Lumbung Puisi is an Indonesian poetry documentation

 I. Origins and Foundations

Lumbung Puisi is an Indonesian poetry documentation initiative founded in 2013 by Rg. Bagus Warsono through the Himpunan Masyarakat Gemar Membaca (HMGM, Society of Reading Enthusiasts) in Indramayu, West Java. From the outset, the project was intended to bring literature closer to everyday life through periodic anthologies featuring poets from across the archipelago. The name “lumbung” was chosen as a distinctly agrarian metaphor: just as a rice granary collects harvests from surrounding fields into a single store, the project was conceived as a shared repository for documenting poetry systematically and continuously. Its animating spirit was explicitly noncommercial and grounded in mutual cooperation, as Rg. Bagus Warsono himself declared: “This is a nonprofit activity, built on the spirit of gotong royong for fellow poets who are willing to advance Indonesian literature together.” In keeping with that spirit, Lumbung Puisi positioned itself from the beginning as an inclusive space unaffiliated with any particular community, faction, or literary generation, making it a living archive of Indonesian literature that embraces poets of every background and region.

On both the institutional and practical levels, Lumbung Puisi’s presence is reflected in its physical publications, including those issued by Sibuku Yogyakarta, as well as in the participation of dozens of national poets throughout its development. Figures involved include Sosiawan Leak, Wardjito Soeharso, Thomas Haryanto Soekiran, Hasan Bisri BSC, Dyah Setyawati, Sofyan RH Zaid, and Ali Arsy. In the physical sphere, Lumbung Puisi maintains Sanggar Lumbung Puisi in Indramayu as a creative space and a venue for in-person gatherings among poets. In the digital realm, Literanesia.com serves as the main hub of its activities and documentation, actively publishing works by poets such as Budiyanah, Rg. Bagus Warsono, and Hasanuddin, including Bagus Warsono’s poem Helm Hijau di Tepi Jalan, while also presenting an extensive bibliography of anthologies and current activities through 2026, including Memories of the 80s Poet Reunion 2025.

Volume I and Volume II, published in 2013 and 2014, marked the pioneering phase of the project. Volume III appeared in 2015 through Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta, gathering works by 74 poets from across Indonesia, with a foreword by Sosiawan Leak. Volume IV was published in 2016 with a wildlife theme, again by Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta. Volume V appeared in 2017 under the title Rasa Sejati. Volume VI was published in 2018 under the theme Indonesia Lucu through Penebar Media Pustaka. In 2019, the anthology Mblekethek was published by Penebar Media Pustaka, Yogyakarta. In 2020, Lumbung Puisi released a thematic anthology addressing the COVID-19 pandemic as a collective response by Indonesian poets to the outbreak. In 2021, two anthologies were published: T, containing works by 124 poets and released by Penebar Media Pustaka, Yogyakarta, catalogued in the official collection of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Library under call number 811.08 PEN t; and Gembok (Volume IX), which appeared in the same year. In 2022, Lumbung Puisi published the anthology 100 Chairil Anwar Masa Kini. Volume XI was published in 2023. In 2024, Lumbung Puisi ran the 2024 Poetry Book Nomination program, evaluating 59 national poetry books to select the five best and 25 editors’ choice titles of the year.

I.1. Contributions to Indonesian Literature

Lumbung Puisi’s greatest service lies in its role as a decentralized hub for modern literary documentation. It bridges the gap between poets in peripheral regions beyond the reach of major urban publishers and the national literary audience. Through its multi-author anthologies, published consistently year after year, Lumbung Puisi documents the vitality of Indonesian poets in a living, continuous record, something no government literary institution does on a regular basis. Out of this process has grown a distinct library known as the “Kepustakaan Lumbung Puisi Sastrawan Indonesia,” which encompasses not only the archive of these multi-author anthologies but also the individual poetry collections of the poets involved. The inclusion of the 2021 anthology T in the official collection of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Library constitutes institutional recognition of the documentary value of the works Lumbung Puisi has gathered within Indonesia’s national literary archive.

Lumbung Puisi’s contribution does not end with publication and archiving. In 2019, the institution expanded its scope through the Literasi Sastra Masuk Sekolah (Literary Literacy Enters Schools) program. Together with 15 national poets, Rg. Bagus Warsono brought literary activities directly into elementary schools, including SDN 02 Brondong, Pasekan District, Indramayu, on August 31, 2019, where they taught students and teachers how poetry is written and read. This initiative reveals that Lumbung Puisi operates not only as a space for documentation but also as a means of bringing literature into primary education.

