Books make an immense contribution to how we understand architecture in showing us examples, opening up interpretations, narratives and ideas, and providing instruction and knowledge. But who makes them, and what are their motivations?

Inspired by Women’s Day and challenged by the Architecture Foundation, editors at Women Writing Architecture sought out some of the women behind the scenes – publishers, designers, editors and authors – to ask them why they make books, and what their advice is to those of us who want to. The result is a constellation of ten-minute introductions to these women in conversations that individually and together reveal the roles of design, value, money and time – from the monumental to the distracted, in the making of books and their relationship to other forms of mediating architecture.

The Architecture Foundation collection can be found here.

Click on the icon for individual conversations below:

Episode 1: Claudia Mion, Caryatide

Based in Paris, Italian-born architect Claudia Mion is the publisher of Caryatide, a small platform for reflection on architecture, art and design that produces books and events. Interested in collective and collaborative work, Claudia reveals the inspirational path that she has taken from the youthful provocations of Cosa Mentale to the responsibilities of running a sustainable, yet perfectionist, business.

Episode 2: Morgan Crowcroft-Brown, MACK

Trained in anthropology, Morgan Crowcroft-Brown moved from Australia to London in 2017 to become, over time, the designer and production director at MACK. Her feeling for the relationship between cultural ideas and their representation, availability and dissemination underlies her explanation of how she grew into her role and the inseparability of design and production.

Episode 3: Shumi Bose, KoozArch

Educator, editor and curator Shumi Bose, who grew up in Kolkata before returning to the UK to enter deep into the flow of architectural culture, reflects upon the intertwined nature of her multi-faceted work. Amongst various themes, she considers issues of engagement and communication, the relationship between money and compromise, and the sacred role of the book for her culturally.

Episode 4: Emilia Terragni, Phaidon Press

Emilia Terragni, born in Como but long-time citizen of London, tells of her journey from project editor to publisher at Phaidon Press. Responsible for the food, design and architecture titles, she explores the importance of the human subject, whether chef or architect. Alongside discussing the value of good design, she reflects on the slow process of making a book, concluding with an inspiring note on incremental improvement.

Episode 5: Ilka Ruby, Ruby Press

Berlin-based publisher, curator, architect Ilka Ruby gives insight into her journey into publishing at Ruby Press, and her creative aversion to the monograph, which leads her to seek new formats and perspectives. With a political and social perspective, Ilka describes her enjoyment of bringing different voices together, and compares the process of making a book to curating and programming events as a way of stimulating debate.

Episode 6: Pamela Johnston, editor

For many years, the work of translator and editor Pamela Johnston has played a behind-the-scenes but essential role in architectural publishing. Based in London, Pamela spent over 30 years at AA Publications. She shines a light on the enjoyment, changes and challenges she experienced there. She tells of the empathy and collaboration necessary in making a good book, before touching upon the implications of AI in her work.