Korea. At a time when our world is both
unpredictable and challenging, we hope to learn from these rich literary exchanges
and experiences year after year in our broader region.
The Story of Now
From The Director
Here we are. Against all odds, the

ASEAN Literary Festival is coming back
for the third year. We are proud to have
proven our durability and kept our
dream of building a tradition alive. We
feel we are now in a point of no return
as we grow and gain more support
while more people in the region are expecting the festival to return each year.
This year the festival takes the theme
The Story of Now with dozens of
sessions discussing pressing issues
facing our society. From environments
to digital hype and from human rights
and democracy to refugee problems,
we intend to stay relevant and critical to
open debate and help find solutions.
The ASEAN Literary Festival is the first
event to gather writers from ASEAN
countries in one literary event in which
they will share ideas on how writers
can contribute to the enhancement of
society.
The festival is being organized as a platform for writers, artists and the general
public in the region to get to know one
another in greater depth. Thus they
acquire a sense of common identity so
important to the successful formation

of ASEAN community, which has been
declared by the regions leaders in December 2015.
The countries of the ASEAN region have
many things to be proud ofincluding
the achievements of its literary writers.
Unfortunately, until today, these writers
and their lifes work have not been adequately supported and promoted.
While our neighbors in Northeast Asia,
such as Japan and China, and South
Asia, especially India and Pakistan, are
globally recognized as the continents
literary powerhouses, only a few Southeast Asian writers have gained international recognition.
In a world that puts a premium to digital
hype, noise and materialism, its easy to
dismiss the fundamental role of writers
and their work. After all, it seems that
literature is the last thing that most
people need in the struggle to survive in
this part of the world.
However, we firmly believe that only
when we have a commensurate num-
The Story of Now
ber of masterful writers can the ASEAN

region become truly a Socio-cultural
Community, one of the three pillars
of the envisioned ASEAN Community.
We do have a deep psychological and
spiritual need for such a community.
The words written by poets, fictionists,
dramatists and other creative writers
will continue to provide us the peoples
of the region with uncommon sense,
conscience and wisdom that will guide
us through upheaval and uncertainty
long after politicians and bureaucrats
have left the arena of power and have
descended to oblivion.
Of course, it is lamentable that as we
enter the middle of the second decade
of the 21st century, Southeast Asia has
yet to produce a Nobel Prize winner in
literature. Japan already has two Nobel
laureates, with one more of its own,
Haruki Murakami, a possible winner in
the years ahead. China has Mo Yan as
its first Nobel laureate while Indias Rabindranath Tagore won the prize as early
as the first part of the 20th century.
Nevertheless we do have writers who
have earned global critical acclaim,
including the late novelist Pramoedya

Ananta Toer from Indonesia and the
Filipino epic poet Dr. Cirilo F. Bautista.
Both, and perhaps a few others we may
not know about, are as accomplished as
any Nobel laureate. They have proven
that ASEAN, a region of 600 million
people, can also produce literary giants
even if they do not enjoy the support
and the popular global audience that
they deserve. And even if our region
does not have a tradition of publishing
that adequately serves the regions
creative writers.
Thus, we the organizers of the ASEAN
Literary Festival, intend to hold more
than just an event. We are here to build
a tradition that will outlast all of us and
that we hope will endure over the centuries ahead so that it will never cease
to provide opportunities for writers to
develop and enjoy the appreciation that
is their due.
Abdul Khalik
co-Founder and Director
A Festival For People
We started the ASEAN Literary Festival

2016 with a residency program where
13 young writers from ASEAN, Timor
Leste and Japan were selected in an
open selection process. Since April 29
they lived and interacted with residents
of Kampung Muara, a neighborhood of
500 families along the Ciliwung River in
South Jakarta.
This program was born out of realization that writers and literature should
become part of the society, and not
monopolized only by elite groups and
a handful of the so-called intellectuals.
With this residency program we hope
that more literary works connect and
can voice problems within the society.
From the very beginning, ASEAN Literary Festival always presents programs
which reflect our stance that literature
and literary works should take side with
the public interests, and always voice
and fight for humanity and justice.
Nobel Prize Winner Jose Ramos Hortas

lecture is a proof to our commitment
to present influential figures in the
region who have fought for democracy,
freedom and justice.
The festival also presents a series of
discussions about human rights where
prominent human rights lawyers,
writers and academics meet to discuss
pressing humanitarian problems of our
time. With full awarenes we also give
space to sensitive issues which have
been banned in many places within this
country. From LGBT to 65 tragedy, the
ASEAN Literary Festival will stand strong
against any censorship and effort to
shut down freedom of expression.
We also continue to be innovative and
challenge our creativity to present discussions about literature and pressing
issues in a form that can be enjoyed
by more people. Tickets for a talkshow
presenting Indonesias poets, Sapardi
Djoko Damono and Joko Pinurbo, for
instance, have been sold out way be-
The Story of Now
fore the festival. This shows that people

are still very much enthusiastic about
literary works, and that interest in
literature is not as bad as we previously
imagined. We just need to push ourselves closer to to the people, and get
down from the ivory tower, destroying
exclusivism and elitism of writers and
literary works.
From the voices of women and people
of Papua and Timor Leste, from legendary writers to young and emerging
ones, we will continue to try to become
a festival with programs that reflect
what really happens within literature
and society within the Southeast Asian
region.
Okky Madasari
Co-Founder and Program Director
Social Justice Shapers
While continuing with a steady commitment to human rights and social justice
literature, this years ASEAN Literary
Festival has excelled in attracting not
only the energy of young as well as
established regional writers but offers
the opportunity to dig deeper in dialogue
with social justice shapers from our wider neighbourhood.
Inviting award winning international visionaries from our region such as Timor
Lestes Jose Ramos-Horta and Australias
Julian McMahon provides a moment in
time for ASEAN community members
to listen and discuss the past but also
identify the progressive options that lie
on the horizon. What will the literature
reflect about our era in the future? Can
we be so bold as to write about the
future today?
This years Festival marks a significant

