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{{short description|Italian-American writer, poet, inventor, actress, voice artist}}
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{{COI|date=September 2014}} {{COI|date=September 2014}}
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{{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see ]. --> {{Infobox writer <!-- For more information see ]. -->
| name = Vanna Bonta<!-- Deleting this line will use the article title as the page name. --> | name = Vanna Bonta<!-- Deleting this line will use the article title as the page name. -->
| image = Vanna Bonta 2009.sept15.jpg | image = VannaBonta.2Suit-cr.jpg
| image_size = | image_size =
| alt = | alt =
| caption = Bonta at Poetry Society conference Florence, Italy; September 2009<BR>Photo courtesy of Giulio Frizzi | caption = Bonta (left) with her husband Allen Newcomb in 2008
| birth_date = 3 April 1958 | birth_date = {{birth date|1953|04|03|df=y}}
| birth_place = United States | birth_place = ], U.S.
| death_date = 8 July 2014<ref>, legacy.com; accessed 28 September 2014.</ref> (aged 56) | death_date = {{death date and age|2014|07|08|1953|04|03|df=y}}<ref>; accessed 13 February 2015.</ref>
| death_place = | death_place =
| occupation = Writer, author, poet, actor, songwriter, voice artist | occupation = {{flatlist|
* Writer
| language = English, Italian
* actor
| genre = Fiction, poetry, essay, ], ], ], screenplay, ]
* voice artist
| movement = ], ], ]
}}
| notableworks = ] (Disney), coined ], '']''<ref>{{cite web|title=Fiction review – Flight: a quantum fiction novel, by Vanna Bonta|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/search/index.html?q=978-0-912339-10-8|publisher=]|accessdate=May 28, 2014}}</ref>
| language = English, Italian
| relatives = ] (grandfather), ] (mother), ] (aunt)
| genre = Fiction, poetry, essay, ], ], ]
| influences = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]}}
| movement = ]
| notableworks = '']''<ref>{{cite web|title=Fiction review – Flight: a quantum fiction novel, by Vanna Bonta |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780912339108 |publisher=] |access-date=May 28, 2014 |url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107210411/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780912339108 |archive-date=2019-01-07 }}</ref>
| relatives = ] (grandfather)
}}
'''Vanna Marie Bonta''' (April 3, 1953 – July 8, 2014) was an American writer, actress, and inventor. She was of partial Italian descent. She wrote '']''. As an actress, Bonta played "Zed's Queen" in '']''. She performed primarily as a voice talent on a roster of feature films, such as Disney's '']'', as well as on television. Bonta invented the ], a flight garment designed to facilitate sex in ] environments of outerspace. The spacesuit was featured on '']'', which followed Bonta into zero gravity to film an episode titled '']'' that aired in 2009 on the ].<ref name="Lo spazio">{{cite news|last=Scaturro|first=Giorgia|title=Lo spazio, mai stato così sexy|url=http://daily.wired.it/news/scienza/lo-spazio-mai-stato-cosi-sexy.html?page=1|access-date=19 May 2014|newspaper=Wired Magazine|date=27 April 2009}}</ref>


On 13 November 2013, a ] by Bonta was one of 1,100 haiku launched from ] on the NASA spacecraft ] to Mars.<ref name="Boulder haiku" />
'''Vanna Bonta''' (3 April 1958 – 8 July 2014) was an Italian-American poet, novelist, essayist, actress, inventor and artist's model. She wrote '']''. As an actress, Bonta played "Zed's Queen" in '']''. She performed primarily as a voice talent on a roster of feature films, such as Disney's '']'', as well as television.

One of her poetry collections was awarded a gold medal book prize by the Italian Minister of Culture and Florentine Poetry Society, and, on 13 November 2013, a haiku by Bonta was launched from ] on the NASA spacecraft ] to Mars. {{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

Bonta invented the ], a flight garment designed to facilitate ] and stability in ] environments of outerspace. The spacesuit was featured on '']'', which followed Bonta into zero gravity to film a documentary titled '']'' that aired in 2009 on ] and opened worldwide discussion of human colonization of other planets. Another Bonta invention, described in ], is a shoe with a telescoping heel that converts from a flat into heels.<ref name="Lo spazio">{{cite news|last=Scaturro|first=Giorgia|title=Lo spazio, mai stato così sexy|url=http://daily.wired.it/news/scienza/lo-spazio-mai-stato-cosi-sexy.html?page=1|accessdate=19 May 2014|newspaper=Wired Magazine|date=27 April 2009}}</ref>


==Early life and family== ==Early life and family==
Bonta was born on April 3, 1953 in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xqMrAQAAIAAJ |title=Who's Who in California |date=1990 |publisher=Who's Who Historical Society |isbn=978-0-9603166-8-7 |pages=53 |language=en}}</ref> Her parents were ] (] Ugolini), a painter from ], and James Cecil Bonta, a military officer from ].<ref name=":0" /> Her grandfather was ], a Florentine knight.<ref name=":0" /> Her maternal aunt was Italian children's author Lidia Ugolini.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}
Bonta was born in the United States to ] (née Ugolini; 1918–1997), a fine-art ] from ], Italy, and James Cecil Bonta (1918–1992), a military officer from ]. Her mother's elder sister was Italian children's author ]. Within a month of Vanna's birth, the family returned to her mother's home town in ], where Bonta was baptized in the ] with her grandfather, the Italian author ], as her godfather.<ref>, by Francesca Ceci; ''Minerva'' (magazine), 18 May 2012</ref> The family then moved to ], where they stayed for five years before returning to ], Virginia.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}}


