Maria Athini MA, MSWWJ (she/her)
Journalist, author, lyricist. She works as a screenwriter and a playwright, an editor for local press, and a lyricist, in both her native and primary languages. She holds an MA in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies (Modern Languages) from the University of London. She studies literature and film in English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. Her research focuses on the coming-of-age novel (Bildungsroman) of early 20th century; and on ‘exophonic’ poetry by immigrants and refugees. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Actors of Dionysus. Her recent works include libretti for opera Eleni (2016) and musicals Liberaj (2019) and Scrooge (2023). Following the staging of Eleni, she received an award for her contribution to Greek culture by UNESCO Piraeus and Islands. Her songs Life After Money and The Cocktail Song have received ‘commented entry’ awards in the UK Songwriting Contest in 2017 and 2018. Member of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists; Society of Authors; British Comparative Literature Association; and the Greek Screenwriters Guild. Website: www.maria-athini.com
