Gods, Myths and Storytellers

Andrea Acri is an Italian Associate Professor in Tantric Studies at the Religious Studies section of the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), PSL University, Paris. He specialises in the text-historical study of tantric traditions in South and Southeast Asia, with special emphasis on intra-Asian maritime circulation and Śaiva and Buddhist traditions in premodern Java and Bali. He has published monographs, edited volumes, and scientific articles on these topics. He is currently Principal Investigator of the European Research Council-funded project MANTRATANTRAM, examining Tantrism across Monsoon Asia, and Lead Researcher in the ERC-funded project MANTRAMS, studying the global history and transmission of mantras. Acri holds a PhD from Leiden University earned in 2011 and a Habilitation from Université Sorbonne Nouvelle awarded in 2024.

Andrea Acri adalah seorang Associate Professor Italia dalam Studi Tantrik di bagian Religious Studies École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Universitas PSL, Paris. Dia mengkhususkan diri dalam studi teks-historis tradisi tantrik di Asia Selatan dan Asia Tenggara, dengan penekanan khusus pada sirkulasi maritim intra-Asia dan tradisi Śaiva dan Buddha di Java dan Bali pra-modern. Dia telah menerbitkan monograf, volume yang diedit, dan artikel ilmiah tentang topik-topik tersebut. Dia saat ini adalah Principal Investigator dari proyek MANTRATANTRAM yang didanai European Research Council, memeriksa Tantrisme di seluruh Monsoon Asia, dan Lead Researcher dalam proyek MANTRAMS yang didanai ERC, mempelajari sejarah global dan transmisi mantra. Acri memiliki gelar PhD dari Universitas Leiden yang diperoleh pada tahun 2011 dan Habilitation dari Université Sorbonne Nouvelle yang diperoleh pada tahun 2024.

Adam Bobbette is a Canadian geographer and political geologist based in Singapore. He is Nanyang Assistant Professor in the School of Humanities and the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University. He was awarded the Benda Prize from the Association for Asian Studies for The Pulse of the Earth. His writing has appeared in the London Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, and N+1. His forthcoming book Earthworks: Mineral Life in Critical Times will be published by Verso in 2027.

Adam Bobbette adalah seorang geografer Kanada dan ahli geologi politik yang berbasis di Singapura. Dia adalah Nanyang Assistant Professor di School of Humanities dan Asian School of the Environment di Nanyang Technological University. Dia menerima Benda Prize dari Association for Asian Studies untuk The Pulse of the Earth. Tulisannya telah muncul di London Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, dan N+1. Buku mendatangnya Earthworks: Mineral Life in Critical Times akan diterbitkan oleh Verso pada tahun 2027.

Arthur R Flowers is an American novelist, essayist, and performance poet whose work explores African-American experience, folklore, blues music, and hoodoo spiritualism. He is the author of novels De Mojo Blues and Another Good Loving Blues, the memoir Mojo Rising: Confessions of a 21st Century Conjureman, and graphic works including I See the Promised Land. He was an executive director of the Harlem Writers Guild and founding member of The Griot Shop in Memphis. A faculty member at Syracuse University since 1996, Flowers has received NEA and NYSFA awards and identifies as a practitioner of "literary hoodoo" and the High Hoodoo of Memphis.

Arthur R Flowers adalah seorang novelis, esai, dan penyair performans Amerika yang karyanya mengeksplorasi pengalaman Afrika-Amerika, folklor, musik blues, dan spiritualisme hoodoo. Dia adalah penulis novel De Mojo Blues dan Another Good Loving Blues, memoar Mojo Rising: Confessions of a 21st Century Conjureman, dan karya grafis termasuk I See the Promised Land. Dia adalah mantan direktur eksekutif Harlem Writers Guild dan anggota pendiri The Griot Shop di Memphis. Sebagai anggota fakultas di Syracuse University sejak 1996, Flowers telah menerima penghargaan NEA dan NYSFA serta mengidentifikasi diri sebagai praktisi "literary hoodoo" dan the High Hoodoo of Memphis.

