Ahead of leading Readings' first tour of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali, Christine Gordon chats to festival director Janet De Neele about Ubud, the festival and the parties!

Firstly let me set the scene. It is blowing a gale outside our window and the sky is a slate colour. I’m wearing the Melbourne uniform – black. In comes Janet – a blaze of colour and warmth, fresh from her home in Bali. She begins by telling me about some amazing party that occurs during the festival. There is the sunset, there are the lush gardens, there are jugs full of exotic sounding drinks free flowing, Balinese food banquets, there are jazz musicians and a pool, writers and their readers seem to merge into a celebration of freedom and thoughts. The party she says finished sometime the next day.

“Who,” I said “goes to that?” “Oh,” she says “writers and invited guests…”

Fantastic, I think, fantastic. I’m ready.

The festival's gala opening in 2009.

Is that the highlight I wonder? Oh no! There are writers from across the world staying together with Festival participants connecting in discussions on human rights, on coffee, on reading, on politics. This is a melting pot of experiences and thoughts. There are cooking classes, book launches set amongst tropical gardens, there are plunge pools and cocktails, fresh seafood and fruit.

Janet tells me that she has gathered writers from many coffee region in the world to read from their work. At the end of the session Italian coffee flavoured gelato will be served, the sun will be setting and then the very best Jazz performers will enter the outside stage and move in time to the lengthening shadows.

There are Muslim hip hop poets, indigenous performers, Australia’s own Christos Tsiolkas and Nam Le amongst many others attending – all drawn I think to the extraordinary experience of being in a tropical setting talking of their work and sharing the sensual delights of the weather, the attitudes, the brilliance of engaging in public thought internationally and, of course, the food! It is an astonishing time. It is a commitment to stepping out of one’s life and exploring possibilities.

Janet’s complete enthusiasm for bringing people together is so apparent and so engaging that I am drawn immediately to her passion for new ideas and new angles of looking at one’s life. Her aim is to bring together international voices for intercultural exchange. This sort of dialogue is an opportunity to participate in dialogue that may change one’s life.

There will be no grey skies and there will be no wearing of black.

For more details of the festival check out the Ubud Writers Festival website. And for more details about how to travel with me under the Readings banner click here.