achievement in the region where people
can come and learn, contribute, build
networks, write and gain confidence in
an unpredictable and changing world.
Humanitarian literature expands our
thinking and our awareness about what
can be. This 2016 program of inspiration not only tells the Story of Now, it
serves to engage networks of diversity
and strengthen the connections at the
community level for a world in which we
want to live.
The ASEAN Literary Festival is firmly
established as a cornerstone event in our
region where the future can be planted,
incubated, fostered and nourished.
Mary Farrow
Director for International Cooperation
The Story of Now
PROGRAMS
On Freedom and Peace
Jose Ramos-Horta is an ex-prime minister

and ex-president of Timor Leste who is
known as an international peacemaker.
In 1996, Jos Ramos-Horta was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize for their work
toward a just and peaceful solution to
the conflict in East Timor. While serving
as President and the international voice
of the young government, he personally
created peace initiatives ranging from
a world class mountain bike race for
peace to opening his office for youth
from neighboring areas to come and
peacefully resolve conflicts. His anti-poverty initiatives, including building homes
for the neediest, lifted tens of thousands
10
out of extreme poverty. His leadership

and expertise have walked Timor-Leste
toward a new era of peace, reconciliation
and economic growth. Jos Ramos-Hortas work in taking his country from devastating conflict to peace and economic
growth in just over a decade serves as
a model for building democracy in the
twenty first century. In 2012 he accepted
an appointment from the UN Secretary
General as Special Representative of the
Secretary General to the African nation
of Guinea Bissau.
The Story of Now
Human Rights X Literature
A human rights advocate and fierce

opponent of the death penalty, barrister Julian McMahon has a personal and
passionate commitment to represent
Australians in capital punishment cases
abroad. Admitted to the Victorian Bar in
1998, for more than 13 years Julian has
worked without payment for Australians
facing the death penalty. Julians clients
include Van Tuong Nguyen in Singapore,
George Forbes in Sudan and members of
the Bali Nine, Andrew Chan and Myuran
Sukumaran. In the months leading up to
the executions of Chan and Sukumaran
in April 2015, the overwhelming demands of their case required Julian and
other lawyers on the case to make many

personal sacrifices and, in Julians case,
to exclude all other work. Instead, he
remained wholly focused on his clients.
Julian is on the board of Jesuit Social
Services and is now President of Reprieve
Australia. Articulate and measured, with
longstanding community involvement,
Julian speaks publicly about the death
penalty and justice issues.
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THURSDAY, MAY 5 2016
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FRIDAY, MAY 6 2016
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FRIDAY, MAY 6 2016
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FRIDAY, MAY 6 2016
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SATURDAY, MAY 7 2016
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SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016
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SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016
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SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016
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SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016
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The Story of Now
ASEAN-JAPAN
Residency Program 2016
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SPEAKERS &
ARTISTS
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The Story of Now
Speakers & Artists

