What do you think?
Rate this book
With These Wings
In her debut poetry book, With These Wings, Angie Shea writes of survival and hope. She takes you on a journey, turning words into elements of strength and empowerment using beautiful metaphors relatable to all readers. Each page is filled with pieces of her own courage and pain laid bare. This collection of poetry, prose and quotes was penned as an homage to the struggle and the resilience involved on the path to finding one's own wings.
168 pages, Paperback
Published February 20, 2022
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 21, 2022
Angie Shea has long since made a name for herself on social media, as a Poet and Artist. "With These Wings" is her poetry debut into the publishing world.
You will be deeply moved by her inspiring and positive words as well as her artwork that graces the pages of her prose. The influence of classical poets is evident in the lyrical flow of her work.
You will be doubly blessed to experience her fight and flight to overcome those things that cripple and force us to our knees.
"With These Wings" will be a bedside book reached for when inspiration is needed. I heartily recommend this book!
"Search the darkness closely
When monsters come out
So do the heroes"
You will be deeply moved by her inspiring and positive words as well as her artwork that graces the pages of her prose. The influence of classical poets is evident in the lyrical flow of her work.
You will be doubly blessed to experience her fight and flight to overcome those things that cripple and force us to our knees.
"With These Wings" will be a bedside book reached for when inspiration is needed. I heartily recommend this book!
"Search the darkness closely
When monsters come out
So do the heroes"
March 22, 2022
The idea of writing short poetry that conveys intense feeling isn’t new but has flourished through the internet especially as a method of sharing emotions with multitudes, often using a beautiful layout to evoke a feeling many of us can relate to.
Before I knew A. Shea, I had been slow on the uptake of this social media trend and if asked, probably wouldn’t have understood how helpful and powerful this form of expression can be. Soon after attaching to social media more in order to promote authors, as part of my job, I began to become familiar with these kinds of modern writers, who often have legions of fans and huge followings.
Shea swiftly became a favorite for a multitude of reasons. She is exacting and a talented writer, not just someone who knows how to elicit a reaction. She doesn’t just write for shock value or to garner a response but truly from the depths of her soul. She is very intelligent and her words go beyond the platitude and avoid the cliché in ways others cannot always pull off.
No surprise then that I encouraged her along with many other of her readers, to consider a book. At heart I’m old-fashioned, if I love a writer, I want to own their writing. A book exemplifies that and gives A. Shea an opportunity to share her life-transforming work with a wider audience who might not have the time or inclination to read her work online.
Surely this move towards making poetry accessible to everyone is a good thing, but it can also be overwhelming if all you see are meme after meme with some kind of advice or rebellious statement. A. Shea always went far beyond this in her analysis of the world. She’s an insightful, gifted writer who seeks far beneath the surface in all that she writes, and manages in a remarkably short number of words, to really say a lot. I hugely admire that because it’s no small feat to say everything with a few sentences.
“They don't own me...
the demons,
the dark seas,
the scars,
the disease.
They are just bullies
that my heart beats
every day.”
There are ways of writing I cannot emulate or hope to achieve, and A. Shea has a unique voice I think many have tried to copy, but none have mastered. She writes the way someone would speak fiercely. You feel she’s talking directly to you, rather than composing a poem. There is no separation of art and reader. Perhaps because of her background in psychology and the struggles in her own life, she has formed an immediacy in thinking that is particularly astute and evocative. I find reading her work is like having a short conversation, one that stays with me the rest of the day.
In some ways I could never hope to do justice to A. Shea’s writing because I myself cannot render meaning in a few short sentences as succinctly as she is capable of doing. I find this incredibly impressive, because it’s not a sparsity of language, but more a mastery of language (and meaning) and it does fit so perfectly with our increasingly busy lives, that have demands but less time than ever to sate them. Alongside greats like ALFA, A. Shea’s work transmits intense truths to thousands of people daily, via Instagram, Facebook and other social media. The power of that is something we could hitherto never have imagined. The ability to keep doing that, week after week, is a marvel.
