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==Early life and family== | ==Early life and family== | ||
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 aunt was Italian children's author ], her mother's elder sister. 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> and then moved with her family to ], ]. | 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 aunt was Italian children's author ], her mother's elder sister. 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> and then moved with her family to ]. | ||
Her Italian grandfather read out loud to his family after lunch, choosing selections from ] and other classical writers. She began writing poetry when she was six and short fiction when she was ten. At the age of eleven, she wrote her first novel. '']'' published a poem she wrote in honor of Queen ]. A collection of her childhood poetry appeared in 1965, published by the Bosco School in Thailand. Her grandfather wrote the preface.<ref name="contemporary authors"/> | Her Italian grandfather read out loud to his family after lunch, choosing selections from ] and other classical writers. She began writing poetry when she was six and short fiction when she was ten. At the age of eleven, she wrote her first novel. '']'' published a poem she wrote in honor of Queen ]. A collection of her childhood poetry appeared in 1965, published by the Bosco School in Thailand. Her grandfather wrote the preface.<ref name="contemporary authors"/> | ||
By the time she was seven years old, Bonta spoke fluent English, Thai, Italian and French. She learned sharp-shooting from her father at age nine, and by age eleven had traveled around the world twice, spoke four languages, and could read and write music. Her first job at age eleven was playing piano for a ballet class. After living in Thailand for five years, the Bonta family returned to ], Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/579122.Vanna_Bonta |
By the time she was seven years old, Bonta spoke fluent English, Thai, Italian and French. She learned sharp-shooting from her father at age nine, and by age eleven had traveled around the world twice, spoke four languages, and could read and write music. Her first job at age eleven was playing piano for a ballet class. After living in Thailand for five years, the Bonta family returned to ], Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/579122.Vanna_Bonta |title=Vanna Bonta|publisher=goodreads.com|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref> | ||
Bonta described herself as "fashion challenged" and notes that she used paper clips in her hair instead of barrettes while eschewing modeling lessons.<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> Nevertheless, she became an artist's model at the age of eleven, when she modeled for Italian painter ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=4367 |
Bonta described herself as "fashion challenged" and notes that she used paper clips in her hair instead of barrettes while eschewing modeling lessons.<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> Nevertheless, she became an artist's model at the age of eleven, when she 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> who inscribed a pencil portrait with a promise to do her portrait every time she visited Florence. When she was fifteen, she modeled for American sculptor Ruth Hutton Ancker, who sculpted a life-size ] portraiture.<ref name=IMBD/> | ||
In a '']'' article about ] (Vanna's mother), journalist William Rice quotes the artist saying that Bonta was mechanically inclined and could "fix the toaster and other things" around the house.<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> Bonta once described herself as "the wild daughter of a talented woman".<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> As a teen, Bonta rebuilt a car engine.<ref name="Adkins Inventor's digest article"/> | In a '']'' article about ] (Vanna's mother), journalist William Rice quotes the artist saying that Bonta was mechanically inclined and could "fix the toaster and other things" around the house.<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> Bonta once described herself as "the wild daughter of a talented woman".<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> As a teen, Bonta rebuilt a car engine.<ref name="Adkins Inventor's digest article"/> | ||
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In DC, she met sculptor ], who hired her as a model for the three-dimensional stone installation "Ex Nihilo" he had been commissioned to create for the ] west entrance tympanum. The statue's title is the Latin phrase '']'', meaning "out of nothing", that appears since ancient times in conjunction with ]ern, early ] and ] concepts of the creation of ] from nothing. Hart's work depicts God's creation of humankind, Man and Woman, "out of nothing". Bonta was paid $6.50 an hour for the job that entailed climbing up on high scaffolding.<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="cathedral secrets">{{cite news|title=Cathedral Secrets: Hart created beauty and won|url=http://archive.today/NWkid|accessdate=28 April 2014|newspaper=Zimbio|date=22 February 2012}}</ref> | In DC, she met sculptor ], who hired her as a model for the three-dimensional stone installation "Ex Nihilo" he had been commissioned to create for the ] west entrance tympanum. The statue's title is the Latin phrase '']'', meaning "out of nothing", that appears since ancient times in conjunction with ]ern, early ] and ] concepts of the creation of ] from nothing. Hart's work depicts God's creation of humankind, Man and Woman, "out of nothing". Bonta was paid $6.50 an hour for the job that entailed climbing up on high scaffolding.