1. George Orwell’s unabashed & confrontational approach to writing, thinking and living
2. Sigh. The courage, motivation, work ethic, time, money, to acheive my myriad dreams.
3. Vintage Fur vests like the one Diana Ross wore in Mahogany. (the whole wardrobe is amazing down to the hair) I wish I had gotten one years ago when I first started obsessing over it and now EVERYBODY is rocking them. Oh well, its still fabulous.
4. The end of mass produced fashion (people, get your own sense of style please!)
5. A study in my house filled with books and a big table for me spread out and collage, write, sew, and be myself.
6. Albert Camus’ straightforward yet descriptive and powerful prose. My favorite Camus work right now is the “Artist at Work”. Inspiring and maddening at the same time.
7. For somebody to please, please, please find a way for me to watch the PBS documentary “Doc”. The film is about Doc Humes, a member of the Paris Review camp of writers that included people like Truman Capote. I need to watch this film for fodder for the short story I’m writing about a writer/artist teacher who takes advantage of and gets a little too close to a couple of his students. Trust me, it gets pretty weird.
8. My dad’s vinyl. It won’t happen. But I put it on the list every year.
9. A new cd to bump in my car that evokes the blues, hip-hop, southern soul vibe I have been feeling lately.
10. The perfect New Year’s Eve outfit replete with all my favorite friends and loved ones present to share a night of dancing till the satin sticks to your back, your shoes come off, and somebody says Hallelujah!

I hope that everyone has a relaxing and fun-filled holiday. I, for one, plan to try to work through my current sense of lethargy and winter doldrums in order to get back to some kind of creative spark that translates to my writing life, art life, work life, and personal life.

Lumière de vous, sera de retour verve

Piedad Bonnet

ORACIÓN

Para mis días pido,
Señor de los naufragios,
no agua para la sed, sino la sed,
no sueños
sino ganas de soñar.
Para las noches,
toda la oscuridad que sea necesaria
para ahogar mi propia oscuridad.

PRAYER

For my days I ask,
Lord of shipwrecks,
not for water for my thirst, but thirst,
not for dreams,
but for the desire to dream.
For the nights,
all the darkness that will be needed
to drown my own darkness.