Discussing "Hantu Padang," the Coffee Shop Bandit Gang Encourages High School Students to Love Literature
High school students participating in book review.
The Komplotan Bandit Warung kopi (read: Coffee Shop Bandit Gang) literary community held another literary book review parade. This time, it was held at SMAN 1 Julok, East Aceh, on Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Students were encouraged to love literature through the book review "Hantu Padang."
The event featured Haikal Riza and Maulana Ikhsan as keynote speakers, sparking a discussion around Esha Tegar Putra's book "Hantu Padang," which won the 2025 Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa Award in the poetry collection category.
Themed on migration and longing for his hometown, the author described how memories of the city's past continue to haunt him. Fifty students from SMAN 1 Julok enthusiastically participated in the discussion session.
In his presentation, Haikal encouraged the participants to delve deeper into literature, understand its function in society, and learn to interpret poetry.
"If poetry is meant to teach as much as possible with as few words as possible, then when we choose wasteful words, we need to ask ourselves, 'Why these words?' In this book, Esha uses the words 'ombak laut, badai laut, ombak laut' to describe obstacles or problems."
Maulana, meanwhile, discusses poetry contextually. He emphasizes the importance of having the courage to think critically without being constrained by excessive politeness.
"There's no need for politeness in thinking because poetry is created for us, the readers, to be more critical," Maulana said.
The Gang of Coffee Shop Bandits appreciates the support of SMAN 1 Julok for creating a space for the growth of literacy. This kind of collaboration proves that literature can thrive anywhere, as long as there's a willingness to read and share ideas.
This event is the third in a series, following previous literary book reviews held at Café Loyalty in Idi and Café Rolly Angkup in Central Aceh.
This event was organized by the Gang of Coffee Shop Bandits Literary Community with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. As stated by Ahmad Mahendra, Director General of Cultural Development, Utilization, and Fostering, the Literary Community Strengthening program is an effort to bridge literary works with readers.
To date, the dissemination of literary books has been suboptimal. Literary communities play a key role in disseminating literary works by discussing and adapting them.
The Komplotan Bandit Warung Kopi Literary Community, represented by May Yusra, hopes that this activity will foster reading interest, train critical thinking, and broaden students' horizons in the fields of literature and literacy. In addition to discussion and question-and-answer sessions, the event also provides a space for students to express their opinions and hone their appreciation of contemporary Indonesian literature.
