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Mary Simmerling

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Born

in Chicago Illinois, The United States

Website

https://writewherewebelong.ca/

Genre

Poetry, Memoir, Philosophy

Member Since

April 2023

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I am a poet, scholar, and activist dedicated to advancing social justice, ending violence, and healing trauma. I lead writing workshops with survivors of gender-based and sexual violence and trauma, as well as caregivers and people with lived experiences of grief. I am committed to listening to, nurturing, and freeing silenced voices and amplifying voices of rebellion, reclamation, and resistance.

My interests include applied ethics, social justice, psychology, trauma recovery, and harnessing the healing powers of the creative self through creative writing and art. I have a diverse yet complementary background in fine art, philosophy, social justice, psychology, and applied ethics. I hold a PhD in philosophy from the University of Illinois a I am a poet, scholar, and activist dedicated to advancing social justice, ending violence, and healing trauma. I lead writing workshops with survivors of gender-based and sexual violence and trauma, as well as caregivers and people with lived experiences of grief. I am committed to listening to, nurturing, and freeing silenced voices and amplifying voices of rebellion, reclamation, and resistance.

My interests include applied ethics, social justice, psychology, trauma recovery, and harnessing the healing powers of the creative self through creative writing and art. I have a diverse yet complementary background in fine art, philosophy, social justice, psychology, and applied ethics. I hold a PhD in philosophy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where I specialized in applied ethics and social justice. I also hold an MA in psychology from Adler University, where I studied Adlerian theory, focusing on the effects of trauma and the roles of creativity and community in trauma recovery and healing.

I currently serve as the Senior Research Advisor & National Leadership Council member at RAINN (Rape Abuse & Incest National Network). I am a Member of the League of Canadian Poets and an Affiliate and Vice Chair of the Board of Amherst Writers & Artists.

I believe that poetry and art can be powerful tools for healing, transformation, and social change. My poem “What I Was Wearing” challenges harmful questions and responses to disclosures of sexual assault that inappropriately blame victims rather than perpetrators, thereby retraumatizing victims and perpetuating false narratives about sexual violence. “What I was wearing” is the inspiration for thousands of global grassroots art exhibits “What Were You Wearing?,” that invite survivors to contribute their own stories and representations of the clothing they were wearing when they were assaulted. Like the poem, the exhibitions seek to upend victim-blaming myths and raise awareness of the far-reaching and long-lasting impacts of sexual violence and the healing powers of empowering survivors to reclaim our own stories. In 2019, a group of high school students in the UK got together and created an original music composition based on my poem, which won the BBC's 2020 Young Composer's Award. You can listen to Edward Atkins's award-winning composition "What Were You Wearing?" here.

In 2024, I edited a first of its kind anthology of writing from workshops I led with survivors of sexual violence. We’ve Been Put Through Fire & Come Out Divine: Stories of Hope & Survival (Amherst Writers & Artists Press) not only gives voice to survivors, but seeks to upend false narratives about sexual violence. For example, the thinly veiled accusation that lies behind the question so many survivors are often asked: "What were you wearing?" This innovative work represents a new pathway for survivors and those who interact with us to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of sexual violence on us as individuals and communities. ...more

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Mary Simmerling's Blog

January 29 Book Launch Event

Mary Simmerling

We've Been Put Through Fire & Come Out Divine: Stories of Hope & Survival

Please join me in conversation with representatives from Rape & Incest National Network (RAINN) and Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) on Monday, January 29, 2024 from 4-6 pm ET to celebrate the publication of We’ve Been Put Through Fire and Come Out Divine: Stories of Hope & Survival . The event will feature rea Read more of this blog post »

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Published on January 25, 2024 04:54

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Mary Simmerling’s books

Average rating: 4.91 · 22 ratings · 10 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	We've Been Put Through Fire & Come Out Divine: Stories of Hope & Survival by Mary Simmerling (Goodreads Author), Writers of Write Where We Belong 4.85 avg rating — 13 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	My Concern: A Poetic Memoir: Poems About Trauma by Micky Shorr, Mary Simmerling (Goodreads Author) (Editor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Motherland by Margaret Kogan, Mary Simmerling (Goodreads Author) (Editor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	MARY WAS HERE: an effigy of sorts it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What the Current Cannot Swallow by Debra Hall (Goodreads Author), Mary Simmerling (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Sarah Pierson (Illustrator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	In Plain Sight: How the Epistemology of Ignorance Normalizes Gender-Based Violence 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Meditations on Life: A Tuesday Circle Anthology by Mary Simmerling (Goodreads Author), LeAnn Blackert (Editor), Denise Jessup (Editor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What the Current Cannot Swallow by Debra Hall (Goodreads Author), Mary Simmerling (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Sarah Pierson (Illustrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds

by Michelle Horton (Goodreads Author)

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Mar 10, 2024 12:09PM

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But Some of Us Are Brave: All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men: Black Women's Studies

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Mar 01, 2024 02:52AM

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Why We Have a Body

by Claire Chafee

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Feb 29, 2024 03:43PM

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Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. rated a book it was amazing What the Current Cannot Swallow by Debra Hall (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2025 05:42AM · like
Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. rated a book it was amazing My Concern: A Poetic Memoir: Poems About Trauma by Micky Shorr	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 08, 2025 07:54AM · like
Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. finished reading It's Grief: The Dance of Self-Discovery Through Trauma and Loss by Edy Nathan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 24, 2025 06:18AM · like
Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. finished reading The Book of Murder: A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death by Matt Murphy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. is now following Lidia Yuknavitch Author of The Chronology of Water
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Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. is now following Maria Luisa Frisa Author of Le forme della moda
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Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. rated a book it was amazing The Book of Murder: A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death by Matt Murphy (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 02, 2024 11:39AM · like
Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. rated a book it was amazing It's Grief: The Dance of Self-Discovery Through Trauma and Loss by Edy Nathan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 02, 2024 11:38AM · like
Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. wants to read Framed: Women in the Family Court Underworld by Christine M. Cocchiola (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Mary Simmerling, Ph.D. rated a book it was amazing Four Pounds of Pressure: A Memoir of Rape, Survival, and Taking Back My Power by Danielle Louise Leukam (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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