Discover the “sprezzatura,” courage, and genius of the fierce and fearless women in Italian literature and history as we look at the real lives and imagined heroines from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. From the eloquence and wit of Boccaccio’s Princess Ghismonda in the Decameron to the innovative style and political savvy of real-life Duchess Isabella d’Este, we will look at Italian female figures that have used grace, charm, and passion to shape their lives and our world.

Kristin Stasiowski, Ph.D is the Assistant Dean of International Programs and Education Abroad for the College of Arts and Sciences and is also an Assistant Professor of Italian Language and Literature in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Kent State University. She received her Ph.D from Yale University in Italian Language and Literature and has taught Italian language, literature, cinema, history and culture in both Florence, Italy and at Kent State. She recently published a chapter entitled A Divine Comedy for All Time: Dante’s Enduring Relevance for the Contemporary Reader in Italian Pop Culture: Media, Product, Imageries. Rome, Italy: Viella Editrice s.r.. Her current research is focused on Dante, Boccaccio, and the modern poet Clemente Rebora.