Candlelight on Clay

Terence Ward is an Irish writer and cultural historian whose non-fiction works explore social justice and cross-cultural exchange. Ward was raised in Dhahran and Tehran. He is the author of Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran and The Guardian of Mercy: How an Extraordinary Painting by Caravaggio Changed an Ordinary Life. In 2019, he presented his book The Wahhabi Code: How the Saudis Spread Extremism Globally at the 2019 Festival. Terence serves on the international board of The Markaz Review, a literary review that embraces all Middle Eastern cultures. He lives in Florence with his wife, Idanna Pucci.

Terence Ward adalah seorang penulis dan sejarawan budaya Irlandia yang karya non-fiksinya mengeksplorasi keadilan sosial dan pertukaran lintas budaya. Ward dibesarkan di Dhahran dan Teheran. Dia adalah penulis Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran dan The Guardian of Mercy: How an Extraordinary Painting by Caravaggio Changed an Ordinary Life. Pada tahun 2019, dia mempresentasikan bukunya The Wahhabi Code: How the Saudis Spread Extremism Globally di Festival 2019. Terence menjabat di dewan internasional The Markaz Review, sebuah tinjauan sastra yang merangkul semua budaya Timur Tengah. Dia tinggal di Firenze bersama istrinya, Idanna Pucci.

Idanna Pucci is an Italian writer and cultural historian whose non-fiction works explore social justice and cross-cultural exchange. She grew up in Florence, where she witnessed the fashion artistry of her uncle, Emilio Pucci. In 1985, she settled in the former studio of Walter Spies in Iseh, beneath Gunung Agung volcano in Bali. Her books include The Epic of Life, exploring the ceiling paintings of the former royal court of justice in Klungkung; The Lady of Sing Sing, set in 1890s New York; and The World Odyssey of a Balinese Prince, recounting the extraordinary life of her mentor, Dr. A.A. Made Djelantik.

Idanna Pucci adalah seorang penulis dan sejarawan budaya Italia yang karya non-fiksinya mengeksplorasi keadilan sosial dan pertukaran lintas budaya. Dia tumbuh besar di Firenze, di mana dia menyaksikan keahlian fashion dari pamannya, Emilio Pucci. Pada tahun 1985, dia menetap di bekas studio Walter Spies di Iseh, di bawah gunung Gunung Agung di Bali. Buku-bukunya mencakup The Epic of Life, mengeksplorasi lukisan langit-langit dari pengadilan kerajaan yang sebelumnya di Klungkung; The Lady of Sing Sing, berlatar belakang New York tahun 1890-an; dan The World Odyssey of a Balinese Prince, menceritakan kehidupan luar biasa dari mentornya, Dr. A.A. Made Djelantik

Raoul de Jong is a Dutch writer whose work blends memoir, fiction, history, and spiritual inquiry. His adventurous perspective is rooted in a life of travel: at nineteen he crossed West Africa, survived New York on fifty dollars, and later walked from Rotterdam to Marseille in honour of his dog Puck. These journeys inform his literary exploration of heritage and hidden histories, evident in his novel Jaguarman. In 2023, he wrote the prestigious Boekenweekessay Boto Banja, drawing attention to Caribbean literature in the Netherlands. Jaguarman has been translated into French, German and English, and is currently being translated into Indonesian.

Raoul de Jong adalah seorang penulis Belanda yang karyanya menggabungkan memoar, fiksi, sejarah, dan pencarian spiritual. Perspektif petualangannya berakar pada kehidupan perjalanan: pada usia sembilan belas tahun dia menyeberangi Afrika Barat, selamat di New York dengan lima puluh dolar, dan kemudian berjalan dari Rotterdam ke Marseille untuk menghormati anjingnya Puck. Perjalanan-perjalanan ini menginformasikan eksplorasi sastranya tentang warisan dan sejarah tersembunyi, yang terlihat dalam novelnya Jaguarman. Pada tahun 2023, dia menulis Boekenweekessay bergengsi Boto Banja, menarik perhatian pada sastra Karibia di Belanda. Jaguarman telah diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Prancis, Jerman dan Inggris, dan saat ini sedang diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia.

Geia Laconi is an Italian writer who teaches autobiographical writing at a juvenile prison. Born on the Indonesian island of Sumatra to an Italian mother and an Indonesian father, she grew up in Florence, Italy, where she received a degree in Education Sciences. Her work as an educator reflects her commitment to giving voice to marginalised young people through creative writing. After many journeys and experiences around the world, she now lives in a small town in the Apennine Mountains. She is the author of Figlia dell'uomo tigre, published by Giunti Editore.

Geia Laconi adalah seorang penulis Italia yang mengajar penulisan autobiografi di sebuah penjara anak-anak. Lahir di pulau Indonesia Sumatra dari ibu Italia dan ayah Indonesia, dia tumbuh besar di Firenze, Italia, di mana dia memperoleh gelar dalam Ilmu Pendidikan. Karyanya sebagai seorang pendidik mencerminkan komitmennya untuk memberi suara kepada anak-anak muda yang terpinggirkan melalui penulisan kreatif. Setelah banyak perjalanan dan pengalaman di seluruh dunia, dia sekarang tinggal di sebuah kota kecil di Pegunungan Apennine. Dia adalah penulis Figlia dell'uomo tigre, diterbitkan oleh Giunti Editore.

Louie Buana is an Indonesian writer from Makassar and a history researcher at the Institute for History, Leiden University. He is also a Guest Researcher at KITLV — Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies. His research areas include customary law, Southeast Asian maritime networks, and colonialism. Since 2011, he has actively promoted the La Galigo epic to young generations through new media and founded the Lontara Project, a youth community dedicated to preserving the epic from South Sulawesi as a UNESCO Memory of the World. He holds an Advanced Master in European and International Human Rights Law from Leiden University, awarded in 2016, and graduated from the Colonial & Global History Program at the Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University in 2015.

Louie Buana adalah seorang penulis Indonesia dari Makassar dan peneliti sejarah di Institut untuk Sejarah, Universitas Leiden. Dia juga menjabat sebagai Peneliti Tamu di KITLV — Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies. Bidang penelitiannya mencakup hukum adat, jaringan maritim Asia Tenggara, dan kolonialisme. Sejak 2011, dia secara aktif mempromosikan epos La Galigo kepada generasi muda melalui media baru dan mendirikan Lontara Project, sebuah komunitas pemuda yang didedikasikan untuk melestarikan epos dari Sulawesi Selatan sebagai UNESCO Memory of the World. Dia memiliki gelar Master Lanjutan dalam Hukum Hak Asasi Manusia Eropa dan Internasional dari Universitas Leiden, diberikan pada 2016, dan lulus dari Program Sejarah Kolonial dan Global di Fakultas Ilmu Humaniora, Universitas Leiden pada 2015.

Dominic Amerena is an Australian writer whose debut novel, I Want Everything, published in 2025, has since been released in four territories and won the 2025 Readings Prize, the 2026 Mud Literary Award, and the inaugural Speculate Prize. It was shortlisted in two categories at the Australian Book Industry Awards and longlisted for the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award.

Dominic Amerena is an Australian writer whose debut novel, I Want Everything, published in 2025, has since been released in four territories and won the 2025 Readings Prize, the 2026 Mud Literary Award, and the inaugural Speculate Prize. It was shortlisted in two categories at the Australian Book Industry Awards and longlisted for the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award.