Writing resident in Bali
Writing resident Natalie Sprite shares a short story about a rainy afternoon in Bali. Read her piece by clicking on image at the foot of the article.
Natalie Sprite is currently on a three month Asialink Arts residency to Bali, hosted by publishing house Saritaksu Editions. The award winning Northern Territory based writer has been widely published in literary journals and anthologies including Meanjin, Bruno’s Song and Australian Award Winning Writing.
The author has had a long history of writing in and about Indonesia;
“Seven years ago, I took my daughter to live in Ubud. She went to a bilingual school. I wrote and volunteered with the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. Since then, I have spent two months of every year in Bali, writing. This has allowed me to build friendships, networks and language.
I feel both deeply at home and very much an outsider in Indonesia. The privilege I was born into separates me from my Balinese friends. Disparate economics layer our interactions. And yet, there are still moments of genuine connection and intimacy that spring across this divide. This is I want to write about – these moments and how to touch this place I love with lightness.”
At Saritaksu Editions in Bali, Natalie has been writing a collection of stories exploring the tension between belonging and dislocation in Bali. The publishing house specialises in Indonesian writing and has provided a wonderful insider source of cultural knowledge and Balinese history and customs.
Managing director Sarita Newson has connected Natalie to the Indonesian writing community, which she has found invaluable, stating in an ABC radio interview “The chance to meet and talk to other artists is one of the great strengths of the Asialink fellowships.”
Natalie has shared her short story Rain is different on a moped, which can be downloaded by clicking here, or on the image below.
Rain is different on a moped
By Natalie Sprite
This Aslalink Arts Residency is supported by the Australia-Indonesia Institute