==Literary career==
While taking college classes in journalism, drama, music and photography, Bonta was hired as a staff feature writer for ''The Unicorn Times'', a ] underground newspaper.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}} Bonta wrote about art, dance, and music, and her article archives include an interview with celebrated American jazz singer ], inventor of ]. As a result of incoming mail from readers, she soon had her own column titled "Near Vanna", in parody of the ] column, in which she publicly answered questions that had started coming in from readers about the arts. The column's banner was "Ask me, I'm not afraid to know", and ran for four issues.<ref>Harrington, Richard. "Limelight." ''Washington Post'', section D, p. 3, 29 August 1982; retrieved via Lexis Nexis Academic Universe.</ref>


In 1995, Bonta's first novel, '']'' was published. ''Flight'' has been characterized as "inter-genre" (belonging to more than one genre simultaneously) by the ], which reviewed it an "auspicious, genre-bending parable".<ref name=booklist>{{cite news|title=Flight, by Vanna Bonta|url=http://www.booklistonline.com/Flight-Vanna-Bonta/pid=633821|access-date=28 April 2014|newspaper=BookList|date=June 1995}}</ref> ''Publishers Weekly'' described the debut work as running the gamut of particularly moving to quirky and hilarious satire, with "asides about bathtub books, self-doubt tapes and other foibles."<ref name=bonta>{{cite news|title=Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel|url=http://www.pw.org/content/vanna_bonta|access-date=26 April 2014|newspaper=Publishers Weekly|date=2 January 1995}}</ref>
During her time in Washington, D.C., she was also playing music and songwriting. Bonta composed in different genres, Alternative Punk, Jazz, and Country. Four of her songs won Honorable Mentions for music and lyrics in the '']'' World Song Competition and the American Song Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/vannabonta7|title=Answer the Phone! by Vanna Bonta|publisher=CDBaby.com|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://youtube/ayDUGA2twuc|title=Vanna Bonta YouTube|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref> Bonta supported herself working in an art gallery framing paintings. There, she would write messages in the back of paintings, signing her name before quickly sealing them in brown paper.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}} She also began her voice-over career in ], landing jobs as the voice and regional spokesperson for ].{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}


In 2013, a haiku Bonta wrote was one of over 1100 that was launched to ] on the NASA spacecraft ].<ref name="Time mag coverage">{{cite news|last=Steinmetz|first=Katy|title=NASA is sending these poems to Mars|url=https://swampland.time.com/2013/08/09/nasa-is-sending-these-poems-to-mars/|access-date=27 May 2014|newspaper=Time|date=9 August 2013}}</ref> The haiku for the Mars trip were chosen by popular vote from a total 12,530 submissions. Bonta's submission was ranked in the top five.<ref name="Boulder haiku">{{cite web|title=Going to Mars with Maven contest winners|url=http://lasp.colorado.edu/maven/goingtomars/send-your-name/contest-winners/|publisher=University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics|access-date=26 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="NASA report on haikus">{{cite news|title=MAVEN Haiku Selected For Travel to Mars|url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=44609|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|date=8 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521080551/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=44609|archive-date=21 May 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="npr on haiku">{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Rachel|title=Sending Poetry To Mars|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=211025042|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=National Public Radio|date=11 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="haiku in space huffpost">{{cite news|title=1,100 Haiku Headed To Mars Aboard NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/haiku-mars_n_3733860.html|access-date=26 April 2014|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=9 August 2013}}</ref>
==Career==


==Inventions==
===Artist's model===
At the age of eleven, Bonta modeled for Italian painter ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=4367 |title=Pietro Annigoni: Italy's Greatest Misunderstood Artist|publisher=theflorentine.net|date=9 April 2009|accessdate=28 May 2014|author=Brenda Dionisi}}</ref> and at fifteen, she modeled for American sculptor ], who sculpted a life-sized ] portrait of Bonta.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}}


===The 2suit===
Bonta also claimed to have been sculptor ]'s model for the figure of Woman in the three-dimensional stone installation "Ex Nihilo" that Hart had been commissioned to create for the ] west entrance tympanum.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vanna Bonta - Biography - IMDB|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095209/bio|accessdate=6 January 2015}}</ref> However, according to photographs and other sources, the actual model was Lindy Lain, Hart's future wife.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frederickhart.com/wnc.asp|title=Lindy Lain, soon to be Lindy Hart, modeling for Ex Nihilo|accessdate=5 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jeanstephengalleries.com/hart-wolfe.html|title=The Lives They Lived: Frederick Hart, b. 1943; The Artist the Art World Couldn't See|accessdate=5 January 2015}}</ref>