“Sometimes
I am frightened of tomorrow
of the ifs and the buts
of the shadow of this sorrow
of still being too much
yet I can cede to nothing”
Critics may say, this form of writing is trite, but I think any ancient Japanese Haiku poet would take them to task- as poetry in part began, with the formation of rules and limits. Poetry can be long and convoluted, or short and spartan, but what it must always have, is meaning and that meaning must always transcend what prose can describe. I cannot imagine A. Shea’s work being prose, though at times it is close, it always has a finery of structure that belies prose alone. A. Shea knows how to wield words through her knowledge of language, and it is this which ensures her work is consistently among the most prized online and off.
“You think no one else understands
the depth of your sad song
until you open the window to let it out
and a thousand voices sing along”
What is remarkable about A. Shea is you would think all of this about her without knowing a thing of who she is. But when you know she is a chronically ill warrior with serious health conditions and a life long struggle, it only makes it more remarkable that she’s able to produce this quality of work consistently and with the passion and devotion she brings. Her reputation as a writer and compassionate human being, almost walk hand in hand, though either stand on their own merit. Perhaps through her own struggles, which are unfairly frequent, she has honed an understanding of the world that few of us possess. A confident, someone who whispers with you when you reveal your heart-ache, your fears. She is your sister, your mom, your best friend. If that is not the heart of a writer, I don’t know what is.
“Even the stars have scars...
a darkness
in the depth of their light,
but what we see
is a beauty
whole and bright
because those holes
(like yours and mine)
are on the inside”
I may appreciate long, maudlin poetry but what do I want to read when I am scared? In need of a boost? Or hope? What would I turn to when I’m thinking of how to get through a hard time? Surely not a gritty 60-line poem about dying or loss? Sometimes we need something that seems simpler but really isn’t simple at all – any more than truth is simple. The ability to instill hope is far from simple, but some people just have that grace, as A. Shea does. But she doesn’t do it without tipping her hat at the reality of life, her poetry isn’t so far removed from the every-day as to be all unicorns and glitter. She’s that deft combination between hope and truth. I think that’s why she’s so damn respected. These are words any age can relate to; Teenager breaking up with boyfriend feeling invalidated, woman retiring feeling lost, someone sick or someone who has lost a loved one, someone healthy who needs purpose? These are poems for us all:
“I feel the years in my bones...
the aged wisdom of my soul,
but my spirit has a youth
that time and pain
will never touch.”
When we think of what a modern day ‘warrior’ looks like, we might want to think of a chronically ill woman who despite every reason not to, is creating incredible, life-affirming poems and artwork (yes, she’s an artist as well) and thriving despite her diagnosis. This very heart of a warrior is what I believe draws so many to relate to A. Shea’s writing as well as share it with others. It has become a movement, a voice for those who cannot speak, words to comfort or educate, a method of explaining the struggle, rendering help or just understanding, for thousands who read her. Have you ever wanted a wise friend who knows what you’re going through and instead of offering advice or saying ‘sorry to hear that’ says ‘I too know how this feels?’ You feel less alone with a friend like that and that kind of voice is almost impossible to craft into poetry, yet that’s exactly what A. Shea has achieved.
“We are heaven
in mortal clothes
and every beat
of these hearts know
that we are created
to do more
than just survive”
You may not understand this if you have never experienced a moment when you felt the bottom drop out of your world. But if you have, or if your teen daughter has, or your 65-year-old father, then they get it. They hear in A. Shea’s words, the universal fight for fairness, for justice, and how that is so often denied but fight we must. They relate to her courage, her fear, her never giving up, her humanity. That’s the essence of poetry, it becomes the people’s voice when they cannot stitch those words together themselves. I believe this is why poetry has consistently been thought of as the highest art form. What else speaks that loudly? And has the transformative power to change lives?
Funnily enough A. Shea can also describe herself to a t, even if maybe she doesn’t know it’s herself she’s describing. We do.
“Some hearts are suns
in graying skies
that rise
to warm the world.”
