Bagging the Phoenix

Bagging the Phoenix explores the nature of human emotion and the freedom and chains of the non-denominational human soul. The title is a metaphor for the "hunting" and "trapping" associated with the failures and successes of personal evolution and growth. The collection-15 years in the making-gracefully marries bittersweet aspects of life and death, love and tragedy, as well as the higher self. The poetic verse in Bagging the Phoenix explores an odyssey that began with the harsh winters of adolescence, culminating in a wiser view of the world. Gentle sarcasm lightens densely provocative issues without abandoning the themes of love, loss and transcendence. The collection was written existentially and intuitively about this world and beyond. "The themes in Bagging the Phoenix are universally relatable, despite how personal the topics are," said Author Gina Monari. "Some days writing felt much like falling down an endless flight of wooden stairs, and others the nostalgia of revisiting the themes coddled me in a blanket of euphoria. I want readers to feel all of this when immersed in any of my verse, and appreciate the balance of pleasure and pain. Their synonymous existence is what this is about."