<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="cathedral secrets">{{cite news|title=Cathedral Secrets: Hart created beauty and won|url=http://archive.today/NWkid|accessdate=28 April 2014|newspaper=Zimbio|date=22 February 2012}}</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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waleg.com/celebrities/archives/016454.html| title=Vanna Bonta's Hidden Secret Message|publisher=WALEG Celebrities|date=11 May 2009|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref> She also began her voice-over career in ], landing jobs as the voice and regional spokesperson for ].{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} | 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waleg.com/celebrities/archives/016454.html| title=Vanna Bonta's Hidden Secret Message|publisher=WALEG Celebrities|date=11 May 2009|accessdate=28 May 2014}}</ref> She also began her voice-over career in ], landing jobs as the voice and regional spokesperson for ].{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} | ||
==Career== | ==Career== | ||
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===Writing=== | ===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> | 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> | 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> | ||
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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> | 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; |
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> | ''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> | ||
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Vanna Bonta | |
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Bonta at Poetry Society conference Florence, Italy; September 2009 Photo courtesy of Giulio FrizziBonta at Poetry Society conference Florence, Italy; September 2009 Photo courtesy of Giulio Frizzi | |
Born | 3 April 1958 United States |
Died | 8 July 2014 (aged 56) |
Occupation | Writer, author, poet, actor, songwriter, voice artist |
Language | English, Italian |
Genre | Fiction, poetry, essay, philosophical literature, social commentary, teleplay, screenplay, lyrics |
Literary movement | New Formalism, Postconfessionalism, Quantum fiction |
Notable works | Beauty and the Beast (Disney), coined quantum fiction, Flight: a quantum fiction novel |
Relatives | Luigi Ugolini (grandfather), Maria Luisa Ugolini (mother), Lydia Ugolini (aunt) |
Vanna Bonta (3 April 1958 – 8 July 2014) was an Italian-American poet, novelist, essayist, actress, inventor and artist's model. 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 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 Cape Canaveral on the NASA spacecraft MAVEN to Mars.
Bonta invented the 2suit, a flight garment designed to facilitate human intimacy and stability in microgravity environments of outerspace. The spacesuit was featured on The Universe television series, which followed Bonta into zero gravity to film a documentary titled Sex in Space that aired in 2009 on History Channel and opened worldwide discussion of human colonization of other planets. Another Bonta invention, described in Wired, is a shoe with a telescoping heel that converts from a flat into heels.
Early life and family
Bonta was born in the United States to Maria Luisa (née Ugolini; 1918–1997), a fine-art artist from Florence, Italy, and James Cecil Bonta (1918–1992), a military officer from Kentucky. Her aunt was Italian children's author Lydia Ugolini, her mother's elder sister. Within a month of Vanna's birth, the family returned to her mother's home town in Tuscany where Bonta was baptized in the Florentine Baptistery with her grandfather, the Italian author Luigi Ugolini, as her godfather, and then moved with her family to Bangkok, Thailand.
Her Italian grandfather read out loud to his family after lunch, choosing selections from Dante Alighieri and other classical writers. She began writing poetry when she was six and short fiction when she was ten. At the age of eleven, she wrote her first novel. The Bangkok Post published a poem she wrote in honor of Queen Sirikit. A collection of her childhood poetry appeared in 1965, published by the Bosco School in Thailand. Her grandfather wrote the preface.
By the time she was seven years old, Bonta spoke fluent English, Thai, Italian and French. She learned sharp-shooting from her father at age nine, and by age eleven had traveled around the world twice, spoke four languages, and could read and write music. Her first job at age eleven was playing piano for a ballet class. After living in Thailand for five years, the Bonta family returned to Alexandria, Virginia.
Bonta described herself as "fashion challenged" and notes that she used paper clips in her hair instead of barrettes while eschewing modeling lessons. Nevertheless, she became an artist's model at the age of eleven, when she modeled for Italian painter Pietro Annigoni who inscribed a pencil portrait with a promise to do her portrait every time she visited Florence. When she was fifteen, she modeled for American sculptor Ruth Hutton Ancker, who sculpted a life-size bust portraiture.
In a Washington Post article about Maria Luisa Ugolini Bonta (Vanna's mother), journalist William Rice quotes the artist saying that Bonta was mechanically inclined and could "fix the toaster and other things" around the house. Bonta once described herself as "the wild daughter of a talented woman". As a teen, Bonta rebuilt a car engine.
While taking college classes in journalism, drama, music and photography, Bonta was hired as a staff feature writer for The Unicorn Times, a Washington, D.C. underground newspaper. Bonta wrote about art, dance, and music, and her article archives include an interview with celebrated American jazz singer Eddie Jefferson, inventor of vocalese. As a result of incoming mail from readers, she soon had her own column titled "Near Vanna", in parody of the Dear Abby 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.
In DC, she met sculptor Frederick Hart, who hired her as a model for the three-dimensional stone installation "Ex Nihilo" he had been commissioned to create for the Washington National Cathedral's west entrance tympanum. The statue's title is the Latin phrase ex nihilo, meaning "out of nothing", that appears since ancient times in conjunction with Near Eastern, early Greek and biblical concepts of the creation of Matter from nothing. Hart's work depicts God's creation of humankind, Man and Woman, "out of nothing". Bonta was paid $6.50 an hour for the job that entailed climbing up on high scaffolding.
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 Billboard World Song Competition and the American Song Festival. 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. She also began her voice-over career in Washington, D.C., landing jobs as the voice and regional spokesperson for Subaru.
Career
Acting
Bonta began acting professionally when she was cast as Zed's wife and queen in The Beastmaster soon after moving from Virginia to Hollywood in 1980. In the same year, she had was cast as a laboratory student in Time Walker aka Being From Another Planet. She made screen appearances in MTV music videos, namely War's hit, "War What Is It Good For?" music video, and for British recording artist Jack Green (formerly with T. Rex) on "One By One" from his Reverse Logic album.
Bonta lost interest in pursuing on-camera roles. She auditioned for Sheena Queen of the Jungle, but backed out due to time conflict with writing. Bonta tested for the role of Diane Chambers, an original character on the TV show Cheers that went to actress Shelley Long. She turned down a lead role in Reform School Girls because she found it was exploitative.
Eventually, she found a niche as a voice talent. While staying focused on her writing, she was cast to perform in numerous productions, including An American Tail: Feivel Goes West, Hocus Pocus, Demolition Man, What Dreams May Come and various television shows. In 2007, she read for the audiobook version of her novel Flight and also played piano for the soundtrack.
Writing
Bonta's first edition poetry collections are Postconfessionalism and New Formalism published as chronological collections of life experience. A poem dedicated to the science fiction fantasy author C. L. Moore, 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 Margherita Guidacci 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 Phyllis Diller.
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", Margherita Guidacci, presented Bonta's poetry book Shades of the World at a literary conference in the Palazzo Vecchio, and compared the effects of her poetry to chills she felt when reading Sylvia Plath.
From 1987–1993, she also wrote feature articles about Italian historical figures in the arts for The American Citizen, a bimonthly publication out of Omaha, Nebraska. She also penned a column titled "Ordinary Holy Days" which ran for two years.
An essay by Bonta also appears in The Malibu Times in 1990. While acting in various films, Bonta worked as a development screenwriter.
An unpublished draft of Flight attracted the attention of Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek: The Next Generation. After reading the novel, Roddenberry contacted Bonta about writing for Star Trek: TNG. He sent her the TV Bible from the Paramount set of the show, which has become a permanent part of Bonta's collection of memorabilia. She wrote three stories for Roddenberry, and her story "Somewhen" was picked up for the series. Bonta's acting and writing converged when she contributed original spoken word stories to Holiday Magic for children's hospitals from 2005–07. In 2007, she read her own novel for the audiobook edition.
Flight
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 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."
Publishers Weekly noted Bonta introduced the term "quantum fiction" to the literary world. Quantum fiction is a literary genre emerging in the 21st century that employs literary devices based on the new perception of reality catalyzed by quantum physics that provided glimpses of the invisible at play behind classical Newtonian solid reality. Other writers who have written quantum fiction are Audrey Niffeneger, Douglas Adams and Scarlett Thomas.
MAVEN Haiku
In 2013, a haiku Bonta wrote was one of over 1100 that was launched to Mars on the NASA spacecraft MAVEN. 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.
Quotes
Many of Bonta's phrases have been isolated and reproduced in quotes compendiums like Quotes.net, Quotepedia, GoodReads, and BrainyQuote. The beginning of an episode of Wilfred titled "Delusion" quotes Bonta's words, "Truth may sometimes hurt, but delusion harms." Bonta's epigrams are frequently quoted by other writers.
Publishing and translation
Bonta is the founding publisher and editor-in-chief emeritus of The Cosmos Review, an online literary magazine and archival library of poetry about space. The Cosmos Review published rare poems by Amelia Earhart, an eyewitness essay written by the first independent female space explorer Anousheh Ansari and a tonka written by Koichi Wakata while aboard the ISS looking at Earth. The Cosmos Review also features the work of new poets.
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 Lydia Ugolini, a title from her literary family's book estate.
Invention
The 2Suit
Bonta received considerable media attention for her invention of the 2suit. 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.
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.
Producers of the History Channel television series, The Universe, decided to test the flight suit 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 that program, Bonta and her husband demonstrate how the suit works by kissing while installed in it. The documentary concluded that the "2Suit is one small step for humankind colonizing the universe." The Universe series episode was translated and subtitled into many languages with international distribution, continuing global discussions about the relevancy of human colonization of other worlds. Cracked Magazine called it one of 7 suits that will soon make the world a cooler place.
The much talked-about spacesuit became bandied as a pop metaphor for the human side of space and human survival as a compelling reason for space exploration.
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 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.
Smart Clothing
At NASA Ames 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, blue tooth 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. In 2012, NASA announced partnerships with various universities to encourage students of design to develop "wearable technology." 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 and the other 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 conceived and developed with her teammate while participating in the Lunar Lander Challenge.
Personal life
Bonta first married in 1987; the union was dissolved after five years. In 2002, she remarried, to rocket engineer Allen Newcomb.
Bonta was raised in the Catholic Church. During her father's residency as a diplomat with the American Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, she attended Holy Redeemer School, a British missionary school which included international students from diverse ethnic backgrounds and multiple religious traditions, who studied and practiced their respective beliefs at school. While becoming fascinated by religions at an early age, and learning the spiritual practices of her friends, she regularly attended Mass and her First Holy Communion was to have a lasting effect on her. Celebrity news site WALEG reported that during that ritual, she conceptualized actually communing and, at the concept of an all-loving God, she cried with happiness.
When asked if religion plays a part in her life, Bonta replied that she had always been drawn to a desire to understand consciousness and the universal spirituality of life, but does not embrace doctrines that draw barriers between people. She told Contemporary Authors that her religion is "Life, truth, common sense and good will."
Filmography
Film
(partial)
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | The Beastmaster | Zed's Wife | superhero's mother |
1982 | Time Walker | Student in Lab | |
1990 | The Rescuers Down Under | Multiple voices | Disney animation feature |
1991 | An American Tail: Feivel Goes West | Federation of mice | Universal studios animation feature |
1991 | Where Sleeping Dogs Lie | Serena's Secretary | Sharon Stone's look-alike secretary |
1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Multiple voices | Disney animation feature |
1993 | Hocus Pocus | French teacher | (voice actor) |
1993 | Demolition Man | Computer | (voice actor) |
1996 | Mrs. Winterbourne | dubbed role of Patricia Winterbourne | (voice actor) Italian release |
1998 | What Dreams May Come | Heaven voices, multiple roles | (voice actor) |
2003 | Something's Gotta Give | E.R. nurse | (voice actor) |
2004 | Born to Fight | Mali | (voice actor) English version |
2006 | The Omen | Spirits | (voice actor) |
2014 | Dante's Hell Documented | Narrator – 7th Circle: The Blasphemers | (voice talent) |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | One By One | Bowler Girl | MTV |
1982 | War | Basketball Dancer | MTV |
1982 | CHiPs | Secretary | TV series |
1985 | My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn | Blue Moon Waitress | TV movie |
1986 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Lead Actress in Play | TV series |
1996 | The Ricki Lake Show | Author, herself | TV talk show |
2002 | The Twilight Zone | (voice) | TV series (2 episodes) |
2009 | The Universe (TV series) | Inventor, herself | TV series History Channel |
Producer, composer, Director
- 2005 What Goes Up | Pianist / Zero G Flyer
Tribute to SpaceShipOne Not-for-profit; Distributed by the Space Generation Advisory Council
Bibliography
Novels
- Bonta, Vanna (1995). Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel. Meridian House. ISBN 978-0912339177.
Poetry
- Bonta, Vanna (1989). Degrees – Thought Capsules (Poems) and Micro Tales on Life, Death, Man, Woman, & Art. Dora Books. ISBN 978-0912339054.
- Bonta, Vanna (1985). Shades of the World. Dora Books. ISBN 978-0912339016.
- Bonta, Vanna (1981). Rewards of Passion (Sheer Poetry). Empire Books.
Anthologies
- Bonta, Vanna (2013). Voci Fiorentine (in Italian). Ibiskos Ulivieri. ISBN 9788878418639.
- Bonta, Vanna (1979). Lyrical Voices: An International Poetry Anthology. Young Publications. ISBN 978-0911666038.
Essays
- Il Cosmos Come Poesia – Città di Vita, Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza – Issue V; (in Italian) (May 2008, October 2011)
- Stato dell'Arte. L'attacco al valore dell'uomo e della bellezza – Città di Vita, Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza – Issue VI; (in Italian) (December 2012)
- Space: What love's got to do with it, The Space Review (24 October 2004)
- Bonta, Vanna (2005). The Impact of Space Activities Upon Society. ESA Publications (European Space Agency). ISBN 978-9290925828.
- Bonta, Vanna (2012) . The Cosmos as a Poem. ASIN B0086POUVQ.
- Bonta, Vanna (2000, 2012). State of the Art. Amazon Digital. ASIN B0086PAIXK.
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Short Stories
- Bonta, Vanna (2012) . Ordinary Holy Days. ASIN B008E8G2UC.
- Bonta, Vanna (2012) . Mother Ship. ASIN B008774M0M.
Magazines, newspapers
- The Malibu Times, The Unicorn Times, The Italian American Citizen newspaper, The Washington Times, The Bangkok Post
- Angel, by Vanna Bonta. Attenzione magazine; Volume 8, Issue 2 – Volume 9, Issue 2. (1986)
- Tears in Zero-G, by Vanna Bonta. Space Front magazine; Volume II, Number 1. (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. The Space Frontier Foundation awarded Bonta the 2008 "Service to the Frontier" award for her work on The Cosmos Review.
References
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- ^ Adkins, Jennifer (May 2009). "The 2Suit Adds New Meaning to the Term 'Mother of Invention'". Inventor's Digest. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
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{{cite web}}
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value (help) - "Vanna Bonta's Hidden Secret Message". WALEG Celebrities. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
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{{cite news}}
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requires|url=
(help) - Pepperdine University Libraries; Special Collections and University Archives: The Malibu Times (1946—2000)
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- "Flight, by Vanna Bonta". BookList. June 1995. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ "Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel". Publishers Weekly. 2 January 1995. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- van der Linde, Laurel (2007). Vanna Bonta Talks About Quantum Fiction: Author Interview. Audio Library.
- Strehle, Susan (25 May 1992). Fiction in the Quantum Universe. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press.
- Walters, Damien (26 July 2013). "Science fiction's five best guides to the present". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
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- Martin, Rachel (11 August 2013). "Sending Poetry To Mars". National Public Radio. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
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- "Wilfred – season 3, episode 6". Web. TV.com. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- Fredrickson, Fabienne (24 July 2003). Embrace Your Magnificence. BalboaPress. p. 104.
- Raybon, Patricia (23 September 2011). The One Year God's Great Blessings Devotional. Tyndale House Publishers. p. 55.
- Zaccarelli, Herman (20 November 2009). Integrity at Work: A Personal Approach to Ethical Decision Making. iUniverse. p. 22.
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{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - Rewards of Passion, by Vanna Bonta Dewey Decimal Class 811/.54 | Library of Congress PS3552.O642 R4 1981 | Open Library
- Città di Vita Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza
- "Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza; Vol. VI Novembre/Dicembre". cittadivita.org. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- Città di Vita, Bimestrale di religione, arte, scienza
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- 1958 births
- 2014 deaths
- 20th-century American writers
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- 20th-century American novelists
- 21st-century American writers
- 21st-century American poets
- 20th-century women writers
- American film actresses
- American voice actresses
- American people of Italian descent
- American people of Dutch descent
- American women novelists
- American women poets
- American women short story writers
- American essayists
- American Roman Catholics
- Women short story writers
- Women essayists
- Women inventors
- Writers from Virginia
- 21st-century women writers
- 20th-century American poets