After the Age of God is a poetry anthology ebook including the work of 47 contemporary Indonesian poets drawn from all of Indonesia’s 34 provinces. Anugrah Gio Pratama, a young poet born in Lamongan in East Java, initiated and edited the anthology during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The idea for the book actually arose from my concern to increase public literacy during the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Gio in his foreword.
At first, the poet, who is still a student in the Language Education Study Program at Lambung Mangkurat University, Banjarmasin in East Kalimantan, admits to being hesitant. “But eventually I mustered the courage to contact several poets who are already well-known in the Indonesian literary world, asking them to produce a collection of poems in an ebook format. It turned out that the people I contacted responded positively to my proposed project,” he said.
In the project, Gio himself merely acted as a bridge, collecting the poets’ works. Unexpectedly, several contributing poets not only submitted works but also provided extensive input and support, ultimately bringing together poets from all 34 provinces in Indonesia.
The poet, who has published “Puisi yang Remuk Berkeping-keping”, hopes that the publication of “Sesudah Zaman Tuhan” (After the Age of God) will inspire poets to continue creating no matter what the circumstances.
A number of poets whose works are included in the collection After the Age of God include: Abi N. Bayan, Akbar Rizky Sholeh, Almer Kasa, Angga Wijaya, Anugrah Gio Pratama, Arif P. Putra, Aslan Abidin, Bayu Hartendi, Budhi Setyawan, Daffa Randai, Dahri Dahlan, Dedy Tri Riyadi, Djefri Bantahari, Emma Hanubun, Erviana Hasan, Fajar M. Fitrah, Fitriawan Nur Indrianto, Galeh Pramudianto, Giovanni A. L Arum, Gody Usnaat, Herman RN, Herman Suryadi, Hudan Nur, Igir Al Qatari, Inggrid Linda Hanna Pangkey, Iqbal H. Saputra, Irwan Segara, Isbedy Stiawan ZS, Jafar Lantowa, Jerome Marciano, Khalish Abniswarin, Kiki Sulistyo, Maria Rosse Lewuk, Maulidan Rahman Siregar, Pringadi Abdi Surya, Rahmadina, Ramoun Apta, Remon Sulaiman, Riki Utomi, Sandi Firly, Shella Rimang, Stebby Julionatan, Syaifuddin Gani, Titan Sadewo, Tri Hartati, Wahyu Toveng, and Yoan S. Nugrah.
“Hopefully, the book will provide people with good reading material and allow them to fill their free time during quarantine with more beneficial activities,” Gio said.
He expressed his gratitude to everyone who participated in the project. “Thank you for your submissions, for all your input, for your cooperation, for everything. Truly, the book would feel incomplete without you,” he wrote. “To my readers, I say, ‘Happy reading and exploring the words!’”
Here is the download link for the ebook of the poetry collection After the Age of God:
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