Melissa Trachtenberg completed a BA in English Literature and Women's Studies from Colby College in Maine, during which time she directed several musical productions and performed and recorded a wide range of musical styles. She took post-graduate film classes at Columbia University and collaborated on award-winning student productions. She completed a Masters in Cultural Studies at the University of Edinburgh (with Distinction) and is currently embarking on a PhD exploring a feminist perspective of Avant-Garde (and Neo-Avant-Garde) Cinema. In between academic pursuits, Melissa has worked as an income tax preparer in New York, and produced and performed musical and theatrical pieces in New York City and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.