Ananda Sukarlan
Ananda Sukarlan is an Indonesian Pianist. He started his music
lessons at the age of 5 from his older sister, Martani Widjajanti. After
graduating from Kolese Kanisius(Canisius College, Jakarta) in 1986,
he continued to study in University of Hartford in Connecticut, under
a scholarship from Petrof Piano. He then went to Europe when he
was 17, graduated with summa cum laude in 1993 from the Royal
Conservatory of Den Haag under the guidance of Naum Grubert and
was a prize winner of many international competitions, such as the
Nadia Boulanger Award of Orleans. He was the first Indonesian artist
who established the cultural relationship between Portugal and
Indonesia by performing as a soloist with the Portuguese National Symphony Orchestra in 2000, right after the re-opening of the
diplomatic relationship between the two countries. He is a founding
member of Musica Presente and of Jakarta Conservatory of Music.
Anton Kurnia
Anton Kurnia was born in Bandung, West Java, in 1974. He is an author, translator, and editor. His books are Insomnia (2004, short story
collection, translated into English in 2015 as A Cat on the Moon and
Other Stories), Dunia Tanpa Ingatan (2004, essay collection), Ensiklopedia Sastra Dunia (2006), and Mencari Setangkai Daun Surga: Jejak
Perlawanan Manusia Atas Hegemoni Kuasa (2016, essay collection).
He translated Nabokovs Lolita and many other novels and short
stories from English into Indonesian. Currently he also works as
Editor-in-Chief of Baca, a publisher in Jakarta.
Angga Sasongko
Angga Sasongko from Visisinema is a film director and
initiator of sinedu.or.id.
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Ahda Imran
Ahda Imran (49) is an Indonesian poet and writer. He writes a
famous monolog about Soekarnos wife Inggit Garnasih and played
by actress Happy Salma. His script and play describing the life of Tan
Malaka, one of Indonesias most famous and influential freedom
fighters, was banned early this year by the authorities, highlighting
the worsening of the countrys freedom of expression.
Akina Shu
Akina Shu is a Japanese editor working at the Eiken Foundation in
Tokyo. She has been working with a several publishing companies
and edited a number of books, mainly on English study guide.
Ari-Reda
AriReda is Reda Gaudiamo as the singer and Ari Malibu, a singer/
guitarist. They curate poetries and turn them into songs. AriReda
adapts poems from renowned poets like Toto Sudarto Bachtiar,
Sapardi Djoko Damono, Goenawan Mohamad. After the first album
Becoming Dew, in October 2015 AriReda released their second
record titled Menyanyikan Puisi.
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The Story of Now
Budi Darma
Budi Darma is one of Indonesias most influential writers. He won
several awards, among other things SEAWrite Award (Bangkok),
Satya Lencana Kebudayaan (President of the Republic of Indonesia),
and Mastera Literary Award (Brunei Darussalam). At present Budi
Darma works as an Emeritus Professor, the Graduate School, UNESA
in addition to teaching and supervising students academic activities,
he continued writing, and is involved in several literary and cultural
activities, in Indonesia as well as overseas.
Christian Senda
Christian Senda was born in Mollo, Southeast Timor, on December
22. He Has written a number of books including a collection of
poetry called Cerah Hati (Bright Heart, 2011), as well as short story
collections called Kanuku Leon (2013), Hau Kamelin dan Tuan Kamlasi (Hau Kamelin and Mr. Kamlasi, 2015). He also has an upcoming
book called Sai Rai (Lelaki yang Meninggalkan Bumi) (Sai Rai, or the
Man who Leaves the Earth). Previously, he worked as a Guidance
and Counseling teacher for six years. He currently is active in a
number of youth communities in Kupang, Southeast Timor, South
Nusa Tenggara including a film community and the Kupang Bagarak
organization. In 2015, he founded the Santarang Literary Festival and
Pakariang Festival with his peers.
Clara Ng
Clara Ng was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. Graduated from Ohio
State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA. She is an extraordinarily
imaginative writer who works in a variety of formats, writing novels
for adults, more than a dozen books for young readers of all ages
(including picture books for children) and a biography. She has been
nominated and received many literary awards for her childrens
books which have been translated and published in other countries.
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Dewi Lestari
Dewi Lestari, popularly known by her pen name, Dee Lestari, is one
of the front-runners in the modern Indonesian book scene. Dee
initiated her career in the music industry as a singer and a songwriter. As an author, she has published nine books, including the highly
anticipated Supernova series. Her works such as Madre (2005),
Rectoverso (2013), and Filosofi Kopi (2013) are also adapted in films.
Didik Siswantono
Didik Siswantono writes poems and essays for several newspapers
and journals in Indonesia. He worked as a journalist before settling
as one of the managers of National Bank of Indonesia (BNI 46). He
founded literary communities KANUSA in Serpong, South Tangerang.
His new poetry book is Pelajaran Berlari - (Kepustakaan Populer
Gramedia, 2015)
Dini Pandia
Dini was born on March 23, 1971. She graduated from Faculty of Letters of University of Indonesia and has been working at PT Gramedia
Pustaka Utama first as a translator, and since 2002 as an editor.
She has translated books by John Grisham, James Patterson, Kate
DiCamillo, Roald Dahl and many more. Shes the editor of books by
John Green, Jonathan Stroud, Patrick Ness and non-English books
like Oeroeg, Rampokan, Heren van de thee (Dutch), Tintin (French),
Tintenherz trilogy, Der Boxer (German). Besides reading, Dini also
likes travelling, cooking, and watching movies. Shes married with
one daughter.
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The Story of Now
Dorothea Rosa Herliany

