November 9, 2009. Joan Ferrante, Columbia professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, has received a $40,000 grant to build on Epistolae, the online database created by Ferrante and CCNMTL that showcases a collection of letters to and from women during the 4th to 13th centuries. Ferrante was recently featured in The Record for receiving an Emeritus Fellowship from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the enhancement of Epistolae and continue her research on understanding the roles of women in medieval times, which she started over 20 years ago.

First released in 2000, Epistolae is a public website that offers scholars and students a repository of texts, translations, and background information about women engaged in correspondence in the Middle Ages. The letters, originally written in Latin, are translated to English and linked to biographical sketches of the women who wrote or received them.

According to the article, "Retirement for These Professors Means More Work," Ferrante will use the Emeritus Fellowship to hire translators for 2,000 letters waiting to be added to the online database.

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