Sanjoy K. Roy, an Indian entrepreneur of the arts, is Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces over 30 festivals in 45 cities and 19 countries, including the Jaipur Literature Festival, the world's largest literary gathering, and its international editions. He is a founder-trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust, which supports street and working children in inner-city Delhi, benefiting over 1,30,000 children through education, training and residential services. Roy is Co-chair of the Art and Culture Committee of FICCI, and former President of the Event and Entertainment Management Association. He lectures at leading universities worldwide and holds an honorary Doctor of the University degree from the University of York, UK, for his contributions to the arts and society. His debut book, There's a Ghost in my Room: Living with the Supernatural, published by HarperCollins in October 2025, is a kaleidoscopic portrayal of his dramatic life interspersed with enigmatic supernatural experiences.

Sanjoy K. Roy, seorang pengusaha seni asal India, adalah Managing Director Teamwork Arts, yang menyelenggarakan lebih dari 30 festival di 45 kota dan 19 negara, termasuk Jaipur Literature Festival, ajang sastra terbesar di dunia, beserta edisi internasionalnya. Ia adalah salah satu pendiri-wali amanat Salaam Baalak Trust, yang mendukung anak jalanan dan anak pekerja di pusat kota Delhi, dengan lebih dari 1,130,000 anak yang telah mendapat manfaat melalui pendidikan, pelatihan, dan layanan tempat tinggal. Roy adalah Ketua Bersama Komite Seni dan Budaya FICCI, serta mantan Presiden Event and Entertainment Management Association. Ia mengajar di berbagai universitas terkemuka di dunia dan menerima gelar kehormatan Doctor of the University dari University of York, Inggris, atas kontribusinya terhadap seni dan masyarakat. Buku perdananya, There's a Ghost in my Room: Living with the Supernatural, diterbitkan oleh HarperCollins pada Oktober 2025, merupakan potret kaleidoskopik kehidupannya yang dramatis, diselingi pengalaman-pengalaman supernatural yang misterius.

Bea Bustamante is a Filipino author, educator, singer-songwriter, and the mind behind the national bestselling novel She Who Devours. Her work explores Filipino culture, history, folklore, and mythology, sitting at the vivid intersection of fantasy, horror, and romance. A rising voice in contemporary Philippine literature, she has featured as a guest speaker at the Philippine Book Festival, the Philippine Readers & Writers Festival, and other local literary events, and actively collaborates with book clubs and communities to encourage readers to explore homegrown literature.

Bea Bustamante adalah penulis, pendidik, penyanyi-penulis lagu asal Filipina, serta sosok di balik novel bestseller nasional She Who Devours. Karyanya mengeksplorasi budaya, sejarah, cerita rakyat, dan mitologi Filipina, berada di persimpangan yang hidup antara fantasi, horor, dan romansa. Sebagai suara yang tengah naik daun dalam sastra Filipina kontemporer, ia telah tampil sebagai pembicara tamu di Philippine Book Festival, Philippine Readers & Writers Festival, dan berbagai acara sastra lokal lainnya, serta aktif berkolaborasi dengan klub buku dan komunitas untuk mendorong pembaca mengeksplorasi karya sastra dalam negeri.

Titah AW is an Indonesian writer and freelance journalist whose work primarily explores the intersections of ecology, culture, and magical realism. She has published a book titled Parade Hantu Siang Bolong, contributed to several anthologies, and written for leading Indonesian publications, including National Geographic, VICE, and Project Multatuli.

Titah AW adalah penulis dan jurnalis lepas asal Indonesia yang karyanya banyak mengeksplorasi persilangan antara ekologi, budaya, dan realisme magis. Ia telah menerbitkan sebuah buku berjudul Parade Hantu Siang Bolong, berkontribusi di beberapa antologi, dan menulis untuk sejumlah media terkemuka di Indonesia, termasuk National Geographic, VICE, dan Project Multatuli.