Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Maria D. Smith is a recent graduate of Northwestern University's Writing for the Stage and Screen MFA program. Having grown up on her grandmother's plays, Maria has pursued writing as more than a career, but as an homage to her ancestor's wildest dreams. Her play "Every Man's Memorial Marked" was featured in the Theater Master's TAKE TEN Festival, where it was then published in their seventh annual anthology. Before pursuing writing full time, Maria worked in development at Nashville Repertory Theater and Motion Picture Corporation of America. Maria currently lives in Los Angeles, California, where she hopes to further evolve as a writer and help bring more Southern flavor to the West Coast.