Anne Diestelkamp
cultural programmer, artistic researcher/ editor and translator
Collective Reading
The Garden Above the School, Amsterdam Dance Academy
2026
In the middle of winter, at the turning of the calendar year, we gathered at The Garden Above the School on the rooftop of the Amsterdam Dance Academy to read together from Soils Turn – A Field Guide to Artistic Earthly Engagements. Edited by Alexandra R. Toland and Patricia L. Watts and published in late 2025, Soils Turn brings together stories and practices that work with soil—its materials, histories, places, and living communities. The collective reading took us through the event and through the garden: In the middle of winter rest, we worked on the community compost, tended the soil and prepared it for spring.
The Perennial Reading Group is a nomadic, ongoing gathering for those drawn to sharing plant wisdom—eco-feminists, gardeners, cross-pollinators, and all who feel kinship with the more-than-human world. We come together to read books that sharpen and expand these commitments. The Perennial Reading Group meets up irregularly and unpredictably.