Dorothea Rosa Herliany is a writer who has published 30 books
comprising poetry, prose and biographies. She has received numerous awards from the Jakarta Arts Council (2002), Jakarta Language
Center (2003), Indonesian Tourism and Culture Ministry (2004),
Kusala Khatulistiwa Literary Award (2006 and 2016), Cempaka Award
(2011), Prasidatama (2014), and many others. She has also received
grants from Asialink and LaTrobe University (Australia, 2000),
Monash University (Australia, 2002), Heinrich Bll Stiftung (Jerman,
2009), Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (Jerman, 2013)
and Stichting Poets of All Nations (Belanda, 2014).
Endy M. Bayuni
Endy M Bayuni is a senior editor at The Jakarta Post who has been
in the field for over 32 year. He writes columns for the paper and
also for the New York Times and Strait Times of Singapore. Endy also
trains both journalists and non-journalists to improve their english
writing skill.
Faiza Mardzoeki
Faiza Mardzoeki is a playwright, director, producer, and activist.
Since 2002, Faiza has initiated and produced eleven theatre productions, some of which she wrote herself. Of these dramas, three will
be published as books in 2016. These are her adaptations of Ibsens
A Dolls House, (Nora) and An Enemy of the People (Subversif!) to
be published by Djaman Baroe and her original play Nyanyi Sunyi
Kembang-Kembang Genjer (Silent Song of the Genjer Flowers) to be
published by Ultimus.
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Febriana Firdaus
Febriana Firdaus is an editor and podcast producer for Ingat65. She
has written her essay about the disappearance of her grandfather in
the 1965 violence. Febriana is a journalist for Rappler Indonesia and
formerly she was a reporter for Tempo. She loves to write undercover stories related to corruption, womens issue, human rights, LGBT
rights and religion.
Gunawan Maryanto
Gunawan Maryanto who bases in Yogyakarta is a senior actor, poet
and director. He plays a leading role in a movie about legendary Poet
Wiji Thukul. The film is slated to play in cinema later this year.
Guntur Alam
Guntur Alam was born in Tanah Abang, Muara Enim, South Sumatra on
November 20, 1986 and graduated from the Civil Engineering Department
of the Islam 45 University in Bekasi, West Java. He was familiarized with literature through short stories. Since mid 2010, his works has been published
in various media outlets and periodicals such as Kompas, Koran Tempo,
Jawa Pos, Media Indonesia, Republika, Pikiran Rakyat, Suara Merdeka, Suara
Pembaruan, Seputar Indonesia, Lampung Post, Tribun Jabar, Radar Surabaya,
Femina, Gadis,and Esquire Indonesia, as well as Nova, among others. For four
years in a row (2011-2014), his short stories are shortlisted to Kompas dailys
annual best-of compilation. He was invited as a panelist at the 2012 Ubud
Writers and Readers Festival. He has just published a gothic short story collection called Magi Perempuan dan Malam Kunang-Kunang (Womens Magic
and Evening of Fireflies; Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2015). Say Hi to him via
his Twitter handle @AlamGuntur.
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The Story of Now
Gina S. Aristo
Gina S. Aristo is a script writer and founder of PlotPoint while she is
active in sinedu.or.id.
Ha Trang Van
Ha Trang Van is an intern at the delegation of European Union to
Vietnam who also likes to do freelance copywriting and write poetry
on the side. Graduated from the school of international communication and culture of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, she was
born on April 5, 1993 in Haiphong, a port city in Vietnam where almost all men, including her father and grandfather, work for central
shipyard. In spite of very modest salary of a worker, her father was
always saving a small amount of money to buy books and newspapers for his family. Although her mother did not finish her secondary
school, she was the authors first literacy teacher who liked reading
poetry. Her dream is to give her mother her published work one day.
Hikmahanto Juwana
Prof. Hikmahanto Juwana, SH, LLM, Ph.D. served as a Senior Legal
Adviser to the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs from 1999
to 2001. He has been Professor of Law at the University of Indonesia
since 2001, and served as Dean of the faculty of Law from 2004 to
2008. He also teaches Law at several other prominent universities
in Indonesia and has been a visiting professor at the University of
Melbourne, National University of Singapore and Nagoya University,
Japan.
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Ika Krismantari
Ika Krismantari is the managing editor and a writer in Ingat65. She
shared her story of her discovery of a 50-years hidden family story
that her grandfather was a 1965 political prisoner. Ika has been
working for the leading English daily The Jakarta Post for 10 years.
She has a Masters degree in journalism and international relations
from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. For her masters degree, Ika writes a thesis on alternative online media in Australia. The
thesis has won the best thesis in journalism category from Monash
University.
Ilya Sumanto
Illya Sumanto is a herbalist and Eco-feminist who has worked and
performed with powerful female poets around the world, to heal
through performing arts and spoken word. Illya is a part of Poetry
Caf KL; a collective that organizes poetry workshops, readings and
slams in Kuala Lumpur.
As an educator she specializes in working with young writers and
theatre performers- which she has trained, stage-crafted, and written for numerous in and out of school productions. Recently, the Education Ministry of Malaysia has acknowledged her for her work as a
director and scriptwriter for childrens theater. She has also received
a special award from University of Malaya for her achievements and
contributions to field of Education.
Jose Ramos-Horta
Jose Ramos-Horta is an ex-prime minister and ex-president of Timor
Leste who is know as an international peacemaker. In 1996, Jos
Ramos-Horta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work
toward a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor.
While serving as President and the international voice of the young
government, he personally created peace initiatives ranging from
a world class mountain bike race for peace to opening his office
for youth from neighboring areas to come and peacefully resolve
conflicts. His anti-poverty initiatives, including building homes for
the neediest, lifted tens of thousands out of extreme poverty. His
leadership and expertise have walked Timor-Leste toward a new era
of peace, reconciliation and economic growth. Jos Ramos-Hortas
work in taking his country from devastating conflict to peace and
economic growth in just over a decade serves as a model for building democracy in the twenty first century. In 2012 he accepted an
appointment from the UN Secretary General as Special Representative of the Secretary General to the African nation of Guinea Bissau.
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The Story of Now
John Waromi
John Waromi was born in Jayapura, Papua, on August 6, 1960 and grew up
there. He started to be involved in theater from a young age and participated
on the staging of two ancient Greek scripts, namely Oedipus and The Ritual
of Solomons Children in different countries like the United States, Japan and
South Korea. In 1993, he joined the AVEX multimedia communication office
in Jakarta and started writing in the Gorong-GorongBudaya(Sewage Culture)
in Depok, West Java, where he took part in various musical, theatrical as
well as cultural shows. At the end of 2001, he returned to his hometown and
started to conduct a research on fishermen utilizing handmade dynamites
at the Humbolt bay, Jayapura. He has been invited to the Ubud Writers
Festival a number of times. In 2011, in cooperation with the Hanafi studio,
he launched a poetry collection called Sulur-SulurSali(Salis Vines). During
the same year, he collaborated with Saritasku Bali to publish a book called
AnggadiTupa.
Joko Pinurbo
Joko Pinurbo, or better known as Jokpin, was born on May 11, 1962 in
Palabuhanratu, Sukabumi, Jawa Barat. He currently lives in Yogyakarta. Graduated from the Sanata Dharma University (previously the school of Education
and Teacher Science Institute) in Yogyakarta, he spent some time to teach
in his alma mater and work at a publishing company. He has been writing
poetry since senior high school. His reputation as a poet was established
with the launching of his poetry collection book Celana (Pants, 1999), which
precipitated the publication of other poetry collection books. His latest books
include Surat Kopi (Coffee Letter, 2014) and Selamat Menunaikan Ibadah Puisi Sehimpun Puisi Pilihan (Wishing You a Happy Poetry Ritual A Selection
of Poems, 2016). He has received many awards from the Jakarta Arts Center
(2001), Lontar Foundation (2001), Tempo weeklys literary figure of the
year (2001, 2012), Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa (2005, 2015), Southeast Asian
(SEA) Write Award (2014). A number of his poems have been translated into
English and German.
John H. McGlynn
John H. McGlynn, originally from Wisconsin (USA), is a long-term resident of
Jakarta where, in 1987, he established the Lontar Foundation, the only organization in the world devoted to the publication of Indonesian literature in
translation. Through Lontar, he has overseen the publication of close to two
hundred books on Indonesian literature and culture. John is the Indonesia
country editor for Manoa, a literary journal published by the University of
Hawaii and a contributing editor of the Words Without Borders and American Asian Writers Workshop, two other American literary journals. He is also
a trustee of AMINEF, the American Indonesian Exchange Foundation, which
oversees the Fulbright and Humphrey scholarship programs in Indonesia.
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Julian McMahon
A human rights advocate and fierce opponent of the death penalty, barrister
Julian McMahon has a personal and passionate commitment to represent
Australians in capital punishment cases abroad. Admitted to the Victorian Bar
in 1998, for more than 13 years Julian has worked without payment for Australians facing the death penalty. Julians clients include Van Tuong Nguyen
in Singapore, George Forbes in Sudan and members of the Bali Nine, Andrew
Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. In the months leading up to the executions of
Chan and Sukumaran in April 2015, the overwhelming demands of their case
required Julian and other lawyers on the case to make many personal sacrifices and, in Julians case, to exclude all other work. Instead, he remained
wholly focused on his clients. Julian is on the board of Jesuit Social Services
and is now President of Reprieve Australia. Articulate and measured, with
longstanding community involvement, Julian speaks publicly about the death
penalty and justice issues.
Kristian Sendon Cordero

