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Join Mark Rubbo and Christine Gordon for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself in the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. This year is the special 20th anniversary festival and we want to join the fun in the tropics – with you!

But first, a little about the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

Held annually in Ubud, Bali, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival gathers over 150 of the world’s most exciting writers, thinkers, and performers for five days’ celebration of literary culture. The wide range of programming includes everything from author in-conversations and panel discussions to Indonesian dance and performance; literary lunches to guided tours of Ubud’s famous markets, temples and rice fields; late-night comedy and music to spoken-word galas, book launches, and workshops.

In 2023, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary edition. Conceived in 2003 as a community-healing response to the first Bali bombing, the last two decades has seen the festival grow significantly and develop a loyal audience.

Past guests of the festival include Nick Cave, Richard Flanagan, Hanya Yanagihara, Jeffrey Eugenides, Colson Whitehead, Anne Enright, Teju Cole, Yotam Ottolenghi, Fatima Bhutto, Amitav Ghosh, Mohsin Hamid, Etgar Keret, Audrey Magee, Shehan Karunatilaka, and many more.

And now, about the Readings tour of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

If you join us for a special Readings tour of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, you can expect Mark or Christine (or both) to join you at the literary events in the program. Imagine talking books and ideas for an entire long weekend! If that sounds like heaven to you, join us from 18 to 22 October in Ubud.

In addition to spending time with Mark and Christine, you will be invited to dine with all the authors in the program at an exclusive-to-Readings Opening Night dinner at the much-lauded Indus Restaurant. You will also be invited to attend a Readings-only lunch with Mark Rubbo talking about a lifetime in books and the impact that reading has had on his life.

The Readings tour costs $1,750 per person and includes:

• 4 nights’ accommodation and breakfast at Pertiwi Resort & Spa Ubud. (So we are all together at the same hotel!)
• Guest transport is available, and the festival is within walking distance of our accommodation.
• A full Ubud Writers & Readers Festival pass: you can attend every session, or take a break and go for a wander!
• One dinner on Opening Night: the once-in-a-lifetime occasion to dine with authors from all over the world, including some of our favourites from Australia.
• One lunch, which will be held at a local restaurant recommended by the festival director, Janet De Neefe

Please note: the tour cost does not include flights, because we imagine you may want to stay in beautiful Ubud longer!

For an additional $500, you can choose to add a showbag of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival top reads, which we will send to your home before the trip. This showbag will include 12 books by authors appearing in the program, as chosen by us for your enjoyment.

Places are VERY limited and filling quickly – we want to be able to talk to you all, so there will be a maximum of 12 people in the group.

If you are interested in joining us, or would like to find out more, email Christine Gordon for further details.

We can’t wait!