Hey! I’m Alaa Elbannan, I’m a writer and an illustrator. I'm obsessed with book-art. I studied liberal arts in Cairo Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences, and later studied translation and interpreting in the American University in Cairo. I currently work in the arts and culture field through designing and facilitating art workshops and producing art books. Through these projects, I try to explore the nature of the creative process, I try to create a discussion around themes such as: consciousness, every-day-life, the mundane and the slow, the tangible and the abstract. I do that through merging creative tools and methods where there is space to create something truly personal and experimental. I started Swimming with the Whales, a project exploring art-books and independent publishing as an endevour to create space for myself and maybe others, to express and create away from the formalities of institutional and commercial work.

Hello! My name is Noha Ewies. I’m an IT Project Manager / Data Analyst. I’ve been in the IT field since 2004 because I have a thing for numbers. Making sense out of messy numbers and data is what I love most about my work.I love exploring them, analyzing them and playing around with them till I find their story and what they’re trying to tell me. And since I love stories, I became a huge fan of Dr. Ahmed Khaled Tawfik ever since I was a kid. Then growing older I became an anime and manga fanatic. The way they tell stories and the unique way each manga artist expresses himself never fail to impress and inspire me. In a nutshell, my hobbies define me. I’m the one behind Saad W Ekram Bedtime Stories, حواديت سعد وإكرام . I’ve always wanted to do something with children’s literature, and I guess I finally found my secret door.

Hi everyone! I’m Esraa Kamal, a visual artist and a graphic designer born in Cairo in June 1999. I graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts, Department of Media and Graphics, Badr University in Cairo (2017-2022). I currently work with the design team at Fathy Mahmoud Porcelain. I’m also a part of the “Saad and Ekram Bedtime Stories” project and contributed to illustrating the first story "Nana Semsema’s Blanket”. I’ve always been interested in expressing momentary feelings and thoughts as part of communicating with the self and healing through the integration of multimedia: collage, ink, lino-printing and photography. This integration of multimedia allows me to express internal and external noise and conflicts. As well, I’m working on an independent project on the making of Zines. Through various techniques, I try to find different answers and visions about the past and the intersection of the public with the private. Through my work, I wonder "How do we see ourselves and can we see our reflection through the past?"

I’m Mohamed Ragab; a visual artist and a graphic designer interested in conceptual photography as the basis for my artistic vision. I aspire for my work to be an inner journey for everyone who sees it, opening doors for them to explore their thoughts and experiences, and inspiring them to interact with the world in new ways. I combine photography, writing, drawing, and collage to choose the medium that most authentically expresses my ideas, drawing inspiration from my observations of the inner and outer worlds to produce meaningful works of art.