HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope the end of 2015 finds you looking back on a productive year and with high hopes for the new year ahead.

Dalang is exiting 2015 on a high note. Not only were we successful in our attempt to introduce the best of contemporary Indonesian literature to the San Francisco Bay Area, our efforts also generated interest back home in Indonesia. The Jakarta Globe featured an article about how our program “A Taste of Indonesian Literature Today” brought the authors and translators of Daughters of Papua (Tanah Tabu) and Kei (Kei) to the San Francisco Bay Area in the fall.

At first the generous article by Nikki Potnick made me a little self-conscious, but the more I thought about it, the more I was filled with gratitude for the many individuals who have supported my efforts to give Indonesian writers, aided by their countrymen translators, a chance to bring the intricate history and diverse culture of our country to American readers through their stories.

I am especially grateful for the work and the heart that Anin and Stef, Erni and Hayat put into making “A Taste of Indonesian Literature Today” a week during which we Indonesians proudly demonstrated our ability to produce good books and tell our country’s stories in voices representative of our people.

I’m currently reviewing manuscripts to select for our 2016 publications. I hope we will all proudly carry the momentum we’ve created into 2016 and beyond.

My best and warmest wishes that 2016 brings the fulfillment of new hopes and dreams!

Lian