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Three Indigenous writers selected for International Festival to be held in Bali
by Chryss Carr 29 August 2013
T
hree Indigenous writers Bilawara Lee, Kamarra Bell-Wykes and Jillian Boyd have been selected to be a part of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2013 [UWRF]. South East Asia’s largest literary festival, UWRF willtake place in the beautiful hillside location of Ubud, Bali from October 11 – 15. Bilawara Lee (pictured below) is an Elder of the Larrakia Nation of Darwin, Australia. She is respected as a community communicator, healer and teacher of the ancient
wisdoms of Aboriginal spirituality and healing and is a published international author. Bilawara will join with Balinese leader, Cok Sawitri for a discussion on cultural changes and similiarities between their two countries during their lifetimes. Together these two elders will share their advice for younger women. Kamarra Bell-Wykes (pictured top left) is an Aboriginal-Australian playwright with credits such as Chopped Liver and Mothers Tongue. She writes plays about the human condition and how spiritual fracturing manifests in a physical way. Her plays have toured nationally across Australia, with over 600 shows in schools, prisons and Aboriginal communities. At UWRF Kamarra will join a panel of esteemed Australian and international playwrights to speak on ‘Writing Real People’ and the issues that happen when the characters which you created start to question your plot. Jillian Boyd (pictured top right) is a budding author, poet
and songwriter. As a Torres Strait Islander she is passionate about her people, culture and shaping future leaders, children and youth. Jillian believes in employing the gifts and potential we have within to make a difference and create a better world. Writing for children is a difficult task and UWRF tackles this with a number of panels focused on this very topic. Jillian will join Morris Gleitzman, Frane Lessac, Kristy Murray and mark Greenwood to discuss how to engage little people with a story in the modern world of iPads and interconnectivity. These three female writers will join over 170 authors, performers, artists, musicians and visionaries from around the world in the magical setting of Ubud where the Festival will celebrate all forms of storytelling – from travel writing to songwriting, plays, poetry, comedy and graphic novels. Ubud Writers and Readers Festival Tickets are now on sale. More information & to purchase: www.ubudwritersfestival.com
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