Before I knew A. Shea, I had been slow on the uptake of this social media trend and if asked, probably wouldn’t have understood how helpful and powerful this form of expression can be. Soon after attaching to social media more in order to promote authors, as part of my job, I began to become familiar with these kinds of modern writers, who often have legions of fans and huge followings.
Shea swiftly became a favorite for a multitude of reasons. She is exacting and a talented writer, not just someone who knows how to elicit a reaction. She doesn’t just write for shock value or to garner a response but truly from the depths of her soul. She is very intelligent and her words go beyond the platitude and avoid the cliché in ways others cannot always pull off.
No surprise then that I encouraged her along with many other of her readers, to consider a book. At heart I’m old-fashioned, if I love a writer, I want to own their writing. A book exemplifies that and gives A. Shea an opportunity to share her life-transforming work with a wider audience who might not have the time or inclination to read her work online.
Surely this move towards making poetry accessible to everyone is a good thing, but it can also be overwhelming if all you see are meme after meme with some kind of advice or rebellious statement. A. Shea always went far beyond this in her analysis of the world. She’s an insightful, gifted writer who seeks far beneath the surface in all that she writes, and manages in a remarkably short number of words, to really say a lot. I hugely admire that because it’s no small feat to say everything with a few sentences.
“They don't own me...
the demons,
the dark seas,
the scars,
the disease.
They are just bullies
that my heart beats
every day.”
There are ways of writing I cannot emulate or hope to achieve, and A. Shea has a unique voice I think many have tried to copy, but none have mastered. She writes the way someone would speak fiercely. You feel she’s talking directly to you, rather than composing a poem. There is no separation of art and reader. Perhaps because of her background in psychology and the struggles in her own life, she has formed an immediacy in thinking that is particularly astute and evocative. I find reading her work is like having a short conversation, one that stays with me the rest of the day.
In some ways I could never hope to do justice to A. Shea’s writing because I myself cannot render meaning in a few short sentences as succinctly as she is capable of doing. I find this incredibly impressive, because it’s not a sparsity of language, but more a mastery of language (and meaning) and it does fit so perfectly with our increasingly busy lives, that have demands but less time than ever to sate them. Alongside greats like ALFA, A. Shea’s work transmits intense truths to thousands of people daily, via Instagram, Facebook and other social media. The power of that is something we could hitherto never have imagined. The ability to keep doing that, week after week, is a marvel.
“Sometimes
I am frightened of tomorrow
of the ifs and the buts
of the shadow of this sorrow
of still being too much
yet I can cede to nothing”
Critics may say, this form of writing is trite, but I think any ancient Japanese Haiku poet would take them to task- as poetry in part began, with the formation of rules and limits. Poetry can be long and convoluted, or short and spartan, but what it must always have, is meaning and that meaning must always transcend what prose can describe. I cannot imagine A. Shea’s work being prose, though at times it is close, it always has a finery of structure that belies prose alone. A. Shea knows how to wield words through her knowledge of language, and it is this which ensures her work is consistently among the most prized online and off.
“You think no one else understands
the depth of your sad song
until you open the window to let it out
and a thousand voices sing along”
What is remarkable about A. Shea is you would think all of this about her without knowing a thing of who she is. But when you know she is a chronically ill warrior with serious health conditions and a life long struggle, it only makes it more remarkable that she’s able to produce this quality of work consistently and with the passion and devotion she brings. Her reputation as a writer and compassionate human being, almost walk hand in hand, though either stand on their own merit. Perhaps through her own struggles, which are unfairly frequent, she has honed an understanding of the world that few of us possess. A confident, someone who whispers with you when you reveal your heart-ache, your fears. She is your sister, your mom, your best friend. If that is not the heart of a writer, I don’t know what is.
