Kartika Lestari is a former full-time lecturer/research scientist who one day recalled her youth’s joy—writing. She started viewing a fresh path in 2018 and took writing more seriously in 2021. To hone her craft, she has kept enrolling workshops at, among others, Temple University Japan Campus and Gotham Writers Workshop. She has focused on nonfiction and occasionally written poems. Her work has appeared in some publications. Now, she’s working on her memoir and another book about Japan. Since 2023, she has served as the lead organizer of the Japan Writers Conference.

Kartika grew up in a town on a mountainside in Indonesia. Over two decades ago, she moved to Japan for her graduate study at Tohoku University where she got her PhD in Geophysics, focusing on Atmospheric Sciences. She’d spent her life in academia for 22 years and done research on climate variability, changes, and impacts. She’s worked in Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Currently, she lives in Japan and works on her passion. In addition, she’s a co-owner of a growing business, KT house japan G.K. 

After recovering from her prolonged illness in the past, she’s maintained her well-being by regularly practicing reiki, meditation, and yoga, as well as walking with her beloved dog. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, or gardening. She also loves sharing her experiences with others—from writing to living overseas and from learning to living purposely.   

She has dedicated this site to her current writing activities, while her past work in research can be seen here.

Find out what people say about Kartika here.
Connect with her on X, Medium, or LinkedIn.