In 2006, Bonta gave talks about an invention she called the ], a flight garment that can be attached to another 2suit to allow two or more people to stay in proximity to one another in low-gravity environments. Although it had several other potential applications, its primary purpose was to enable ]. Producers of the ] television series '']'' approached Bonta in 2008, offering to manufacture a prototype of the 2suit and send Bonta into zero gravity to test it. She accepted. On the 2suit's segment of the episode, Bonta and her husband demonstrated how the suit works by kissing while wearing it.<ref name="Foreign policy blog">{{cite news|last=Friedman|first=Uri|title=Is Newt's zero-gravity sex idea any good?|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/01/26/is_newts_zero_gravity_sex_idea_any_good|access-date=19 May 2014|newspaper=ForeignPolicy.com|date=26 January 2012}}</ref> The documentary concluded that the "2Suit is one small step for humankind colonizing the universe."<ref name="history channel broadcast on youtube">{{cite news|title=The Universe: Sex in space|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Fl7KM7A88|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=History Channel}}</ref> The 2suit received significant media attention after the episode, titled ''Sex in Space'', aired in 2009.<ref name="wired article">{{cite news|last=Scaturro|first=Giorgia|title=A two-seater suit for space-lovers|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-04/30/a-two-seater-suit-for-space-lovers.aspx|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=Wired.com|date=30 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505020959/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-04/30/a-two-seater-suit-for-space-lovers.aspx|archive-date=5 May 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="alan boyle on 2suit">{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Alan |title=Outer-space sex carries complications |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14002908 |access-date=12 May 2014 |newspaper=NBC news.com |date=27 July 2006}}</ref><ref name="german interview on 2suit">{{cite news|title=Haben Astronauten eigentlich Sex im All?|url=http://www.bild.de/news/2010/sex/space-shuttle-kommandant-poindexter-sagt-nein-13120432.bild.html|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=Bild.de|date=7 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="italian article about 2suit">{{cite news|title=Sexo no espaço intriga pesquisadores|url=http://noticias.terra.com.br/ciencia/interna/0,,OI1078906-EI238,00.html%20Sexo%20no%20espa%C3%A7o%20intriga%20pesquisadores|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=Noticias.terra.com|date=24 July 2006}}</ref><ref name="quarks to quasars">{{cite web |title=The Complications of Sex in Space |url=https://futurism.com/the-complications-of-sex-in-space |access-date=7 January 2018 |website=Futurism |date=6 September 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909152747/https://futurism.com/the-complications-of-sex-in-space |archive-date=2018-09-09}}</ref><ref name="russians on 2suit">{{cite news|last=Ambruš-Kiš|first=Miroslav|title=Seks u svemiru? Nema prepreke koju čovjek ne bi svladao za seks|url=http://www.vecernji.hr/zanimljivosti/seks-u-svemiru-nema-prepreke-koju-covjek-ne-bi-svladao-za-seks-29343|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=Vecernji.hr|date=10 October 2009}}</ref><ref>, by Miroslav Ambruš-Kiš; Technologija magazine. November 17, 2011</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Bowie|first=Soren|title=7 Real Suits That Will Soon Make the World A Cooler Place|url=http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-real-suits-that-will-soon-make-world-cooler-place|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=Cracked.com|date=15 November 2010}}</ref>
===Acting===
Bonta had several small on-screen roles, including a nonspeaking part as Zed's queen in '']'' and the part of a laboratory student in ] aka ''Being From Another Planet''.<ref name="time walker">{{cite web|title=Time Walker|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084796/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=29 April 2014}}</ref> She also appeared in music videos for ]'s hit, ], and for British recording artist ] on "One By One" from his ] album.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

She also worked as a voice talent and was cast in small or uncredited parts in several productions, including '']'', '']'', ''],'' ] and various television shows.<ref name=IMBD>{{cite web|last=Mauricek|first=Ethan|title=Vanna Bonta biography|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095209/bio|work=Internet Movie Database|publisher=IMDB.com|accessdate=28 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="demo man">{{cite web|title=Demolition Man|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=29 April 2014}}</ref>

===Writing===
Bonta's first edition poetry collections are ] and ] published as chronological collections of life experience. A poem dedicated to the science fiction fantasy author ], a tribute and account of time Bonta spent with the writer including days before Moore's death, is among poems in ''Shades of the World''. The book was introduced at a literary conference of the Italian Poetry Society by ] in 1986, and was awarded the Camerata gold medal book prize. Her 1989 poetry collection ''Degrees: Thoughts Capsules and Microtales'' was endorsed by celebrity comedian ].<ref name="Diller endorsement">{{cite book|last1=Vanta|first1=Bonna|title=Degrees: Thought Capsules (Poems and Micro Tales on Life, Death, Man, Woman, & Art)|date=September 1989|publisher=Dora Books|pages=Back cover|edition=First|url=http://www.amazon.com/Degrees-Thought-Capsules-Poems-Micro/dp/0912339055|accessdate=1 June 2014}}</ref>