Described as the enfant terrible of Bikol contemporary writings, KRISTIAN
SENDON CORDERO is a poet, fictionist, essayist, translator, filmmaker and an
academic. He has five poetry collections in Filipino and Bikol. He has won the
countrys top literary prizes including the Maningning Miclat Poetry Prize, the
Madrigal Gonzales Best First Book Award, the NCCA Writers Prize and several
Palancas. His most recent collections are Canticos: Apat Na Boses (University
of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2013) and Labi (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2013) which both won the National Book Awards in 2014. He has
edited/coedited two landmark anthologies of Bikol contemporary poetry:
Sagurong: Sanggatos na Rawitdawit sa Manlain-lain na Bikol (DLSU Academic
Publishing House/Vibal, 2011) with the literary scholar Paz Verdades Santos
and An Samuyang Kakanon Sa Aroaldaw/Ang Aming Biyaya Sa Araw-Araw
(as editor and translor) published under the Aklat ng Bayan Series by the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Komisyon Sa Wikang
Filipino. His upcoming title includes the Filipino translation of Oscar Wildes
The Picture of Dorian Gray, (KWF, 2016) and his first book of stories in Filipino
and Bikol, Kulto ni Santiago (University of the Philippines Press, 2016).
Laura Romano
Laura Romano has studied the language and the culture of the island
and in the late eighties graduated in Philosophy with a dissertation
on Javanese Mysticism. In her work one can sense the personal
experience of the author, nourished by the meditation practice that
since the beginning of her stay in Java she was introduced to and
trained in, in the almost daily meetings with the many masters then
still alive. Her book, entitled Sumarah, talks about a philosophy, a
way of life and a form of meditation originating from Java.
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The Story of Now
Leila S. Chudori
Leila Salikha Chudori known to her readers as Leila S.Chudori, is an Indonesian author who has written short stories since a young age, a best-selling
novel, and a television series. Her first anthology of short stories Malam Terakhir (Pustaka Utama Grafiti, 1989) was translated into German language (Die
Letzte Nacht, published by Horlemann Verlag, 1991) and some of her short
stories were published in English in Menagerie, a collection of Indonesian
literary work published by Lontar Foundation. Her later work, 9 dari Nadira
(2009) was awarded Penghargaan Sastra Badan Bahasa Indonesia.
At the end of of 2012, Leila launched her novel Pulang (Home) , published by
Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia in Goethe Institute, Jakarta.
Pulang won Khatulistiwa Literary Award for Best Prose 2013 and has been
translated into French (published by Pasar Malam), English (published by
Lontar Foundation for Southeast Asia and Deep Vellum for the US); Dutch
(published by De Geus) and German (published by Weidle Verlag).
Leila has been working as a journalist with Tempo News Magazine since
1989.
Low Kok Wai

