Nineteen days. Two continents. Five cities. One continuous conversation with literature.
The Summer 2023 Tours and Seminars began on 8 June with a long crossing from Brussels to Jakarta, a nineteen hour international flight followed almost immediately by a domestic hop to Semarang. Jet lag had no real chance. Indonesia received me already in motion. After one night in Semarang, the road led north to Kendal, where the first major engagement was waiting.
Kendal was not an improvisation. The invitation had been set months in advance. Under the banner of Kendal Puisi Award 2023, the Sangkar Arah Community, in collaboration with KLM, Jarak Dekat, and Sanggar Baca Kaliwungu, invited me as a guest mentor for a tightly curated poetry residency. Only around twenty participants passed the selection process. On 11 June 2023, at Teras Budaya Prof. Mudjahirin Thohir, the workshop ran from early morning until evening, hybrid and livestreamed on YouTube. We spoke not only about writing poetry, but about tracing the lineage of world poetry, with a special focus on nineteenth century French poetry through to contemporary voices. I also introduced a comparative literature perspective between Indonesian and French traditions. By 7.30 in the morning the room was already full. Even after 6 pm, participants were still eager to push the discussion further. At 7 pm, the day shifted again. An interview with Objektif.id followed until late evening, before I returned to Semarang that same night.
Semarang unfolded as a quieter but deeply layered chapter. On 12 June, a Meet and Greet with readers took place at Kedai Kopi Kang Putu in Gunung Pati. The following day was spent with Teater Lingkar Semarang, reconnecting literature with performance and collective memory. On 14 June, I met with academics from Universitas PGRI Semarang, followed the next day by personal visits to some of the city’s most respected writers and cultural figures: Eko Tunas, Mas Ton Lingkar, Prasetyo Utomo, Sulis Bambang, and Yanti S. Sastro Prayitno. Before leaving the city, I recorded a podcast session broadcast via YouTube, then took part in a unique collaborative shoot: a poetry reading in French of Anna de Noailles’ Devant le couchant, accompanied by Javanese gamelan. The result was neither recital nor experiment, but a quiet proof that languages and traditions can breathe together.
On 16 June, the journey continued by land to Yogyakarta. For three days, the city became a moving salon. Meet and Greets took place in several locations, including Kotagede, intertwined with literary and historical walks alongside poets such as Bambang Widiatmoko, Joshua Igho, Martin Dinamikanto, and others. Yogyakarta also allowed space for personal visits to major literary voices: Joko Pinurbo, Saut Situmorang, Sunlie Thomas Alexander, Umi Kulsum, Mutia Sukma, and Indrian Koto. These were not ceremonial stops, but conversations. Long, generous, sometimes unfinished, as the best conversations usually are.
Bandung arrived after an eight hour train journey from Yogyakarta. The city welcomed me already mid sentence. On 22 June, Institut Jatinangor, led by Hikmat Gumelar and Mona Sylviana, hosted a public discussion titled Translating Poetry: Navigating the Labyrinth at Goodlife Café on Dago Street. Writers, editors, and literary figures from Bandung filled the room, including Topik Mulyana, Violetta Simatupang, and Rosyid E. Abby from Pikiran Rakyat. Translation here was treated not as technique, but as intellectual adventure. The following day, Pustaka Jaya invited me to the Ajib Rosidi Library for an interview and content shoot reflecting on my writing journey. That same afternoon, I became a speaker for the collective anthology 777, discussed alongside Bandung poets at Kedai Jante. Bandung compressed dialogue, memory, and publication into a single breath.
Jakarta closed the circle. On 24 June, at Baca di Tebet, South Jakarta, Indonesia Writer Inc. organized A Cup of Poetry, A Plate of Prose, moderated by Kurnia Efendi. The discussion moved between writing, translation, and cross cultural literary practice for children, attended by leading writers, editors, and cultural figures. The next day, Ruang Jabat Tangan JSM, organized by Jagat Sastra Milenia under the direction of Riri Satria, brought a different tone. At Sate & Seafood Senayan Salemba, I spoke on literary translation, nineteenth century French versification, and French literature more broadly. The atmosphere was warm, intellectually alert, and driven by questions that refused easy answers.
On 27 June, I was back in Brussels by midday. That same evening, I returned to the classroom at Académie Art de la Parole.
Summer 2023 was not a tour in the promotional sense alone. It was a moving archive of encounters. Readers, writers, students, academics, editors, and artists across cities met me not as an author passing through, but as a participant in an ongoing exchange. The photographs on this page capture moments. The real work happened between them: in conversation, in shared silence, in questions that traveled farther than any itinerary.
You must be logged in to post a comment.