Discussions on cultural, literary and political issues are held alongside book launches, film premieres, long-table lunches, workshops, readings, live music, village walks and performances.
[2] The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival[3] was first conceived by Melbourne-born Janet DeNeefe, co-founder of the Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati, together with her native Balinese husband Ketut Suardana, and their daughter Laksmi DeNeefe Suardana as a healing project in response to the first 2002 Bali bombings.
[7][8] Since 2019, the Festival’s Perth Edition, presented in partnership with Writing WA, has provided an annual forum to exchange views with writers and creators from both countries on a wide range of topics.
[14] In 2023, it was named South-East Asia’s most significant literary event by the Australian weekly newspaper, The Saturday Paper.
[15] In 2024, it was named one of the best literary festivals to visit around the world by Dua Lipa's lifestyle platform Service 95.