In the Posh Cocoon: Poetry and Bits of Life is a collection of poetry and photography written by Antonia Wang. Themes of love, heartbreak, grief, and healing are addressed in these poems. Wang’s poetry offers profound clarity into the powerful emotions that are experienced throughout life; from falling in love and betrayal to losing a loved one. Joy, delight, sadness, and melancholy are captured in these poems. Everyday moments, such as making a cup of tea, are also beautifully detailed in this collection. Wang’s remarkable photography of the natural world accompanies most of the poems. Breathtaking sunrises, sunsets, desert scenes, and more from Wang’s travels are featured. A very helpful photo index is included so that the location of each photo can be identified.

I really enjoyed reading Antonia Wang’s In the Posh Cocoon: Poetry and Bits of Life. This engaging collection of poems is thought-provoking and insightful. Wang’s honest descriptions of her feelings and life’s experiences are compelling and demonstrate the author’s resilience and strength. The photography throughout this collection is gorgeous and Wang’s appreciation for nature is evident. The vivid depictions given of the natural world are moving. I found it captivating to see the majesty in nature from around the world, and it was so interesting to be able to identify the locale for each photo. I think many of these poems will bring solace to readers who have experienced difficult times and the beautiful photos will be uplifting. In the Posh Cocoon: Poetry and Bits of Life is a highly recommended and inspirational read.

In the Posh Cocoon: Poetry and Bits of Life by Antonia Wang is a non-fiction collection of the author's personal work formatted in a compilation of poetry and photography. The poems are all written in free form with a varied use of rhyming lines and meters, and most are a pleasing blend of lyric and soliloquy. Free from the constraints of traditional formatting, Wang allows her work to speak for itself, eschewing titles and transitioning from one piece to the next with only page breaks for interruption. She makes clear that her work is as much the result of an emotional journey as it is a physical one, her photography highlighting places she has visited in full color and provided in tandem with her poems as she says, “Years melt into elapsed moments traced on illusory skylines.”

Poetry is often difficult to review because it is, like more visual art forms, deeply personal and highly subjective. Antonia Wang doubles down on this by using both forms with In the Posh Cocoon. Thankfully, I found I could relate, and between reads it was wonderful to have a moment to unpack while also taking in photos of the stunning landscapes from Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, China, and the Dominican Republic, to name just a few. A table of contents for the poems might have been helpful, particularly as I found myself scanning page after page looking for a specific verse to share with my husband or daughter. Still, the fact that I wanted to share some of this beautiful work is a testament in and of itself to its ability to move a person on a higher level. Highly recommended.

In the Posh Cocoon by Antonia Wang is an emotive collection of poetry that will take you on a journey of life's most profound and character-building experiences that we face, whether it is the powerful emotion of love and the pain of unrequited love or the loss of someone dear to us. The sadness and suffering of grief and the journey towards healing and acceptance are explored with such emotional insight, which empowers and uplifts our spirits. The problems we face in personal relationships are also covered with such intuitiveness. Antonia uses her poetry to take us by the hand and lead us to a place of self-belief, healing, and inner confidence. This collection is filled with words of wisdom and profound observations that soothe and revitalize our spirits.

The most prevalent aspect of In the Posh Cocoon is Antonia Wang's absolute understanding of human psychology. Whether Antonia is writing about grief, loss, relationships, or elation, she relates our deepest feelings perfectly. Throughout this collection, there are some amazing life lessons to learn. We discover that every event happens for a reason to improve our inner strength or self-awareness. Every life experience, whether good or bad, shapes who we are. The collection is so uplifting and inspirational as we realize that healing from painful events is possible, and the sun will shine once again in the future. Her poetry sparks our imagination and our self-belief and motivates the reader to expand their horizons and reach for their dreams. We are reminded to love and respect ourselves first before we look to outside influences. I found so many of her insights powerfully thought-provoking, especially 'To perceive correctly and reflect clearly, to reach for nothing and grasp everything, to give generously and to love dearly, to greet the day with curious intent.' The photography was exceptional throughout too.

In the Posh Cocoon: Poetry and Bits of Life by Antonia Wang is a beautiful collection of poems written between 2019-2020. It is rich in symbolism and imagery, written in a language that translates the poet’s free spirit. The collection covers a variety of themes, from the adoration of nature to growing and letting go, from romance to the partings that humans experience when someone they love walks away, rain camouflaging their tears while they cry. The author writes about love, life, humanity, beauty, and growth. As one reads from poem to poem, they step into the author’s consciousness where thought and feeling become a powerful expression of being.

Antonia Wang’s poetry is unique, rhythmic, and it appeals to the senses and feeling in a unique way. She takes things that are simple — contact with nature, self-awareness, the human touch —and transforms them into poetry that is uplifting and thought-provoking. This is unusual poetry, highly descriptive in style, and observant, each poem a world to step into. The words from the first page caught my attention and describe this author’s inspiration: “The implicate quest / unfolds from creative / friction” Readers will enjoy the short poems that are like little gems to treasure. The colorful photography enriches the reading experience and brings more perspective to the writing. They are untitled poems, each a beautiful work of art on its own right. In the Posh Cocoon: Poetry and Bits of Life is gorgeous and uplifting, a transporting work that will entertain lovers of poetry.