In the spirit of nurturing literacy and the richness of context among the youth in this digital age, Simpul Group and Gramedia Pustaka Utama (GPU) bred an exciting new book label to join the publishing community called Pear Press. Pear Press moves with the belief that books are mediums that can deliver the voice and thoughts of today’s generations. Who are they? Know more from our Work Post: A book label for the anxious, daring, and border-defying generations.
Since the label inception in 2019, we have come up with a best selling book, and an experimental anthology from Indonesia’s 5 young and talented writers.
The label’s premiere release was Masih Belajar by Ruangguru Co-founder, Iman Usman. In the book, Iman unfolds his own journey of making an impact on the society throughout his life. It does not only capture his success and achievement but his obstacles and struggles he battled and how with that, he was able to make an impact as young as he possibly can, and turn himself into the self-made entrepreneur he is today. His book displayed the consistency of his always-hungry-to-learn mindset and aims to inspire the readers to also maintain curiosity and spirit towards lifelong learning. Today, his book has reached the 4th copy runs.
Our second release followed up not long after. An anthology book called Selfie(sh) entered the scene with its fresh approach to poems, short stories, and prose from 5 young contemporary Indonesian writers. In the form of a zine, each one reflects the writers and carries a universe of its own, packaged in a bundle to be enjoyed simultaneously. Pencurian Terbesar Abad Ini by Adimas Immanuel with its lovable short stories and poems on maturity, love, and self-discovery, Dua Alasan Untuk Tidak Jatuh Cinta by Faisal Oddang which illuminates mankind on the hardships of love with its short story, Menjala Kunang-Kunang by Ibe S. Palogai with its poems on life journey, encounters, and goodbyes, Susah Payah Mati di Malam Hari Susah Payah Hidup di Siang Hari by Lala Bohang with a short story that sums up the day to day life of a girl throughout the week, and Seseorang Di Kaca by Theoresia Rumthe with its numerous poems on the little underappreciated elements that make life alive.
We wanted to reach out to our readers by more means beyond books, which is why we have taken opportunities to engage in book-focused events, all the while spreading our wings even wider. Pear Press’ onstage debut to share as one of the speakers’ panel was at the Bandung Readers Fest in September 2019, carrying the topic Modus Penyebaran Teks. Through the interactive discussion, Pear Press enlightened the readers and writers community on how in this era, the method of work publishing is not limited to only printed books, and how society should start taking notice of technology and vast social media platform at our disposal.
Not too long after, we stepped back on to the stage, at Ideafest: Age of Pride 2019. This was another golden opportunity of ours to re-introduce Pear Press to a wider community. Along with the speakers, Pear Press presented the topic of “Writing for the Angsty Generation”, in a full-house room. The discussion livened up with Pear Press representatives Fryza Pavitta (Project Director) and David Irianto (Curator) and moderated by Belle Biarezky, the discussion had guests with a total of 10 speakers. R. Yuki Agriardi (Artist & Lecturer), Sahid Permana (Art & Creative Director - Sun Eater), Aldrian Risjad (Musical Artist - Sun Eater), Tommy Chandra (Founder Heimlo), TB Putera (Content Creator), Iman Usman (Co-Founder & CPO Ruangguru) and Lala Bohang (Writer & Artist). Aside from chatting about what seems to be the main interest of young readers today, the talk also consists of showcasing little bits and pieces of the upcoming projects with these creative minds in 2020.
Our latest event participation was marked by our presence in Road to Jakarta Art Book Fair, which is also one of the most anticipated events in 2020. And dare we say, this was our most interactive participation yet. Taking place at Dia.Lo.Gue in December of 2019, for 3 days in a row visitors of the festival were more than welcome to stop by our booth and have a first-hand experience with all of our releases and new merchandise that we brought. Free stickers and pears on site were given to our lovely table visitors (come by to our table next time!).
Still, we are currently cooking a lot more projects in our Pear kitchen. Throughout 2019, Pear Press has crossed paths with numerous creative individuals and come up with exciting collaborations to liven up the year 2020. So, here is what you can expect from us in 2020:
An artist, a designer, and lecturer at Bandung Institute of Technology, R. Yuki Agriardi, is set to work on a book of a series of his drawings from 2017-2019, intended to portray a metaphor of a journey in self-acceptance.
Coming from each of their backgrounds and perspective, Indonesian illustrator Tommy Chandra, curator David Irianto and writer Dragono Halim, is crafting a collaborative and highly visual work that celebrates Indonesia’s rich diversity through a book about Indonesia-Chinese culture.
Other than his lovable works as a visual-based content creator, TB Putera’s witty sense of humor has always been one of his quality traits. His light-hearted and comical jokes are to be taking the form of a book to be released in 2020.
Several fresh musicians under the indie label Sun Eater is on the creative process with Pear Press to come out with their own experimental books set.
Tip of the iceberg, of course. The anxious generation has so much soul, drive and voice, and we are determined to speak it loudly through our works and more creative spirits we have yet to encounter in the future. A series of fresh books from Pear Press is more than ready to dominate the book market in 2020! - JO