The Dinner Party

 I've been ruminating on this for a while now, and I think I am ready to give it a go. It's nearly a week until Thanksgiving 2020, and no parties/gatherings will be occurring here in my neck of the woods and in the real world. All the more reason to have an imaginary dinner party! There are, of course, countless people who could end up on this list, so for the purpose of this exercise, I am going to jot down the first name that comes to mind and stick with it, and go with it. I'll start with six and might expand on it later in another entry/volume, but this should be a good and interesting start!

If you could invite any six people, living or dead, who would they be and why?

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - My favorite classical composer! His genius never fails to impress me, and I can always rely on his music to get me through times of great focus. Most of my college papers and projects came into existence with his help. I'd love to converse with him about his process, his era and share modern music with him. I'd also love to see his reactions to Pink Floyd and pretty much anything from the Jazz genre. I honestly hope he really laughs like it's portrayed in Amadeus! 

2. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - I grew up admiring and idolizing Jackie O. I share a birthdate with her (49 years apart) and I have always felt a special kinship to her. She was a brilliant woman who had a successful career as an editor after the political life was done. I'd love to converse with her about her favorite authors and novels, and share my own as well. 

3. Ray Bradbury - I read Fahrenheit 451 when I was a Junior in high school and to this day, that story has had stuck with me in a way that not many others have. Bradbury's ability to predict certain elements of the future ("parlor walls" = TV/Screens) is creepy and brilliant all at once. I remember the subject matter being quite gripping. I'd love to discuss it with him and the implications of how his predictions came true, and what that might mean for humanity. 

4. Natalie Portman - This one is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me - I have had a shameless fan girl crush on Natalie for as long as I can remember. She selects a lot of interesting roles, and she often brings such intensity and depth to the parts she plays. She's also very well read, and a passionate advocate for many philanthropic./humanitarian causes. Interestingly enough, she portrays Jackie in a film by the same name  - so that would be incredibly fascinating and amazing to see how that conversation would unfold. 

5. Patrick Tilley - Arguably a bit obscure, he is a British science fiction author who wrote a novel called Mission. I won't spoil it here, but suffice to say it's one of the best novels I have ever read in my life. I will say it involves an encounter with Jesus in the modern day. But it so multi-faceted and extremely deep and thought provoking, it goes way beyond that, and what you would take at face value. I would love to pick his brain about his process and crafting of that. I can't recommend checking it out.

6. Jodi Picoult - One of my favorite American novelists, she has gripped me with several of works throughout the years. She has impressed me on the vast array of controversial and moral issues including race relations, school shootings, abortion, etc. I'm always so captured by her immersive style, and always completely get lost in the story. I'd love to discuss her process and how she formulates her works. I've strayed a bit from her more recent ones, and need to delve back into those. 

So, there you have it! In examining these folks a bit closer, I think my choices compliment each other and it would be a well-rounded, thought provoking, intellectual and amazing dinner party! 

So, who would you invite to your dinner party?