“Even the stars have scars...
a darkness
in the depth of their light,
but what we see
is a beauty
whole and bright
because those holes
(like yours and mine)
are on the inside”
I may appreciate long, maudlin poetry but what do I want to read when I am scared? In need of a boost? Or hope? What would I turn to when I’m thinking of how to get through a hard time? Surely not a gritty 60-line poem about dying or loss? Sometimes we need something that seems simpler but really isn’t simple at all – any more than truth is simple. The ability to instill hope is far from simple, but some people just have that grace, as A. Shea does. But she doesn’t do it without tipping her hat at the reality of life, her poetry isn’t so far removed from the every-day as to be all unicorns and glitter. She’s that deft combination between hope and truth. I think that’s why she’s so damn respected. These are words any age can relate to; Teenager breaking up with boyfriend feeling invalidated, woman retiring feeling lost, someone sick or someone who has lost a loved one, someone healthy who needs purpose? These are poems for us all:
“I feel the years in my bones...
the aged wisdom of my soul,
but my spirit has a youth
that time and pain
will never touch.”
When we think of what a modern day ‘warrior’ looks like, we might want to think of a chronically ill woman who despite every reason not to, is creating incredible, life-affirming poems and artwork (yes, she’s an artist as well) and thriving despite her diagnosis. This very heart of a warrior is what I believe draws so many to relate to A. Shea’s writing as well as share it with others. It has become a movement, a voice for those who cannot speak, words to comfort or educate, a method of explaining the struggle, rendering help or just understanding, for thousands who read her. Have you ever wanted a wise friend who knows what you’re going through and instead of offering advice or saying ‘sorry to hear that’ says ‘I too know how this feels?’ You feel less alone with a friend like that and that kind of voice is almost impossible to craft into poetry, yet that’s exactly what A. Shea has achieved.
“We are heaven
in mortal clothes
and every beat
of these hearts know
that we are created
to do more
than just survive”
You may not understand this if you have never experienced a moment when you felt the bottom drop out of your world. But if you have, or if your teen daughter has, or your 65-year-old father, then they get it. They hear in A. Shea’s words, the universal fight for fairness, for justice, and how that is so often denied but fight we must. They relate to her courage, her fear, her never giving up, her humanity. That’s the essence of poetry, it becomes the people’s voice when they cannot stitch those words together themselves. I believe this is why poetry has consistently been thought of as the highest art form. What else speaks that loudly? And has the transformative power to change lives?
Funnily enough A. Shea can also describe herself to a t, even if maybe she doesn’t know it’s herself she’s describing. We do.
“Some hearts are suns
in graying skies
that rise
to warm the world.”
February 24, 2024
Shea is an author who writes from the heart. Her words are full of soul and struggle, illustrating her own battles and her courage in the face of adversity. Her art is the perfect companion, bringing her lines to life. In These Wings is a beautiful book of poetry to inspire those looking to find their own wings.
November 27, 2024
A marvelous cover wrapped a beautiful designed book. Full of amazing poetry and prose, I am fortunate to have met this beautiful soul on Instagram. Her book brings hope to the helpless and her journey of strength to find our self through a world full of deception is intriguing. My favorite lines were, "this monstrous world sunk its teeth in and bred a warrior" and "you are the wind of change." The author's bravery is evident in he powerful words and the rhythm of her heart is in tune with the melody of the letters crafted to resonate with your soul. I appreciate the author's efforts and I am glad to have the chance to read her book. Thank you.
December 29, 2023
I've been following Angie's work on social media for a few years now. I've always admired her soft yet incredibly strong heart.
'With These Wings', is a beautiful collection of strength and survival. Each poem reads like a mantra for strength, hope, and an immense amount of self-love. 🖤
Angie is an artist with a multitude of talents. And thus her book contains an amount of incredibly unique and beautiful illustrations that compliment her work magnificently.
'With These Wings', is a beautiful collection of strength and survival. Each poem reads like a mantra for strength, hope, and an immense amount of self-love. 🖤
Angie is an artist with a multitude of talents. And thus her book contains an amount of incredibly unique and beautiful illustrations that compliment her work magnificently.
August 11, 2022
With These Wings is filled with inspiring poems, beautiful artwork, and most of all hope. It's the perfect book for those searching for uplifting words that will comfort them. You'll want to read this wonderful book again and again.
May 31, 2023
Very heartfelt and relatable, I enjoyed thoroughly!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews