interview by: Prime Sarmiento
Janet de Neefe is the founder and festival director of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, an annual literary festival held every October in Bali, Indonesia.
The Australia-born De Neefe has been living in Bali for the last twenty years. Widely regarded as the "Queen of Ubud", de Neefe is the owner of Casa Luna and Indus restaurants and author of Fragrant Rice – a memoir/cookbook about her life in Bali.
De Neefe organized the first Ubud Writers Festival in 2003. This was meant to encourage tourists to return to Indonesia's magical island after were spooked by the 2002 Bali bombing that left 200 people dead.
Four days of literary celebration that includes panel sessions, readings, performance, poetry slams, book launches and literary lunches and dinners were enough reasons for tourists to return to Bali. As de Neefe herself noted in an interview with Gypsygals Tales, "from the moment we started we had a huge enthusiastic response from writers and readers and this continues to grow."
The festival has since grown, luring both established and aspiring writers, and literary fans from all over the world. The Ubud Writers
Festival was hailed by the Harper’s Bazaar, UK, as "one of the top literary festivals in the world."
Festival was hailed by the Harper’s Bazaar, UK, as "one of the top literary festivals in the world."
Now in its seventh year, the festival will run from October 7 to 11 with the theme "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika:Harmony in Diversity."
In this interview with Gypsygals Tales, de Neefe talked about what the Ubud Writers Festival and Ubud itself can offer to solo female travelers especially those who are keen on becoming a travel writer.
Q: Why do you think Ubud is the ideal place for literary festival? What distinguishes this festival from other literary festivals such as those organized in Hong Kong, Jaipur and Sydney?
A: Ubud has a particular charm and ambience that's hard to beat. It has been the playground for the bohemian for so many years and is perfect for an event of this nature. The intimacy and location make is special and, most importantly, the warmth of the local community.
Q: Why did you choose Bhinneka Tunggal Ika :Harmony in Diversity as the theme for this year's festival?
A: The theme is particularly relevant at the moment. There seems to be a rise of fanaticism in many guises and a waning tolerance, if thats the right term, amongst people. So we decided to look at what "Harmony in Diversity" truly means in modern times.
Q: What can solo female travelers expect in this year's festival?
A: Solo female travelers can expect anything from a life-changing experience to meeting the man of their dreams!Ubud has always offered these.
Q: Please give highlights and specific programs/workshops that you can
recommend to travelers.
recommend to travelers.
A: There are so many workshops that I would recommend, from travel writing to blogging, from creating characters to editing.
Q: The writers' workshops, where each participant has to pay 100 U.S. dollars, are a bit pricey. Is this a worthy investment for a writer (especially now that a lot of publications are closing down due to weak revenues )?
A: The workshops are led by our international guests and are always well worth the investment.
Of course it's worthy for a writer to join in. Webzines and online
publications are gaining more popularity by the minute and the world of blogging is still massive. Many of those taking workshops are interested in writing their memoir, whether they publish it or not.
publications are gaining more popularity by the minute and the world of blogging is still massive. Many of those taking workshops are interested in writing their memoir, whether they publish it or not.
Q: What are the must see sites/must visit restos/cafes if a solo female
traveler can only spare a long weekend in ubud?
traveler can only spare a long weekend in ubud?
A: Must sees – my restaurants of course! Ubud is full of wonderful dining experiences from the humble to the extravagant. In between eating, you can take a path through a village side street and end up in the ricefields. And then there are the shops and art galleries. Two days are not enough (to explore Ubud).
Q: What should solo female travelers bring when they attend the Ubud writers festival. (And what can they buy there :))
A: They can bring a happy heart, a big smile and maybe an umbrella!! Light clothing is the order of the day and a small fan never goes astray.
At the festival they can buy books of course. And there will also be plenty to eat and drink.
A local sim card can also be purchased so you can stay in mobile touch, very cheaply, with all the new friends that you will make at the festival
Travel Bits:
1. Ubud Writers Festival – Visit this site if you want to know more about the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.
I wrote this five years ago when I participated in the third Ubud Writers Festival. It was sooo worth it.Attending writing workshops and listening to panel discussions helped me in making that shift from news reporting to what I always loved to do – travel writing.
photo provided by Janet de Neefe
Writing festivals are so much fun, I wish I could go to this one and check it out. I would go every year to an annual writing festival held by the college I attended and I always took something good from it. Listening to the panels and readings opened my eyes to the world of writing. It is all so inspiring.
Yeah i wish i could go to ubud too. but my lil sis is going home to manila so we want to have some quality family time