About
The worlds and references in Gianna Compagno's works are heavily inspired by her cultural and historical experiences around the world and informed by her formal education in Politics, International Relations, Sociology, and Anthropology.
Explore a timeline of her most formative experiences below.
Timeline of Influences on Gianna's Work
2024-present
Washington, D.C.
Gianna lives in Washington, D.C., where she works with a non-profit in the global security space. She currently works across a number of global security issues, including natural resource security, human rights, conflict prevention, and more.
Since 2024, she has traveled to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Thailand, the Bahamas, Türkiye, Tunisia, Cyprus, and Armenia, for both work and pleasure. Her newest revelation is an addiction to antique handmade rugs, her infatuation with which has recently featured in one of her novels.
Armenia for a preservation project
2022-2023
Tokyo, Japan
After finishing her BA, Gianna moves to Tokyo, Japan, to teach English to adults and children and explore as much of Japan as possible, journeying as far north as Hokkaido (twice) and as far south as Okinawa, as well as many, many places in between.
Japan's culture and history are a formative influence for Gianna, as evidenced by the Japanese cultural and linguistic motifs presented throughout her novels.
Sapporo, Hokkaido for the Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival)
2019-2022
Trinity College, University of Cambridge, U.K.
Gianna studies Human, Social, and Political Sciences, with a focus on Sociology, the History of Political Thought, and Southeast Asian politics at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, U.K.
Her obsession with sociology and political thought feature heavily in the philosophical aspects of her work, influencing the governments she builds, the social questions she raises, and the ways that her characters process the world around them.
Matriculation at Cambridge
2000-2019
Northern California, USA
Gianna Compagno is raised in Northern California, close to the wine country.
Her clear love of water and beaches is heavily influenced by her spending nearly every childhood summer on a beach of some kind. To pay tribute to this, The Eyes of Cordiayari starts off with a beach trip in California, Celia and Terrence's home state.
White water rafting on the American River (yes, that's Gianna)