The Book of Jakarta: A City in Short Fiction

utiuts is an entertainment lawyer and a writer. Her first book, Welcome to the Fandom, was published in 2019. She lives in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Sabda Armandio is a novelist, short story writer, and translator. His first novel, Kamu, was published in 2015 and was selected as novel of the year byRolling Stone Indonesia. His other works include a novel 24 Jam Bersama Gaspar (24 Hours with Gaspar, 2017), a short story collection Kisah-Kisah Suri Teladan (The Exemplary Tales) and a novella, Dekat dan Nyaring (Loud and Close), which was long-listed for the Khatulistiwa Literary Award. 

Born in West Kalimantan, Hanna Fransisca is a poet and short story writer. She has published several collections of short stories and poetry, including A Man Bathing and Other Poems (Lontar Foundation). Her first short story, ‘My Blood Spills in the Temple’, was chosen for the 2008 Jakarta International Literary Festival. She was also named Outstanding Writer by Tempo Magazine in 2010 for her collection Konde Penyair Han (The Han Poet’s Coil). She lives in Jakarta. 

Cyntha Hariadi is an award-winning writer and poet. Her work includes the poetry collection, Ibu Mendulang Anak Berlari (Mother Feeds, Child Flees), and a collection of short stories entitled Manifesto Flora (Flora’s Manifesto). Her writing has appeared in Asymptote and in the AAWW (Asian American Writers Workshop). Her most recent novel, Kokokan Mencari Arumbawangi (Kokokan Seeks Arumbawangi) was published in 2020.

Afrizal Malna (born in Jakarta, 1957) is an Indonesian poet, prose writer, playwright and activist. His poetry collection, Teman-Temanku dari Atap Bahasa(My Friends from the Roof of Language, 2008) was chosen as the best literary work of 2009 by Tempo Magazine. His work has appeared in various publications, including The Jakarta Post, Horizon, Kompas Daily, Republic, Rule of the People and Mind of Representatives. He has also published two novels, Novel yang Malas Mengisahkan Manusia (A Novel Reluctant to Tell of Humans, 2003), and Lubang dari Separuh Langit (A Hole from Half the Sky, 2004). 

Dewi Kharisma Michellia is a writer working in various genres, from romance, crime, mystery/horror, to sci-fi and fantasy. Her published works include the novel Surat Panjang tentang Jarak Kita yang Jutaan Tahun Cahaya (A Long Letter of Our Million Light-Years Distance, 2013) and the short story collectionElegi (An Elegy, 2017). In 2015, she co-founded OAK Publisher, an indie publisher based in Yogyakarta, and later in 2018 ran Ruang Perempuan dan Tulisan (Women Writers Space and Writings), a collective dedicated to reading and promoting works by women writers from Indonesia. She is currently reviews editor at Jurnal Ruang, an independent news outlet covering books, music, and film.

Ratri Ninditya is a poet and short story writer. Her first poetry collection, Rusunothing, was published in 2019. She is also a policy researcher for the Indonesia Arts Coalition.

Yusi Avianto Pareanom is a writer, editor, translator, independent publisher, and former journalist. His works of fiction include Rumah Kopi Singa Tertawa(The Laughing Lion’s Coffee House), Muslihat Musang Emas (The Golden Fox’s Trickery) and Raden Mandasia si Pencuri Daging Sapi (Raden Mandasia the Cow Thief), an award-winning novel that was named one of the books of the year by Tempo Magazine and Rolling Stone Indonesia. In 2019, he was the Director and Curator of Jakarta International Literary Festival and is currently serving as a member of the Jakarta Arts Council. 

Ben Sohib was born in 1967 in Jember, East Java. He is a novelist and short story writer, known for his dark humour and focus on the Betawi-Arab community in Jakarta. His work has been adapted for the screen and the film Tiga Hati, Dua Dunia, dan Satu Cinta (Three Hearts, Two Worlds, and One Love) won multiple awards at the 2010 Indonesian Film Festival, including best film. His short story collection, Haji Syiah and Other Stories, was published by Lontar Foundation in 2015 in a trilingual (Bahasa Indonesia - English - German) edition. His most recent work, Kisah-kisah Perdagangan Paling Gemilang, was published by Banana in 2020. 

Ziggy Zezsyazeoviennazabrizkie is an Indonesian fiction writer who won the Jakarta Arts Council Novel Writing Competition for Di Tanah Lada (In Pepper Land, 2015), which was later longlisted for Khatulistiwa Literary Award. She won the same competition in 2016 with Semua Ikan di Langit (All the Fish in the Sky, 2017), for which she was also awarded the Badan Bahasa Literary Award by Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. Ziggy mainly writes about children and social criticism, both in forms of literary and popular fiction. Her Young Adult novel Jakarta Sebelum Pagi (Jakarta Dawning, 2016), was the Editor’s Choice Award in Rolling Stone Indonesia.

Maesy Ang is one of the co-founders of POST, an independent bookshop and publisher based in a traditional market in Jakarta, Indonesia. POST Bookshop champions titles from Indonesian independent publishers and curated titles in English. In its first six years, the bookshop has hosted over 300 events, from writing classes, zine workshops, to book discussions and readings. Its publishing arm, POST Press, has released a curated handful of titles ranging from novellas to children’s literature – three of which have been published internationally. Their first fiction title,Semasa, was published in 2018. 

Teddy W. Kusuma is one of the co-founders of POST, an independent bookshop and publisher based in a traditional market in Jakarta, Indonesia. POST Bookshop champions titles from Indonesian independent publishers and curated titles in English. In its first six years, the bookshop has hosted over 300 events, from writing classes, zine workshops, to book discussions and readings. Its publishing arm, POST Press, has released a curated handful of titles ranging from novellas to children’s literature – three of which have been published internationally. Their first fiction title,Semasa, was published in 2018.