Low Kok Wai is an arts educator and theatre director whose interests include
Southeast Asian theatre, intercultural performances, community theatre and
theatre/drama studies for higher education. He has performed extensively
in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka on a four-city tour of Beauty World
1992; Perth, Australia, for the 4th Abilympics 1995; Mumbai and Chennai,
India, as part of the international dance drama Buddhavatara, 2003; Tunis,
Tunisia, in a multi-disciplinary performance entitled Streets Called Home
that premiered at the United Nations World Summit for Information Society
2005. He has also conducted workshops at the 5th Athens International
Theatre/Drama and Performing Arts Education Conference, 2006(Athens);
and IDEA 2007: the 6th World Congress of International Drama/Theatre and
Education Association, Hong Kong. In 2011, he presented one paper each
at the 6th ATEC International Forum, Beijing, 18 to 21 May, and at the NAFA
Symposium, Singapore, 19 to 21 September. Besides his artistic-scholarly
work, he has been volunteering as a theatre director/educator with people
with intellectual disabilities for 15 years. He recently completed his thesis in
Performance studies and is currently a lecturer for drama and theatre studies
at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
Maesy Angelina
Maesy Angelina works on research and innovation for women empowerment during the week and on weekends runs an independent
bookshop called POST in one of the traditional markets in Jakarta.
She writes travel stories and has published a book called The Dusty
Sneakers: Kisah Kawan di Ujung Sana, co-written by Teddy W. Kusuma.
37
Maman Suherman
Maman Suherman is a producer of many successful TV programs,
most notably Indonesia Lawak Club. He is also a writer of a number of books, and active effort to distribute books to isolated areas,
called Perahu Pustaka.
Marco Stahlhut
Marco Stahlhut has been working as a DAAD-lecturer (German
Academic Exchange Service) at Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta,
since September 2014. Starting then he has tried to read as much
Indonesian literature, first in English, then in Bahasa Indonesia, as he
could reasonably manage. Mr. Stahlhuts British Master in Comparative Literature at the University of East Anglia was supervised by
the famous German writer W.G. Sebald. Mr. Stahlhut also holds a
Master and a PhD from Free University of Berlin, Germany, where
he worked for some years, before moving on to the German-French
TV station ARTE. Apart from his academic work Marco Stahlhut contributes articles to the German national daily newspaper Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung. For this paper he also wrote a series of articles
about Indonesian literature and culture before the Frankfurt Book
Fair last year when Indonesia was guest of honour.
Mary Farrow
Mary Farrow is an American writer, editor and activist who currently
lives in Australia. She is the director of the Centre of Resilience, Emerald Community House in Victoria. As a community development
practitioner, Mary is a regular speaker at government events and
academic institutions on the importance of empowering communities through education, social challenge, human rights, freedom of
expression and creative practice through the arts.
38
The Story of Now
Najeela Shihab
Najelaa Shihab from Keluarga Kita and Sekolah Cikal is a psychologist
and initiator of sinedu.or.id.
Nguyen Le Chi
Nguyen Le Chi is a Vietnamese writer, publisher and journalist. She is
founder and CEO of CHIBOOKS publishing company. Nguyen Le Chi,
who had lots of experience in publishing industry, used to be a Copyright Department Manager and Deputy Director of Publishing at
Phuong Nam Cultural Corporation (From May 2005 to January 2008)
and Publishing Manager at Mekong Com Corp. (Vinabook) (from
February 2008 to December 2008). She is among the first people
who bought foreign copyrights to Vietnam, especially introducing
Chinese mordern literature to Viet nam.
Nirwan Dewanto
Nirwan Dewanto is a poet, curator, and cultural critic. He had released a collection of essays entitled Senjakala Kebudayaan, a poetry
anthology Buku Cacing, and won the Khatulistiwa Award in 2008 for
his poetry anthology Jantung Ratu Lebah.
39
Okky Madasari
Okky Madasari won Khatulistiwa Literary Award (KLA) for her novel
Maryam (2012) which revolves around people who are displaced
due to their beliefs and then banned into exile. Maryam has been
translated into English under the title The Outcast (2014). Her first
novel, Entrok (2010) which tells a story about military dominance
during Indonesias New Order Era, has been translated also into
English language with the title The Years of The Voiceless (2013).
Her other novels are 86 (2011) which raises the problems of massive
corruption in Indonesia today and Pasung Jiwa (2013) has been
translated under title Bound which touches freedom of the individual within the contemporary Indonesia. For three consecutive years
from 2011-2013, her novels were shortlisted in the Khatulistiwa
Literary Awards.
Oudom Heng
HENG Oudom is a Cambodian writer. He has written around more than thirty
shorts stories which some of them were published and received a literacy
prize. I repeat a level, his first short story received the second place prize
from Nou Hach literature association in 2011, translated and published twice
in 2013 and in 2014. In 2012, his two short stories were published as a collection of co-author, title The gift for Valentes day.
Early 2013, Oudom won the sixth place prize of essay competition Youth
voice on good governance of Extractives Industries organized by Oxfam
Cambodia and Norton University of Cambodia. In June 2013, his short novel,
My fathers experiences won the first place prize for national competition
from Khmer Youth Association and Ministry of woman affairs. In the end of
2013, Negotiate, his story that describe the war in the border was published in a book collection for keys to young writers.
Oudom HENG got the ASEAN Young Writer award from SEA-Write in Bangkok, Thailand in 2015.
Oppie Andaresta
Oppie Andaresta is a singer and a songwriter. She has released
six albums since 1993. Her compositions are not only about love
songs but also a few tidbits of critique about everyday issues. One
of her songs entitled Cantik dan Seksi is talking about the narrow
definition of womens beauty that is limited to their physical attractiveness. She writes this kind of song to break existing mindset
about particular topic.
40
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Pivi Hiltunen-Toivio
Pivi Hiltunen-Toivio is the Finnish Ambassador to Indonesia. She
intends to concentrate on very practical and concrete grass-root
projects in Indonesia in human development. This includes organizing workshops, talking about womens rights and training people in
developing new skills to become more confident in the society.
Peter Carey
Dr. Peter Carey is an award winning British historian and author who
specialises in the modern history of Indonesia, Java in particular and
has also written on East Timor and Burma. He has written several
books on the Prince Diponegoro, including Babad Diponegoro:
An Account of the Outbreak of the Java War as well as a biography
of the Prince. His latest release, Perempuan Jawa (Javanese
Women).
Prigadi Abdi Surya

Pringadi Abdi Surya was born in Palembang, August 18, 1988 and
now lives in Bandung, West Java. Now he is working as a civil servant
at the accounting general directorate. He has an upcoming book
called Phi. His daily thoughts can be traced at Twitter handle @
pringadi_as and his personal blog catatanpringadi.com.
41
Prodita Sabarini
Prodita Sabarini is the initiator and chief editor of Ingat65, a volunteer-based digital storytelling movement for the young generation of
Indonesia to remember 1965 violence. Prodita works as the Jakarta
editor for The Conversation. She was the 2013-2014 Elizabeth
Neuffer Fellow, of which she was based at MIT Center for Intenational Studies and interned at the Boston Globe and New York Times.
Prodita was a staff reporter for the English daily The Jakarta Post
between 2005-2013. She holds a Masters degree in Human Rights
Law and Policy from University of New South Wales.
Puri Lestari
Puri Lestari, the granddaughter of Soetoyo Siswomihardjo, one of
the slain generals, victims of the 30th September Movement, joined
Ingat65 as a writer. Her essay tells her story of searching for truth
and how along the way she discovered more than just her family
history. The essay explored the possibility of a national apology for
atrocities following G30s and using the incident as instrument of
fear during the New Order regime. She is trained as an architect and
an avid scuba dive enthusiast.
Qurotul Ain Bandial

