Country of Focus: Indonesia

Dr Bambang Indriyanto has a bachelor's degree in Sociology, a master's degree majoring in Education Administration and Policy Studies, and a doctorate degree in Education Administration and Policy Studies. He was the former Director of the Center for Policy Research, Ministry of Education, and also served as the Secretary, Directorate General Management, for Basic and Secondary Education.

Dr Christian Tamaela is an ethnomusicologist, lecturer and musician. He is adept at using various instruments such as the tifa, bamboo flutes, conch shell and many others. He lectures at the Universitas Kristen Indonesia Maluku.

Emilia is an early childhood education practitioner. She earned a Masters of Education in Early Childhood from the University of South Australia. She is currently the Secretary General of the Indonesian Section of International Board on Books for Young People (INABBY).

Dr Felicia Utorodewo is the former Director of SEAMEO Regional Centre for QITEP in Language. She holds a Bachelor of Letters degree in Linguistics, a Master of Science degree in Linguistic Anthropology, as well as a doctoral degree in Lexical Semantics from the University of Indonesia. 

Galuh Larasati has been working in the hospitality industry since 1994. She is an author, and also does volunteer teaching to children in a village in Indonesia. Her lessons touch on life skills, and the combination of art and the English language.

Grace Kusnadi graduated from Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, with a major in public relations. In 2012, she founded Popcorn Asia, now in its fifth year running, to create an avenue for creators to showcase, sell and network.

Herdiana graduated with distinction from the Children’s Literature and Literacies programme at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Her dissertation focused on the agency of literary children. Herdiana is also the founder of www.SiKancil.org, a site dedicated for Indonesian children’s literature. 

Ida is a Lecturer of Library and Information Science at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. She is actively engaged in promoting children's interest in books, conducting storytelling sessions, and offering training to teachers and librarians.

Irfan Amalee has 15 years of experience in the children's book industry. He has written, co-written and edited more than 20 books. Previously the CEO of Pelangi Mizan, Irfan is now the CEO of Mizan Applications Publisher, which is responsible for digital publishing in the Mizan Group.

Johnny Tjia obtained his PhD in linguistics from the University of Leiden. He currently works with Sulinama Foundation in Ambon, conducting linguistic research and managing basic education programmes in several local languages.

Maria was born and grew up in Indonesia, where she received her bachelor's degree in visual communication design at Bandung Institute of Technology. She then worked as a freelance graphic designer and spent a few years teaching in a kindergarten. In 2014, Maria moved to England In 2016, she received a Master of Arts in Children's Book Illustation from Cambridge School of Art. Maria is now represented by Bright Group International.

Dr Murti Bunanta is a children’s literature specialist, researcher, children’s folklorist, and an international award-winning author of 50 books published in Indonesia, Canada, and the USA. Her books have been translated into several languages. She is the founder and president of Society for the Advancement of Children’s Literature and Indonesian Section of IBBY that pioneered children's reading in Indonesia. She is an advocate for reading quality children’s books, and serves as a member of the AFCC Board of Advisors. 

Remon is a Managing Director at Zikrul and Bestari Publishing, and is a graduate from Central Queensland University Australia. He published more than 1,000 children's books, and has sold book rights to countries including Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Vietnam. He is an advocate for Indonesian children’s books, and dedicates his time promoting Indonesian stories to the world.

Renny has published 139 chidren's titles, and was selected for the IBBY Honour List in 2014 for her book, 8 Kisah Indah tentang Sakura. She has also been awarded by Indonesian Publishers Association and Kehati Foundation for her writing on environmental issues for children.

Sanny Djohan is the founder of PT Kuark Internasional. The company publishes science comics and educational books for elementary school children. Sanny Djohan is in the Rotary Organisation for Education and is the Director of Education of the Indonesian Alumni Organisation.

Tety is a Lecturer at Gunadarma University. She enjoys making cloth books for children, providing training for teachers, reading stories for children in hospitals, and using books to help children heal from traumas in disaster areas. She is also the Vice President of the Society for the Advancement of Children's Literature.

Thomas is the Director of Borobudur Agency, a literary agency of the Indonesian Publishers Association that licenses Indonesian copyrights abroad. He is also a member of the Indonesian National Book Committee. He was Chief Editor and International Marketing GM within Kompas Gramedia.

Robyn began writing scripts after watching scandalous telenovelas. She then went on writing short stories and poetry. Before graduating from college, she published two children's books. For the past six months, she has been working on a series specially made to accompany Indonesian girls growing up.

Yovita is a mother of two who became an author by accident. She very much enjoys writing novels, especially ones with historical backgrounds. She has written more than 35 children’s books. One of Yovita’s books, Misteri Kota Tua, has been placed on the IBBY Honour List in 2016.