We hold a deep belief that art, self-expression and dialogue are the key components of change
With a perfect combination of skills and expertise in art, publishing and education, we are confident in our ability to bring social change – contributing to a creation of a compassionate, diverse, and expressive society.

Our Story

In 2012 one of the members of Another Book Collective, Dinara Asadulina, co-founded a school for children from low-income and marginalised communities in St. Petersburg, and has been running it for eight years. A writer and a committed educator, Dinara has extensive experience working with underrepresented ethnic and religious groups. Being a daughter of a Tatar Muslim woman in the early 1990s Russia, she knows from her own life what it is like to be isolated as a child because of your background or culture and to lack a safe space for expression.

The school Dinara established is focused on nurturing creativity and social, emotional, and ethical skills through art (visual, performative and literary). It is run democratically by children, parents, and teachers together.

In 2018, after moving to the UK, Dinara received a Masters in Education degree from the University of Cambridge, her research being focused on diversity and inclusion in Camden primary schools. Due to Dinara’s practical experience and extensive research on equitable education, Another Book Collective is able to create and facilitate a compassionate and creative learning environment for children and young adults.

In 2019, together with another member of the Collective, an artist and architect Christos Kakouros, Dinara started conducting art workshops and programmes for early years children and teenagers with the intention to enhance students’ confidence and foster empathy. Soon they were joined by other members of the Collective.


Learning Approach

Our approach to art education is informed by the methods of Corita Kent, Bruno Munari, Reggio Emilia pedagogy, design thinking, and our own experience. Art making is always children-led and takes shape of installations, bookmaking, digital design, painting, exhibitions, etc, in the spirit of constant curiosity, honesty and openness to mistakes.

We always start our collective work by establishing trust and discovering mutual interests with local collaborators and educators. Only by maintaining focus on learning and reciprocal trust can we build a space where creativity can flourish.

In dialogue with teachers and other partners, we develop an open and inclusive environment, while making art together, cooking, exploring different cultures and strengthening community ties.

Current Art Teachers

Dinara Asadulina
Christos Kakouros