Ain Bandial is a journalist with The Brunei Times, an English-language daily in Bandar Seri Begawan. She writes on a wide range of
issues related to ASEAN, including foreign policy, law, human rights,
and religion. In 2012, she was selected to participate in the Edward
R. Murrow program for journalists during the US presidential elections. Ain has travelled across the region during her reporting career
and is currently working on a book of essays on her experiences.
42
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Rafendi Djamin
Rafendi Djamin is the director of Amnesty International Southeast
Asia and the Pacific.He has served as the Representative for Indonesia to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
(AICHR), the only regional human rights mechanism in Asia-Pacific.
Rafendi has also served as an Executive Director for an Indonesian
Human Rights NGO Coalition. He is on the board of a number of
national and global rights organizations including the Centre for
Civil and Political Rights (CCPR).
Ridhwan Saidi
Ridhwan Saidi born in 1984 is a Malaysian author of seven books:
Cekik (2011), Amerika (2011), Mautopia (2012), Stereo Genmai
(2012), Babyrina (2014), Brazil (2015) & Holokos (2016). Some of
the recurring themes Ridhwan explores are dreams, memory and
mystery.
Rio Johan
Rio Johan, an avid lover of books, films, and video games. He has a
bachelor degree from Universitas Sebelas Maret, majoring in Chemical Engineering. His short story collection, Aksara Amananunna,
debuted in 2014. It was longlisted in Kusala Sastra Khatulistwa 2014
and picked as the Best Prose Book of 2014 by Tempo Magazine.
43
Sanaz Fotouhi
Sanaz Fotouhi is an Iranian-Australian writer, filmmaker and scholar living in
Melbourne, Australia. She is interested in diasporic and world literatures in
English, which was the topic of her PhD thesis. Her book The Literature of
the Iranian Diaspora: Meaning and Identity since the Revolution (I.B Tauris,
2015) focuses on Iranian writing in English over the last three and half
decades.
Sanaz has also co-produced a multi-award feature documentary film, Love
Marriage in Kabul (2014), set in Afghanistan. Her experiences of travelling to
Afghanistan and making a film with a two-member crew will be published in
a travelogue/memoir in early 2017 (Transit Lounge).
As a creative writer she has had her short stories published in anthologies
in Australia, and Hong Kong. The unpublished manuscript for her multi-faceted socio-historical novel Scent of Sousan and Yasaman about the Iranian
migratory experience was shortlisted for the Debora Cass literary prize in
Melbourne in 2015.
Sanaz is currently the assistant executive director for the Asia Pacific Writers
and Translators (APWT), an organization that brings together and showcases
the works of writers and translators in the Asia Pacific Region.
Sapardi Djoko Darmono

