Spiri Tsintziras has been writing about food, family and connection for over 30 years. Her mother has inspired many stories-most recently on SBS online. Spiri is the author of the memoirs My Ikaria: How the People From a Small Mediterranean Island Inspired Me to Live a Happier, Healthier and Longer Life (Nero 2018) and Afternoons in Ithaka (ABC Books 2014). She co-authored, with Myfanwy Jones, the award-winning and internationally acclaimed Parlour Games for Modern Families (Scribe 2008). Her stories and articles have been published in anthologies, newspapers, and online. Spiri trained as a social worker and freelance journalist. She has worked in publications and communications roles in public health for over twenty years while running her own communications business. For nearly a decade, she has taught professional writing at Swinburne University. She lives with her family in Melbourne.