The Italian Poetry Camerata and Italian Minister of Culture formally presented Bonta's poems in 1986 and again in 1996 in the city of Florence, Italy. In 1986, Italian poet noted for coining the word "paparazzi", ], presented Bonta's poetry book ''Shades of the World'' at a literary conference in the ], and compared the effects of her poetry to chills she felt when reading ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Margherita.GuidacciDiscusses.Vanna.Bonta.Dec.13.1986.Awards.Book.reviewExcerpt|title=Margherita. Guidacci Discusses Vanna Bonta|publisher=archive.org|date=13 December 1986|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref>

From 1987–1993, she also wrote feature articles about Italian historical figures in the arts for ''The American Citizen'', a bimonthly publication out of ], ].<ref name="am citizen again">{{cite web|title=IHRC Italian American Collection|url=http://www.ihrc.umn.edu/research/periodicals/italian.php|work=Online Index|publisher=University of Minnesota|accessdate=19 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="am citizen">{{cite web|title=The American citizen|url=http://www.worldcat.org/title/american-citizen/oclc/7785992?referer=di&ht=edition|work=Online index|publisher=OCLC World Catalogue|accessdate=19 May 2014}}</ref> She also penned a column titled "Ordinary Holy Days" which ran for two years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Newspapers|url=http://www.omahahistory.org/news.html|work=Index|publisher=Douglas County Historical Society|accessdate=20 May 2014}}</ref>

An essay by Bonta also appears in ''The Malibu Times'' in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bonta|first=Vanna|title=The story behind the truck that went over the edge|accessdate=22 May 2014|newspaper=Malibu Times|date=24 May 1990}}</ref><ref>Pepperdine University Libraries; Special Collections and University Archives:
''The Malibu Times (1946—2000)''</ref> While acting in various films, Bonta worked as a development screenwriter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vanna Bonta – Other works|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0095209/otherworks|work=Internet Movie Database|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=20 May 2014}}</ref>

Bonta wrote three stories for ], and her story "Somewhen" was optioned but never developed.<ref name="Freelance star on Star trek episode">{{cite news|title=Bonta|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19920219&id=FQBOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5osDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3371,3232382|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=The Free Lance-Star|date=19 February 1992}}</ref><ref name="Rodham radio">{{cite news|title=Rodham Radio interview with VannaBonta|url=https://archive.org/stream/At.Issue.FrankHudak.Guest.VannaBonta.WTRV.Radio.11101996.Transcript/At.Issue.Frank_Hudak.Guest.Vanna_Bonta.WTRV.Radio.11-10-1996.Transcript#page/n15/mode/2up|accessdate=28 April 2014|newspaper=WTRV Radio|date=10 November 1996}}</ref><ref name="pitched Star Trek episode">{{cite book|last=Robb|first=Brian J.|title=A brief guide to Star Trek|year=2012|publisher=Constable and Robinson|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YvwwdLVO8t4C&pg=PT133&dq=Vanna+Bonta&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PwNcU7vWOMr88AGvw4GoBg&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=Vanna%20Bonta&f=false}}</ref>

====Flight====
In 1995 Bonta self-published her first novel, '']'', under the Meridian House name.<ref>, Introduction by Camerata President Otello Pagliai. Dissertation by Gabriella Fiori; September 1996, Cassa di Risparmio.</ref> ''Flight'' has been characterized as "inter-genre" (belonging to more than one genre simultaneously) by the ], which called it an "auspicious, genre-bending parable".<ref name=booklist>{{cite news|title=Flight, by Vanna Bonta|url=http://www.booklistonline.com/Flight-Vanna-Bonta/pid=633821|accessdate=28 April 2014|newspaper=BookList|date=June 1995}}</ref> '']'' described the work as running the gamut of particularly moving to quirky and hilarious satire, with "asides about bathtub books, self-doubt tapes and other foibles."<ref name=bonta>{{cite news|title=Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel|url=http://www.pw.org/content/vanna_bonta|accessdate=26 April 2014|newspaper=Publishers Weekly|date=2 January 1995}}</ref>

Bonta claimed that with the publication of ''Flight'', she introduced the term "quantum fiction" to the literary world.<ref name="quantum interview audio book">{{cite book|last=van der Linde|first=Laurel|title=Vanna Bonta Talks About Quantum Fiction: Author Interview|year=2007|publisher=Audio Library|url=http://www.audible.com/pd/Arts-Entertainment/Vanna-Bonta-Talks-About-Quantum-Fiction-Audiobook/B002VAA74G}}</ref>

====MAVEN Haiku====
In 2013, a haiku Bonta wrote was one of over 1100 that was launched to ] on the NASA spacecraft ].<ref name="Time mag coverage">{{cite news|last=Steinmetz|first=Katy|title=NASA is sending these poems to Mars|url=http://swampland.time.com/2013/08/09/nasa-is-sending-these-poems-to-mars/|accessdate=27 May 2014|newspaper=Time|date=9 August 2013}}</ref> The haikus for the Mars trip were chosen by popular vote from a total 12,530 submissions. Bonta's submission was ranked in the top five.<ref name="Boulder haiku">{{cite web|title=Going to Mars with Maven contest winners|url=http://lasp.colorado.edu/maven/goingtomars/send-your-name/contest-winners/|publisher=University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics|accessdate=26 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="NASA report on haikus">{{cite news|title=MAVEN Haiku Selected For Travel to Mars|url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=44609|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|date=8 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="npr on haiku">{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Rachel|title=Sending Poetry To Mars|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=211025042|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=National Public Radio|date=11 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="haiku in space huffpost">{{cite news|title=1,100 Haiku Headed To Mars Aboard NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/haiku-mars_n_3733860.html|accessdate=26 April 2014|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=9 August 2013}}</ref>

