Maria Riaz started her journey as an illustrator and author in 2019. She gained recognition from her first self-published book “Our Superhero Edhi Baba”. She has written and illustrated many children’s books with a number of other publishers as well. Maria is a textile designer and multimedia artist from NCA Pakistan. In addition to this she is a USAID alumni with courses from Rhode Island School of Design USA. She has several years of experience working in the industry and as an art and design educator before starting her career in children’s literature. She was awarded the "Sadequain Pride of Performance Award" for her remarkable illustrations in 2021. She lives and works in Muzaffarabad AJK