The dates have been set for this year’s Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, which will be held from 14 to 19 October, 2008. From the web site:

The theme for UWRF 2008 is Tri Hita Karana, a Balinese Hindu concept that translates as the relationship between God, Humanity and Nature.

Invited international guests include acclaimed Indian author Vikram Seth, US novelist John Berendt, award-winning UK writer Caryl Phillips, Mexican author Alberto Ruy-Sanchez, Australians Alexis Wright and Helen Garner and 2007 Man Booker Prize short-listed writers Indra Sinha and Mohsin Hamid.

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has become the stage where voices from China, India, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are heard. In 2008, we will engage writers from beyond Asia into the heart of Africa and Central America.

Collision of cultures will be one of the underlying themes with established and emerging writers confronting the issues of ‘Us and Them’. Issues such as the environment, world religions, languages and lifestyles will be explored together with the subject of migration and its impact on communities. Hot debates addressing crime and punishment in Asia, and more specifically drugs, civil rights and moral dilemmas, will take center-stage.

Satisfy your hedonistic passions with our acclaimed stars by luxuriating in the lush surroundings of Ubud’s elegant hotels and gracious homes at our literary lunches and dinners. Join our Long Table feast in the rice fields featuring acclaimed chefs and food writers as they showcase Bali’s vibrant food culture. Enjoy workshops that teach the craft of writing or cultural activities that offer a peak into the mystical, magical world of Bali, in between book launches, performances, exhibitions, cocktail parties and celebrations into the early hours of the morning.

And if that is not enough, the 2008 Festival will take to the streets, literally, with international street performers matching their wits against Ubud’s youth in a carnival of skill and artistry.

Posted by michael under Events