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ernard Batubara has spent more than four years immersing himself in text books and toiling over class after class as a student in the Information Technology Department at the Indonesian Islamic University in Yogyakarta.

But for the 22-year-old, college life has always been about more than heavy paperbacks and hours-long lectures. In 2010, Bernard released a book of his collected poems titled Angsa-angsa Ketapang (Almond Swans), documenting his work as an aspiring poet in 96 pages of lyrical verses and idyllic imageries.

“Unlike with music or band practice — which are more like a hobby for me; something I do occasionally — poems, and writing poems, are a part of my daily life. It’s more than just a hobby,” he says.

Bernard started a poetry blog in 2008 and joined online communities of aspiring writers, seeking to hone his skills by posting his works and letting his peers comment on them.

One of the communities he followed was Kemudian.com. With more than 12,000 registered members, this online populace of writers, mostly youngsters is one of the biggest in the country.

In such virtual worlds of author clubs, you can find many youngsters like Bernard: those with a literary streak running in their veins.

These eager young writers are producing countless poems, short stories and even novels. For members of this age cohort – who practically have the Internet attached to their bodies via mobile communication technologies – online communities serve as a nurturing ground.

One of those online writers’ communities is The Hermes. Home to some 27 budding young writers, this writing community has been around since 2009, and has since grown in popularity and members.

The name Hermes itself derives from the ancient Greek mythology of a Greek god whose task was to deliver messages. A Hermes statue can also be found in the historical Fatahillah Museum in Kota Tua, Jakarta.

With the unique name comes the unique story behind the early establishment of the community.

“When one of the members, Nugroho, wrote a short story for a girl on Facebook, it brought together a bunch of strangers who commented on the short story. They later wrote their own spin-off stories based on the original short story.

“Then they decided to meet up in various places that were mentioned in Nugroho’s short story. From then on, these strangers decided to create meaningful art pieces in forms of the novel, short stories and poems, as a way to deliver their messages out to the world,” said Jia Effendi, one of the founders.

The young writers at The Hermes and other communities, like most writers, are hoping that someday they will get published. With a little creativity, though, getting published is no longer as hard as it used to be.

A little determination is what it takes, plus a little bit of money.

Bernard, after careful observance, concluded that most big publishers don’t give access to emerging poets to enter the publishing industry. So he opted for a micropublisher.

“We initially printed 25 copies [of the book Angsa-angsa Ketapang]. They sold out, and then we printed more. So far I’ve printed around 70 copies. It’s not a big number, I know, because I use my own money to print them. So [the books] are limited editions,” he said, laughing.

Like other micropublishers, his publisher prints the books only when there is demand. And the writers pay for the printing cost.

And Internet-savvy writers also have another popular, cheaper way to get their works out there.

The member writers of The Hermes – referred to as Hermesians – regularly publish their works in e-novelettes, downloadable for free from their website www.hermesian.wordpress.com.

The Hermesians have also satisfied their craving for getting their works published in a printed book. Their latest publication was a book titled Empat Elemen (The Four Elements), a collection of prose and poems.

“We at The Hermes believe that anyone can write. Anyone can submit their writings and try their luck at getting their works published by The Hermes,” Jia said.

Deisha Tamar contributes to the article.