Sapardi Djoko Damono is a poet who is widely regarded as the
pioneer of lyrical poetry in Indonesia. Sapardis poems have become
inspiration behind several musical compositions such as pianist
Ananda Sukarlan. One of his notorious works published in 1994,
Hujan Bulan Juni, has just been re-published as a novel and adult
coloring book.
Saras Dewi
As an Indonesias rising scholar and woman activist, Saras Dewi is
currently the head of philosophy department at the University of
Indonesia. She is also a singer and dancer.
44
The Story of Now
Sebastian Partogi
Sebastian Partogi, born on August 23, 1989, graduated from Atma
Jaya Catholic University Jakartas School of Psychology, concentrating
on Societal and Community Psychology, in January 2011. He has
been working as a reporter for The Jakarta Post daily since 2013,
previously worked as a Psychology and Indonesian Literature teacher
for the Gandhi Memorial International School Jakarta (2011-2012).
He started reading works by Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Ayu Utami
at the age of 13. The real strong drive to write fiction, however, originated at the age of 14 immediately after reading the works of Djenar
Maesa Ayu, with their very strong depiction of human psychological
trauma and its complications, with which the writer as a young teenager related to on a visceral level. His works have been published by
magdalene.co, an independent website focusing on feminism and
diversity issues.
Stephanie Ye
Stephanie Ye is the author of the chapbook The Billion Shop (2012)
and the editor of the short fiction anthology From the Belly of the
Cat(2013), both published by Math Paper Press in Singapore. Her
work has been staged as a dance performance in New York City,
translated into German for an art exhibition in Berlin, and used as
an O-level examination text in Singapore. She graduated from the
MA in Creative Writing (Prose) programme at the University of East
Anglia in 2014, where she held a UEA Creative Writing International
Scholarship and won the Weidenfeld & Nicolson Best of UEA Short
Story Award. An honorary fellow in writing of the University of Iowa
via the International Writing Program, she is a recovering journalist.
Sujiwo Tejo
Sujiwo Tejo is an ex-journalist now known as a multitalented artist.
He writes books, performs as an actor and a puppet master, composes songs, draws pictures and also directs films. His writing works
include Lupa Endonesa (2012), Lupa Endonesa Deui (2014), Rahvayana Aku Lala Padamu (2014).
45
Triyanto Triwikromo
Triyanto Triwikromo won the award of Tokoh Seni Pilihan Tempo
2015 for his book Kematian Kecil Kartosoewirjo. This book was also
in the shortlist of Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2014-2015. Meanwhile,
his work entitled Surga Sungsang was in the top five list of Kusala
Sastra Khatulistiwa 2013-2014. And his collection of short stories
Ular di Mangkuk Nabi got awarded in Penghargaan Sastra 2009 Pusat Bahasa. His books A Conspiracy of God-killers, The Serpent in The
Holy Grail, and Upside-Down Heaven were in the Frankfurt Book Fair
2015 where Indonesia became the guest of honor in the book fair.
In 2005 and 2007, Triyanto participated in Utan Kayu International
Literary Bienale. He was also a participant in Wordstorm: Northern
Territory Writers Festival and in January-February 2008 he was a part
of Gang Festival and a literature residency in Sydney, Australia.
Valent Mustamin
Valent Mustamin started a non-for-profit literary project, idwriters.
com, a site devoted to showcasing Indonesian writers and/or book
authors, along with their publications, journals, and other literary
resources in English in 2014. Hes now working in one of digital communications agency in Jakarta.
46
The Story of Now
Zelia Vital
Zelia Vital is a Timorese woman who loves reading various fiction and
non-fiction storybooks, novels, short stories since she was young until today.
She lives in Dili, Timor-Leste and works for an international development
agency and studying for graduate course in Development study at a local
university in Dili, Timor-Leste.
Her first writing skill was performed when she studied in grade 8 of elementary School at a local writing competition held by local catholic church in
Lospalos to write a short personal opinion about Timor-Leste Independence
in 2002 which gained a Third Prize Award.
While studying in local university in Baucau in 2006-2009, she rediscovered
her passion for writing and tried to write a short existential reflection story
titled AikasiniaHahusuk (Flamboyant trees Question) to a local Catholic
Church monthly bulletin named FINI LOROSAE in 2008. In 2012, she won
The First Prize Award of Best Tetum Story and Best Female Tetum Story
Writer from Timor-Aid Tetum Story Writing competition in 2012 for her
mini-novel Tetum story titled KnananukihaAkamutu (A Song in Akamutu)
which published by Timor-Aid NGO in 2013 in Dili as her first published
mini-novel. She continued to post her writing works via online platform
afterward and keeps developing her creative writing skills. In 2013, she participated again in the Timor-Aid Tetum Story Writing competition with story
titled DiariuDobenDiakkaLae? (Dear Diary How Are You?) without winning
any award but in 2014 she won Second Prize Award of Best Tetum Story and
Best Female Tetum Story Writer from the same competition for a mini novel
story titled Dlia.
Zen Hae
Zen Hae writes poetry, short stories, literary criticism and linguistic essays.
Born in Jakarta on April 12, 1970, he graduated from the Indonesian Literature and Language department of Jakartas Teacher and Education Science
Academy (now renamed as Jakarta State University) in 1994 and, upon
graduation, worked as a journalist until 1994. In 2006, he was chosen as a
member of the Jakarta Arts Council for its literary committee until 2013.
Since February 2012 to now, he has been working as a publication manager
at the Komunitas Salihara cultural center in South Jakarta. His short story collection The Red Bowl and Other Stories has just been published as a trilingual
edition, comprising Indonesian, English and German translations by Lontar
in 2015. Other works include Rumah Kawin (House of Intercourses, KataKita,
2004),Paus Merah Jambu (Pink Whale; AKAR Indonesia, 2007). His works are
also included in various anthologies including Out of Ubud (Lontar and Ubud
Writers and Readers Festival, 2014), Narasi 34 Jam (34-Hour Narration; KSI,
2001),Datang dari Masa Depan (Arrived from the Future; Pesta Sastra Tasik,
1999), Pemintal Ombak (Wave Weaver; Sanggar Purbacaraka Bali, 1996) and
Sayong (Sanggar Minum Kopi, Bali, 1994). His works have been printed in
various mass media outlets, periodicals and journals such as Kompas, Koran
Tempo, Republika, Media Indonesia, Horison, Latitudes, Esquire, Djakarta,
Kalam, Asia Literary Review, and Words Without Borders.
47
MAIN SPONSORS
SPONSORS
SUPPORTERS
UNIVERSITY PARTNERS
48
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SCHEDULE
49
Schedule
50
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51
52
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53
PERSONNEL
External Relation Manager

R.Ikhsan Saepul Mukhsin
Communication Media Manager

Rai Rahman
Communication Officer
Gea Citta
Program Officer
Ranita Ningrum
Graphic Designer
Farid Kardana
54
The Story of Now
ALF TEAM
Christian Wijaya
Iman Akbar Sobari
M Adli
Mayang
Nurjayatdi
Purnama Sari
Rika Musliha
Stefanus Anggun Trijoko
55
56
The Story of Now
57
NOTES
58
The Story of Now
NOTES
59
NOTES
60
62

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The Story of Now

The Story of Now

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

The Story of Now

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

From The Director

Here we are. Against all odds, the

important to the successful formation

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ber of masterful writers can the ASEAN

including the late novelist Pramoedya

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

A Festival For People

We started the ASEAN Literary Festival

Nobel Prize Winner Jose Ramos Hortas

The Story of Now

fore the festival. This shows that people

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

Social Justice Shapers

This years Festival marks a significant

The Story of Now

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

On Freedom and Peace

Jose Ramos-Horta is an ex-prime minister

out of extreme poverty. His leadership

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Human Rights X Literature

A human rights advocate and fierce

other lawyers on the case to make many

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

THURSDAY, MAY 5 2016

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FRIDAY, MAY 6 2016

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

FRIDAY, MAY 6 2016

The Story of Now

FRIDAY, MAY 6 2016

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

SATURDAY, MAY 7 2016

The Story of Now

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

SATURDAY, MAY 7 2016

The Story of Now

SATURDAY, MAY 7 2016

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016

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SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016

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SUNDAY, MAY 8 2016

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

The Story of Now

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

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Speakers & Artists

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

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ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

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Dorothea Rosa Herliany

ASEAN Literary Festival 2016

The Story of Now