I’m Olivia JD, an Iban writer and artist from Sarawak, Malaysia.
I write about memory, identity and the ways we inherit the past. Much of my work begins with a question: what survives when people, places and ways of life begin to disappear?
This blog, Iban Woman, is where I think through those questions. I write personal essays, poetry, cultural reflections and occasionally fiction, moving between contemporary life and the Iban world that shaped me. Sometimes I write from memory. Sometimes I follow an old family story, a ritual, an object or a piece of history until it leads somewhere unexpected.
My Iban heritage runs through much of my work. I grew up with the stories, beliefs and rituals of Sarawak. As an adult, I find myself returning to them with more questions and trying to understand parts of that inheritance more fully. I am interested in what survives, as well as the gaps, contradictions and uncertainties that come with remembering the past.
In 2026, I published my first full-length poetry collection, Rituals and Rivers, a collection of 69 poems rooted in Iban memory and cultural inheritance. It grew from years of returning to the things I did not want to lose.
I also make illustrated zines. Some are personal and reflective; others explore Iban history, belief and identity. My titles include Iban Women, Ngayau, Pengarap Lama, Wild Women, After the Rain and We Are Iban. Writing and drawing are rarely separate practices for me. Sometimes an idea becomes a poem, sometimes a pencil portrait, sometimes a small book assembled by hand.
I now publish independently and take part in zine festivals, exhibitions and creative collaborations, but I still make most things the same way I always have: slowly, at my desk, following whatever refuses to leave me alone. Lately, I have also been learning to write fiction. I am particularly interested in short fiction set in Sarawak.
For me, cultural preservation happens by keeping culture in use and bringing it into contemporary life. This blog is where I do some of that work.
One thought on “About Me”
Comments are closed.