An academic, a musician, a creative writer and performing artist, Maria grew up with two major loves: music and literature. The former became her main learning interest, which she followed through music schools and universities in Cyprus, Greece and the UK. After acquiring her first degree in Music Studies at Ionian University, she moved to Durham where she completed her MA (by Research) and her PhD, under the guidance of Prof. Max Paddison. Her research interests are firmly grounded in sociological readings of music, while philosophy and critical theory are featured heavily in her thought.
During these years of study, Maria remained active as a performer, songwriter and creative writer, mostly of poetry. She has published two poetry collection (2017, 2018) a novella (2019), and a number of short stories and poems in various anthologies. Her poetry has been awarded and acknowledged at literary competitions and she has performed at various spoken word events, bridging her her background in performance with her identity as a writer. A major cornerstone of this symbiosis has, she says, been Collectiva Inanna, whose inaugural production ‘Taking Back the Booty’ brought together her performative, poetic and musical sides, and allowed them to find a home within the diverse creativity of its other founding members.
Maria is always open to new creative challenges and everything that can be learned in the process, and is looking forward to seeing where life’s journey – creative in its own way – is going to take her next. To respond to it, she has her musical, literary, and performative tools.