Literature serves as an effective medium for fostering cultural awareness while promoting reflective, critical, and participatory literacy. This community service program aimed to optimize the role of the Duduk Baca Literacy Community in Malang City in fostering cultural awareness through discussions of Indonesian literary works and poetry writing. The program employed participatory and reflective approaches involving 25 participants from the literacy community and the general public. Program effectiveness was evaluated using pre-test and post-test questionnaires based on a four-point Likert scale, complemented by participant observation during the discussion sessions. The results demonstrated improvements across all evaluation indicators. The mean score for empathy and appreciation of local culture increased from 2.35 to 3.42, openness to dialogue and respect for diverse perspectives increased from 2.48 to 3.36, and active participation in socially oriented literacy activities increased from 2.21 to 3.28. Observational findings also indicated greater participant engagement in literary discussions and improved ability to express ideas through reasoned arguments. These findings suggest that literature-based literacy activities integrating literary discussions and poetry writing are effective in fostering cultural awareness and strengthening community participation in value-based literacy practices.