==Publishing and translation==
Bonta was the founding publisher and editor-in-chief of ''The Cosmos Review'', an online literary magazine and archive of poetry about space. In 2008, the Space Frontier Foundation presented the "Service to the Frontier" award to Bonta for her work on the magazine.<ref name="space frontier award">{{cite news|last=Pura|first=James|title=Poets get nod from space pros|url=http://spacefrontier.org/2008/08/poets-get-nod-from-space-pros-without-poetry-its-all-hardware|accessdate=29 April 2014|newspaper=Space Frontier Foundation|date=1 August 2008}}</ref> ''The Cosmos Review'' ran for five issues, ending in May 2010.<ref name="cosmos review">{{cite web|title=The Cosmos Review|url=http://thecosmosreview.com/|publisher=Vanna Bonta|accessdate=29 April 2014}}</ref>

Bonta has translated the works of Italian contemporary poets from Italian into English for publication. She spearheaded the English translation and publishing of ''The Story of a Rich Dog and a Poor Dog'', an Italian classic by ], a title from her literary family's book estate.

==Invention==

===The 2Suit===
Bonta received media attention for her invention of the ]. The invention converts two independent flight garments into a single garment for two people in zero-gravity environments who wish to achieve stabilization within proximity of a partner for the purpose of intimacy or mating, stabilizing work stations, recreational proximity, or emergency thermal applications.<ref name="wired article">{{cite news|last=Scaturro|first=Giorgia|title=A two-seater suit for space-lovers|url=http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-04/30/a-two-seater-suit-for-space-lovers.aspx|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=Wired.com|date=30 April 2009}}</ref><ref name="alan boyle on 2suit">{{cite news|last=Boyle|first=Alan|title=Outer-space sex carries complications|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14002908/%20Outer-space%20sex%20carries%20complications|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=NBC news.com|date=27 July 2006}}</ref><ref name="german interview on 2suit">{{cite news|title=Haben Astronauten eigentlich Sex im All?|url=http://www.bild.de/news/2010/sex/space-shuttle-kommandant-poindexter-sagt-nein-13120432.bild.html|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=Bild.de|date=7 March 2010}}</ref><ref name=thrusters>{{cite news|last=Monks|first=Keiron|title=Thrusters on full: Sex in space|url=http://metronews.ca/features/race-for-space-countdown/97508/thrusters-on-full-sex-in-space/|accessdate=19 May 2014|newspaper=Metro World News|date=9 April 2012}}</ref>

Bonta told Australia's Femail Magazine that she did not expect that her presentation about the physics of sex in space, least of all her casual mention of special clothing items, would spark worldwide interest.<ref name="femail interview">{{cite news|title=Vanna Bonta talks sex in space|url=http://www.femail.com.au/vanna-bonta-talks-sex-in-space.htm|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=Femail.com}}</ref>

Producers of the ] television series, ], decided to test the ] on one of the program's episodes. They approached Bonta in 2008 with an invitation that the show would manufacture a prototype and send her into zero gravity. She accepted. On the program, Bonta and her husband demonstrated how the suit works by kissing while wearing it. The documentary concluded that the "2Suit is one small step for humankind colonizing the universe."<ref name="history channel broadcast on youtube">{{cite news|title=The Universe: Sex in space|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-Fl7KM7A88|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=History Channel}}</ref><ref name="Kutty reviews History channel">{{cite news|last=Kutty|first=Darpana|title=The Universe: Sex in Space explores human side of space|url=http://www.topnews.in/universe-sex-space-explores-human-side-space-294690|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=Top News|date=2 December 2008}}</ref>

] called the 2suit one of seven suits that will soon make the world a cooler place.<ref name="cracked article">{{cite news|last=Bowie|first=Soren|title=7 Real Suits That Will Soon Make the World A Cooler Place|url=http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-real-suits-that-will-soon-make-world-cooler-place|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=Cracked.com|date=15 November 2010}}</ref>


