OTHER MAPS is an independent literary platform dedicated to Indonesian literature in translation, published as a quarterly journal in English.
Founded by IDWRITERS with support from various literary and cultural organizations, OTHER MAPS introduces Indonesian writing to international audiences independently, sustainably, and outside bureaucratic or state-driven frameworks.
We believe that grassroots literary communities matter.
OTHER MAPS is editor-led, community-oriented, and guided by shared values.
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Our primary goal is to expand opportunities for Indonesian writers by increasing the circulation, readership, and critical engagement of local work among global audiences.
OTHER MAPS is founded on the belief that literature does more than tell stories; it reshapes how we see, read, and understand the world.
Most global literary canons rely on established cultural centers and dominant languages to define what is considered “important,” “universal,” or “worth translating.” This approach privileges certain voices while marginalizing others.
OTHER MAPS challenges these assumptions.
Our name reflects a commitment to non-central literary geographies and to writing from places, languages, and experiences often excluded from global literature. We aim not to correct the existing map, but to create new ones.
For us, translation is not just a technical process but an act of reorientation. By translating Indonesian literature into English, OTHER MAPS invites readers to explore the world through alternative routes shaped by local histories, that resist simplification and dominant power dynamics, and perspectives that resist simplification.
Instead of treating Indonesian writing as an addition to the established canon, OTHER MAPS views literature as a plural field of overlapping worlds without a single center of authority. Each text provides new directions, encouraging readers to navigate unfamiliar terrains and reconsider where meaning is created.
In an era of cultural homogenization and narrowing perspectives, OTHER MAPS emphasizes the value of diverse viewpoints and situated knowledge. We invite readers to cross borders, not to seek consensus but to remain attentive to difference.
We invite submissions of literary works originally written in Indonesian, whether unpublished or recently published.