Since 2023, Lumbung Puisi has also conferred the Anugerah Sastrawan Utama, or Sastratama award, upon poets judged to have made tangible contributions to the development of Indonesian literature. In 2025, Lumbung Puisi continued to expand its activities by organizing the 2025 National Poetry Writing Competition on the theme Makan Bergizi Gratis (Free Nutritious Meals), with the winners announced alongside the 2025 Poetry Reading Competition at Sanggar Lumbung Puisi, Indramayu, on April 19 and 20, 2025. Lumbung Puisi’s role, therefore, goes well beyond gathering, documenting, and publishing works. It actively cultivates recognition, mentorship, and continuity for Indonesian literature from local communities to the national stage.

II. Profile of Rg. Bagus Warsono

Rg. Bagus Warsono, whose full name is Ronggo Bagus Warsono and who is also known as Agus Warsono, S.Pd., M.Si., was born in Tegal, Central Java, on August 29, 1965. He descends from the Ronggo Kastuba lineage; his father, Rg. Yoesoef Soegiono, was a teacher. He was an avid reader from childhood and had reportedly finished S.H. Mintardja’s novel Api di Bukit Menoreh by the age of ten.

II.1. Educational and Professional Background

His formal education took him through SDN Sindang II Indramayu, SMP III Indramayu, and SPGN Indramayu, followed by a D2 diploma at UT UPBBJJ Bandung (completed 1998), a bachelor’s degree at STAI Salahuddin Jakarta, and a master’s degree at STIA Yappan Jakarta (completed 2011). After completing teacher training, he worked as an elementary school teacher, was appointed principal in 2004, and in 2015 took up the position of school supervisor. Beginning in 1992, he worked as a correspondent for Majalah Gentra Pramuka, Mingguan Pelajar, and Rakyat Post. In 1999, he also joined Majalah Hamdalah and became a registered member of the West Java branch of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI). He is also known as a painter active at the Sanggar Sastra dan Lukis Meronte Jaring in Indramayu.

II.2. Literary Career

His writing career began during his school years with the publication of poetry in the Cirebon edition of Pikiran Rakyat, and since 1985 he has continued to write poetry, short stories, children’s fiction, and articles for a wide range of media outlets, including Pikiran Rakyat, Suara Karya, Suara Guru, Bhinneka Karya Winaya, Binakop, Bekal Pembina, Mingguan Pelajar, and Suara Daerah. In 1999 he founded the Himpunan Masyarakat Gemar Membaca (HMGM) in Indramayu, and in 2011 he established the Sanggar Sastra Meronte Jaring as a space for nurturing the next generation in literary arts.

Get Liauw Pauw Phing’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Enter your email

Subscribe

Remember me for faster sign in

His most significant contribution to the Indonesian literary landscape has been the conception of the Lumbung Puisi Sastrawan Indonesia anthology series in 2013, a documentation project of contemporary poets from across Indonesia involving figures such as Sosiawan Leak, Wardjito Soeharso, Thomas Haryanto Soekiran, Hasan Bisri BSC, and Ali Arsy. In this project he serves simultaneously as its originator, curator, and editor. Earlier, in 2012, he conceived and edited Saksi Ibu Melihat Reformasi, an anthology of distinct historical and social value. His work also appears in several national multi-author anthologies, among them Puisi Menolak Korupsi PMK II (2013), Tifa Nusantara I (2013), and Ensiklopedia Koruptor Puisi Menolak Korupsi (2014).

II.3. Works

His individual poetry collections include Bunyikan Aksara Hatimu (manuscript 1992; Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta, 2014), Jangan Jadi Sastrawan (Indhi Publishing, Jakarta, 2014), Jakarta Tak Mau Pindah (Indhie Publishing, Jakarta, 2014), Si Bung (Leutikaprio, Yogyakarta, 2014), Surau Kampung Gelatik (Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta, 2015), Mas Karebet (Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta, 2015), Satu Keranjang Ikan (Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta, 2016), Mencari Ikan sampai Papua (Penebar Pustaka, Yogyakarta, 2017), and Kemeja Putih Lengan Panjang (Penebar Pustaka, Yogyakarta, 2018). In the field of literary essays, he published Bincang-bincang Penyair (Penebar Pustaka, 2018) and Geliat Penyair Indonesia (Penebar Pustaka, 2018). His output also includes children’s fiction: Rumahku di Tepi Rel Kereta Api (1992), Kopral Dali (Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta, 2014), Meriam Beroda (Sibuku Media, Yogyakarta, 2015), Pertempuran Heroik di Ciwatu (Penebar Pustaka, Yogyakarta, 2016), and Kacung Ikut Gerilya (Penebar Pustaka, Yogyakarta, 2018); as well as several illustrated storybooks, including Laskar Wiradesa, Pertempuran Selawe, Si Jagur, Panglima Indrajaya, and Endang Dharma.