Dreaming Sophia - An Interview with Author Melissa Muldoon

Melissa Muldoon is the Studentessa Matta—the crazy linguist! In Italian, “matta” means “crazy” or “impassioned”. Melissa has a B.A. in fine arts, art history and European History from Knox College, a liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, as well as a master’s degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has also studied painting and art history in Florence.

Melissa promotes the study of Italian language and culture through her dual-language blog, Studentessa Matta (studentessamatta.com). Melissa began the Matta blog to improve her command of the language and to connect with other language learners. It has since grown to include a podcast, “Tutti Matti per l’Italiano” and the Studentessa Matta YouTube channel. Melissa also created Matta Italian Language Immersion Tours, which she co-leads with Italian partners in Italy.

Dreaming Sophia is Melissa’s first novel. It is a fanciful look at art history and Italian language and culture, but it is also the culmination of personal stories and insights resulting from her experiences living in Italy, as well as her involvement and familiarity with the Italian language, painting, and art history. 

For more information on Melissa Muldoon and her book, visit her website at www.DreamingSophiaBook.com. For more information on her Italian language blog visit studentessamatta.com.

Topics of conversation:

• The Studentessa Matta – Her Italian language blog
• Her original career plans as an art history teacher
• Being a plein air painter and graphic designer
• How her passion for Italy comes to life through her book
• Italian language immersion program
• Meeting Sophia Loren!