===Lunar Lander Challenge=== ===Lunar Lander Challenge===
From 2007-09, she participated in the annual ], a competition sponsored by ] and ] to commercially build a lightweight spacecraft for landing on the moon. Bonta was a team member of ].<ref name="NBC on lunar lander">{{cite news|title=Lunar lander liftoff|url=http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2007/02/01/4349640-lunar-lander-liftoff?lite|accessdate=27 May 2014|newspaper=NBCNews.com|date=31 Jan 2007}}</ref> As part of the lunar engineering team, Bonta innovated a device that protects high-combustion engines from exploding during the ignition phase, and the part was engineered to success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUds_buqsMM&feature=share&list=PLFCC37031F8C4065C|title=BonNova Space Access|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">U.S. Patent Office Provisional Patent 61/205,056; 30 January 2009. REORPS</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://space.xprize.org/ng-lunar-lander-challenge/2008/teams/bonnova|title=Lunar Lander Challenge X-Prize Teams|publisher=xprize.org|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref> From 2007-09, she participated in the annual ], a competition sponsored by ] and ] to commercially build a lightweight spacecraft for landing on the Moon. Bonta was a team member of ].<ref name="NBC on lunar lander">{{cite news|title=Lunar lander liftoff|url=http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2007/02/01/4349640-lunar-lander-liftoff?lite|access-date=27 May 2014|newspaper=NBCNews.com|date=31 Jan 2007}}</ref> As creative director, Bonta designed a pressure-release device for high-combustion engines.<ref name="Adkins Inventor's digest article">{{cite news|last=Adkins|first=Jennifer|title=The 2Suit Adds New Meaning to the Term 'Mother of Invention' |url=http://www.inventorsdigest.com/?p=591%20The%202Suit%20Adds%20New%20Meaning%20to%20the%20Term%20%E2%80%98Mother%20of%20Invention|access-date=12 May 2014|newspaper=Inventor's Digest|date=May 2009}}</ref>

===Smart Clothing===
At ] in 2008, Bonta presented what she called futuristic "smart clothing" for fashion with functional innovations that included portable atmosphere and hydration in balloon couture, self-illuminating purse interiors, bluetooth earrings, thermal fabric, spray-on biodegradable "second skins" that protect and glitter, a travel shoe that converts from flats to heels, and velvet fabric with fibers that function as sensors.<ref name="space fashion">{{cite news|title=Vanna Bonta Presents Smart Fashion at NASA Ames Yuri's Night|url=http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-13127|accessdate=26 April 2014|newspaper=ireport.cnn.com|date=19 April 2008}}</ref><ref>US Patent Office; Provisional Patent #61/192,472 October 7, 2008</ref> The US Patent Office issued two additional provisional patents to Bonta, for a talking blanket called a "real comforter," that speaks a series of recorded phrases aimed to soothe<ref>U.S. Patent Office Provisional Patent 61/216,973; 8 June 2009. Comfurrrter</ref> and for a Rocket Engine Over-pressurization Release System (REORPS), a device that allows an over-pressurization in the combustion chamber of a rocket of high-combustion engine to vent to outside atmosphere or vacuum rather than build up to destructive levels, which Bonta developed with her teammate while participating in the Lunar Lander Challenge.<ref name="Adkins Inventor's digest article">{{cite news|last=Adkins|first=Jennifer|title=The 2Suit Adds New Meaning to the Term 'Mother of Invention' |url=http://www.inventorsdigest.com/?p=591%20The%202Suit%20Adds%20New%20Meaning%20to%20the%20Term%20%E2%80%98Mother%20of%20Invention|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=Inventor's Digest|date=May 2009}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Bonta first married in 1987;<ref> ], 1990</ref> the union was dissolved after five years. In 2002, she remarried, to rocket engineer ]. {{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

==Filmography==

===Film===
''(partial)''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1982
| ''] ''
| Zed's Wife
| superhero's mother
|-
| 1982
| '']''
| Student in Lab
|-
| 1990
| '']''
| Voice talent | Multiple voices
| ] animation feature
|-
| 1991
| '']''
| Voice actor | Federation of mice
| ] animation feature
|-
| 1991
| '']''
| Serena's Secretary
| Sharon Stone's look-alike secretary
|-
| 1991
| '']''
| Voice actor | Multiple voices
| ] animation feature
|-
| 1993
| '']''
| French teacher
| (voice actor)
|-
| 1993
| '']''
| Computer
| (voice actor)
|-
| 1996
| '']''
| dubbed role of Patricia Winterbourne
| (voice actor) Italian release
|-
| 1998
| '']''
| Heaven voices, multiple roles
| (voice actor)
|-
| 2003
| '']''
| E.R. nurse
| (voice actor)
|-
| 2004
| '']''
| Mali
| (voice actor) English version
|-
| 2006
| '']''
| Spirits
| (voice actor)
|-
| 2014
| ''Dante's Hell Documented''
| Narrator&nbsp;– 7th Circle: The Blasphemers
| (voice talent)
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1981
| '']''
| Bowler Girl
| Music video | MTV
|-
| 1982
| '']''
| Basketball Dancer
| Music video | MTV
|-
| 1982
| ''] ''
| Secretary
| TV series
|-
| 1985
| '']''
| Blue Moon Waitress
| TV movie
|-
| 1986
| '']''
| Lead Actress in Play
| TV series
|-
| 1996
| '']''
| Author, herself
| TV talk show
|-
| 2002
| '']''
| (voice)
| TV series (2 episodes)
|-
| 2009
| '']''
| Inventor, herself
| TV series ]
|-
|}

==Bibliography==

===Novels===
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = ]
| language =
| publisher = Meridian House
| year = 1995
| isbn = 978-0912339177
}}

===Poetry===
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Degrees – Thought Capsules (Poems) and Micro Tales on Life, Death, Man, Woman, & Art
| language =
| publisher = Dora Books
| year = 1989
| isbn = 978-0912339054
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Shades of the World
| language =
| publisher = Dora Books
| year = 1985
| isbn = 978-0912339016
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Rewards of Passion (Sheer Poetry)
| publisher = Empire Books
| year = 1981
| isbn =
}}<ref> Dewey Decimal Class 811/.54 | Library of Congress PS3552.O642 R4 1981 | Open Library</ref>

===Anthologies===
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Voci Fiorentine
| language = Italian
| publisher = Ibiskos Ulivieri
| year = 2013
| isbn = 9788878418639
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Lyrical Voices: An International Poetry Anthology
| publisher = Young Publications
| year = 1979
| isbn = 978-0911666038
}}

===Essays===
*''Il Cosmos Come Poesia''&nbsp;– Città di Vita, Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza&nbsp;– Issue V; (in Italian) (May 2008, October 2011)<ref> Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza</ref>
*''Stato dell'Arte. L'attacco al valore dell'uomo e della bellezza ''&nbsp;– Città di Vita, Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza&nbsp;– Issue VI; (in Italian) (December 2012)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cittadivita.org/rivista.php | title=Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza; Vol. VI Novembre/Dicembre | publisher=cittadivita.org | accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref><ref></ref>
* ''Space: What love's got to do with it'', The Space Review (24 October 2004)<ref>, by Vanna Bonta; The Space Review; 24 October 2004</ref>
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = The Impact of Space Activities Upon Society
| publisher = ESA Publications (European Space Agency)
| year = 2005
| isbn = 978-9290925828
}}<ref>, World Catalogue</ref><ref> (ESA Br,) </ref><ref> European Space Agency (2005)</ref><ref>, by Vanna Bonta (2005) ESA</ref>
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = The Cosmos as a Poem
| publisher =
| origyear = 1994| year = 2012
| asin = B0086POUVQ
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = State of the Art
| publisher = Amazon Digital
| year = 2000, 2012
| asin = B0086PAIXK
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Il Cosmo Come Poesia
| language = Italian
| publisher = Beacon Hill
| year = 2008, 2011
| asin = B008744ZYI
}}

===Short Stories===
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Ordinary Holy Days
| publisher =
| origyear = 1992| year = 2012
| asin = B008E8G2UC
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Bonta
| first = Vanna
| title = Mother Ship
| publisher =
| origyear = 1992| year = 2012
| asin = B008774M0M
}}

===Magazines, newspapers===
* ], The Unicorn Times, The Italian American Citizen newspaper, The Washington Times, The Bangkok Post<!--{{Citation needed}} begin-->{{fix |link=Misplaced Pages:Citation needed#Citation needed |text=citation needed |class=Template-Fact }}<!--{{Citation needed}} end-->
* , by Vanna Bonta. ''Attenzione'' magazine; Volume 8, Issue 2&nbsp;– . (1986)
* , by Vanna Bonta. ''Space Front'' magazine; . (March 2003)

==Awards and nominations==
Bonta's poetry collection ''Shades of the World'' was awarded a gold medal prize by the Florentine Camerata in 1986, and her essay ''The Cosmos as a Poem'' won first place in the '''Pergola Arte Lily Brogi Literary Awards''' in Italy.<ref name="Italian award">{{cite web|title=The Poetry Society (Florentine Camerata) and Italian Minister of Culture present the works of poet and writer Vanna Bonta|url=https://archive.org/details/Camerata.dei.Poeti.1996.Sept.VannaBonta|publisher=Florentine Camerata|accessdate=26 April 2014}}</ref> The Space Frontier Foundation awarded Bonta the 2008 "Service to the Frontier" award for her work on ''The Cosmos Review.''<ref name="space frontier award"/>

{{Authority control|VIAF=62891319 |LCCN=n82076823}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=33em}} {{Reflist}}


==External links==
*{{IMDb name|nm0095209}}
*, 1996
{{Wikiquote}} {{Wikiquote}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata

| NAME = Bonta, Vanna
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Italian-American writer, poet, inventor, actress, voice artist
| DATE OF BIRTH = 3 April 1958
| PLACE OF BIRTH = U.S.
| DATE OF DEATH = 8 July 2014
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonta, Vanna}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonta, Vanna}}
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Latest revision as of 12:02, 17 November 2024

Italian-American writer, poet, inventor, actress, voice artist
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Vanna Bonta
Bonta (left) with her husband Allen Newcomb in 2008Bonta (left) with her husband Allen Newcomb in 2008
Born(1953-04-03)3 April 1953
Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died8 July 2014(2014-07-08) (aged 61)
Occupation
  • Writer
  • actor
  • voice artist
LanguageEnglish, Italian
GenreFiction, poetry, essay, philosophical literature, social commentary, teleplay
Literary movementQuantum fiction
Notable worksFlight: a quantum fiction novel
RelativesLuigi Ugolini (grandfather)

Vanna Marie Bonta (April 3, 1953 – July 8, 2014) was an American writer, actress, and inventor. She was of partial Italian descent. She wrote Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel. As an actress, Bonta played "Zed's Queen" in The Beastmaster. She performed primarily as a voice talent on a roster of feature films, such as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, as well as on television. Bonta invented the 2suit, a flight garment designed to facilitate sex in microgravity environments of outerspace. The spacesuit was featured on The Universe television series, which followed Bonta into zero gravity to film an episode titled Sex in Space that aired in 2009 on the History Channel.

On 13 November 2013, a haiku by Bonta was one of 1,100 haiku launched from Cape Canaveral on the NASA spacecraft MAVEN to Mars.

Early life and family

Bonta was born on April 3, 1953 in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. Her parents were Maria Luisa Ugolini Bonta (née Ugolini), a painter from Florence, Italy, and James Cecil Bonta, a military officer from Kentucky. Her grandfather was Luigi Ugolini, a Florentine knight. Her maternal aunt was Italian children's author Lidia Ugolini.

Literary career

In 1995, Bonta's first novel, Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel was published. Flight has been characterized as "inter-genre" (belonging to more than one genre simultaneously) by the American Library Association, which reviewed it an "auspicious, genre-bending parable". Publishers Weekly described the debut work as running the gamut of particularly moving to quirky and hilarious satire, with "asides about bathtub books, self-doubt tapes and other foibles."

In 2013, a haiku Bonta wrote was one of over 1100 that was launched to Mars on the NASA spacecraft MAVEN. The haiku for the Mars trip were chosen by popular vote from a total 12,530 submissions. Bonta's submission was ranked in the top five.

Inventions

The 2suit

In 2006, Bonta gave talks about an invention she called the 2suit, a flight garment that can be attached to another 2suit to allow two or more people to stay in proximity to one another in low-gravity environments. Although it had several other potential applications, its primary purpose was to enable sex in space. Producers of the History Channel television series The Universe approached Bonta in 2008, offering to manufacture a prototype of the 2suit and send Bonta into zero gravity to test it. She accepted. On the 2suit's segment of the episode, Bonta and her husband demonstrated how the suit works by kissing while wearing it. The documentary concluded that the "2Suit is one small step for humankind colonizing the universe." The 2suit received significant media attention after the episode, titled Sex in Space, aired in 2009.

Lunar Lander Challenge

From 2007-09, she participated in the annual Lunar Lander Challenge, a competition sponsored by NASA and Northrop Grumman to commercially build a lightweight spacecraft for landing on the Moon. Bonta was a team member of BonNovA. As creative director, Bonta designed a pressure-release device for high-combustion engines.

References

  1. HEaven Bound: Notice of death of Vanna Bonta; accessed 13 February 2015.
  2. "Fiction review – Flight: a quantum fiction novel, by Vanna Bonta". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2019-01-07. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  3. Scaturro, Giorgia (27 April 2009). "Lo spazio, mai stato così sexy". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Going to Mars with Maven contest winners". University of Colorado Boulder Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  5. ^ Who's Who in California. Who's Who Historical Society. 1990. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-9603166-8-7.
  6. "Flight, by Vanna Bonta". BookList. June 1995. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  7. "Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel". Publishers Weekly. 2 January 1995. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  8. Steinmetz, Katy (9 August 2013). "NASA is sending these poems to Mars". Time. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  9. "MAVEN Haiku Selected For Travel to Mars". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 8 August 2013. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  10. Martin, Rachel (11 August 2013). "Sending Poetry To Mars". National Public Radio. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  11. "1,100 Haiku Headed To Mars Aboard NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft". Huffington Post. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  12. Friedman, Uri (26 January 2012). "Is Newt's zero-gravity sex idea any good?". ForeignPolicy.com. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  13. "The Universe: Sex in space". History Channel. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  14. Scaturro, Giorgia (30 April 2009). "A two-seater suit for space-lovers". Wired.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  15. Boyle, Alan (27 July 2006). "Outer-space sex carries complications". NBC news.com. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  16. "Haben Astronauten eigentlich Sex im All?". Bild.de. 7 March 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  17. "Sexo no espaço intriga pesquisadores". Noticias.terra.com. 24 July 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  18. "The Complications of Sex in Space". Futurism. 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  19. Ambruš-Kiš, Miroslav (10 October 2009). "Seks u svemiru? Nema prepreke koju čovjek ne bi svladao za seks". Vecernji.hr. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  20. Život na Marsu—Bestežinski sekshomo sapiensa (life on Mars), by Miroslav Ambruš-Kiš; Technologija magazine. November 17, 2011
  21. Bowie, Soren (15 November 2010). "7 Real Suits That Will Soon Make the World A Cooler Place". Cracked.com. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  22. "Lunar lander liftoff". NBCNews.com. 31 Jan 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  23. Adkins, Jennifer (May 2009). "The 2Suit Adds New Meaning to the Term 'Mother of Invention'". Inventor's Digest. Retrieved 12 May 2014.

External links

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