Cordero invited to speak at 2026 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Bali

Poet, translator, independent filmmaker, and Savage Mind founder Kristian Sendon Cordero has been invited as a featured speaker at the 2026 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF), which will be held in Bali, Indonesia on October 20-25, 2026.

Widely recognized as Southeast Asia’s flagship literary festival, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival brings together more than 150 of the world’s leading writers, thinkers, artists, and performers for five days of conversations, readings, workshops, and cultural events.

Now celebrating its 23rd anniversary, the festival has previously welcomed distinguished figures such as Maria Ressa, Bernardine Evaristo, Nick Cave, Hanya Yanagihara, Colson Whitehead, Amitav Ghosh, and many others.

Cordero’s invitation places him among this year’s roster of authors and cultural practitioners who will engage audiences in discussions on literature, translation, storytelling, and the arts. His participation is fully supported by the festival organizers and the Japan Foundation.

Cordero is the author of numerous poetry collections, translations, and films, and is the crerative director of Savage Mind, an independent bookshop and publishing house committed to championing regional literatures and expanding conversations on Philippine arts and culture.

The invitation marks another significant global recognition for Philippine literature and underscores particularly the growing visibility of Bikol writing on the international literary stage.