ABOUT ME

I’m Anna Rikko, born in May 2025, or at least this is when I was born as Anna Rikko.

My birth as a writer happened years ago, in the second grade, on the first day of school after summer break. The traditional “How I Spent My Vacation” writing exercise. One by one, my classmates read their summer chronicles. I swam. I rode my bicycle. I went fishing. It was sunny. I liked my summer. The same story, with slight variations.

Then it was my turn. No, my story would be different. I tore the page out and started over. Five minutes later, my first story saw the light of day. In simple childish sentences, I described the sensation of being on a sandy beach: shells cracking beneath my feet, sand sticking to my fingers, the sun shimmering on azure water, the wind gently playing with my hair. The silence that filled the classroom – and then a clear “Wow!” from the last, “hooligan”, row – was my reward. For a moment, I almost believed I had spent my summer by the sea instead of at my grandma’s cottage deep in the woods.

Writing wasn’t the only language I discovered as a child. Around the same time, I also fell in love with dance. Over the years, I’ve explored many different styles, but for the past twenty-five years flamenco has become my home – a dance that, much like writing, is built on rhythm, emotion, and storytelling.

Even during my years in the international corporate world, neither writing nor dance disappeared. One found expression in presentations, speeches, and articles; the other remained a constant companion outside the office. Both patiently waited for the day when Anna – the funny girl with short pigtails – could finally live her childhood dream and become a storyteller.

And so was Anna Rikko born…