Parisian Phoenix Publishing

As a small business owner, no day ever goes completely as planned.

Yesterday I thought– because I ended up doing a lot of editing on a client’s novel over the weekend and then yesterday I prepped E. H. Jacobs’ novel Splintered River for the design phase of production– that maybe I would strip my bed and clean the bird cage and cat boxes and then relax a bit before visiting Bonnie Winfield.

Bonnie and I are both lovers of Easton. Her new studio is only a few blocks from where I shared a first apartment with Darrell Parry; Bonnie on South Second Street and Darrell and I on North Second Street. Bonnie has lived in various locations in downtown Easton, enjoying everything about the beautiful architecture in town. Darrell and I, on the other hand, moved from the downtown to Southside and then a few blocks outside of Easton to Wilson Borough.Darrell then found an apartment on College Hill, as he wanted to be closer to Lafayette College. I have had several jobs based in downtown Easton, in both the nonprofit and the journalistic space.

It’s safe to say that as an individual, I love the atmosphere of the downtown, but as a property owner who then became a mother, Wilson was more my speed, and I’m still within walking distance of the West Ward and downtown. Well, and College Hill if I don’t mind walking up the hill.

Between my love of downtown Easton, my appreciation of the visual arts, and our affiliations with Lafayette College, it’s no surprise that Bonnie and I keep finding ourselves in the same orbit.

Bonnie has a long relationship working with students at the college, with women incarcerated at Northampton County Jail, and with people looking to heal and explore various trauma from life. And her own life had its own share of travels and tribulations, and she seems very sensitive to the stories of the people around her.

I visited her previous studio at Smartivities at least a year ago, if not two, and I told her then that her work with incarcerated women deserved a larger audience. Other people tell her that, too, with many of her projects and experiences.

We reconnected again when Bonnie attended my social media workshop that I did for the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group in the spring, and she turned out to be my star pupil! She embraced not only some of my ideas for social media, but also the idea that she should worry less about her writing, and present more of her work in graphic novel format to embrace more of her art.

She reminded me today that I told her that if she planned to do a project on her work with incarcerated women that she should start it in black and white and increase the use of color as the women benefit from the program. (I believe I said, “Like The Wizard of Oz.“) She said that really got her thinking.

Then, Bonnie turned up at my memoir workshop at Easton Area Public Library, and she had us all in tears with her writing sample.

So when she invited me to her studio, how could I say no?

(And when my morning quickly became a challenging Monday that was not at all the relaxation I craved, a visit to her colorful and peaceful art studio reminded me of everything about my current life and business that brings me joy.)

We talked briefly about a variety of topics, including the types of materials we could print and distribute to offer some financial support for The Journey Home.

I hope this is the beginning of something beautiful, and I recommend to anyone who is available to check out Dr. Bonnie’s Tuesday Book Club.