Alexander Maxia
Founder of Lost in a Cup & Freelance Journalist
‘Coffee drinking should not be seen as a routine but rather appreciated each time as a ritual that enables us to achieve greater things.’
Bio
Born in London (UK), grew up in Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia (Italy), lived in Uppsala, just north of Stockholm (Sweden) for 5 years. He now lives in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, which is equally distant to the three Scandinavian capitals: Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen.
Has been passionate about writing and producing media since an early age starting with the high school magazine to then move into student media during university years in both Manchester and Uppsala. He founded Lost in a Cup as an exchange student’s blog in 2013 and then developed the concept further in 2017 towards creating the content you see today.
Interests: History, startups & innovation, urban development, politics, current affairs, cultures & traditions plus has an odd fascination for accents!
Interests
- People: As reflected by my studies my main interest is people and comparing their differences and similarities.
- Communication: A fine art that connects people in dialogues in various languages and in many different ever-changing ways. These skills can have a lot of power in uniting, dividing, cheering, angering, enriching or fooling people and it all depends on: who does it and in what way. The complexity of our communication patterns is what distinguishes humans from animals and understanding the systems behind them, is the key of true social understanding.
- Coffee: It is more of a passion then an interest, but I love the taste of it, the energy it gives and the rituals associated with its consumption; from the coffee shop, to Swedish Fika in a traditional konditori, the automatic machine or even better: on the patio of an Italian bar.
- Discovering: I enjoy travelling and discovering new places that could be going to a different continent, walking home taking a different street or venturing into a part of town I’ve never been to before (even in unheard of places such as ‘Chrolotn-cum-hardy’).
Portfolio
Audio
BBC World Service – Newsday – Norway’s controversial Santa advert
Times Radio – Corona Update from Sweden – 23rd December 2021.
The Mark Patterson’s Show, BBC Radio Ulster. Live Interview on Norwegian’s ‘Gay Santa advert’ – 22nd November 2021.
BBC World Service – The Global News Podcast – 7th September 2021. New regulations on e-scooters in Oslo (min. 22,47).
P3 Dokumnetär – Sveriges Radio. ‘Kryssningskatastrofen och “Kapten Ynkrygg” ‘ – radio documentary on the sinking of the cruise-liner Costa Concordia and the media storm that followed. (2021)
BBC World Service, The Global News Podcast – 22nd July 2021. Reporting from Oslo on the commemorations of the 22nd of July terror attacks.
P3 Dokumentär – Sveriges Radio. ‘Kriget mot Sicilianska Maffian’ – radio documentary on the war against Sicilian mafia (2021).
Människor och Tro (religion and society) on P1 – Sveriges Radio. Reportage from Rome on ‘ Women’s role in the Catholic Church’ (2021).
P3 Nyheter – Sveriges Radio. Reporting from Rome on the return of tourism after the change in covid restrictions (2021).
Musikguiden i P3 – Sveriges Radio. Reporting from Rome on the victory of Italian rock band Måneskin at Eurovision (2021).
Student Radio
Written
Gay Santa ad highlights big shift in Norwegian society. BBC News (online) – December 2021.
Sweden on verge of getting first ever female prime minister. The Independent – November 2021.
Swedish police identify suspect in Gothenburg explosion inquiry. The Independent – September 2021.
The climate crisis election: Norway goes to the polls and environmental concerns will be key to the result. The Independent – September 2021.
10 Things that superise Italians when they move to Sweden. The Local, September 2021.
The Cashless Society – Sweden.se (2020)
The Mentorship scheme helping foreigners navigate life in Sweden. The Local, 8th January 2021.
Student Magazines (Aktuellt, Tidningen Ergo, Holmiensis, Nya Gammal Phosphorus, The Mancunion)
Video
BBC Worklife – Friluftsliv. Fixer for the filming of Maddy Savage’s report on ‘outdoor living’ in Sweden.
BBC Travel – Valborg. Researched for the report by Maddy Savage on the tradition of Valborg in Uppsala (2019).
Since a very young age has been writing for student media, started a blog whilst on exchange semester in Sweden (early 2013) and still writes to date.