by Annelise Tate

On Thursday, Sept. 23, poet, writer, singer and performer Rosemerry Trommer delivered a poetry reading to a mixed audience of CMU students and community members alike on the third floor of escalante hall.

Reciting nine of her published works, as well as one of her impromptu poems, she makes a habit of writing each night.

Trommer spoke of the hardships and rewards of writing poetry; as well as, how her experience as a mother, performer and athlete have shaped her works. Trommer paid homage to her favorite fall poem and performed one of her own.

Aside from reading her own poems, Trommer offered advice to aspiring poets. Deriving knowledge garnered through experience in writing professionally, Trommer stressed the need to, “surround yourself with those who are better than you,” when writing, as well as the necessity to “lower your expectations” in the beginning of one’s creative process.

Trommer explained her view of poetry as a gradual unfolding of the self, consistent growth paired with the need for writers to understand the idea of “writing our way through our failures.” Failure, being one of the ideas prominently expressed, along with others such as the inconvenience of saying “yes” to all of life’s opportunities, the importance of unconditional acceptance and the obligation to always maintain one’s humility.

Read at a retreat for religious leaders at Princeton earlier this month, Trommer read from her work, “That’s right,” which she explained conveys the idea of shedding one’s judgements and insecurities in order to more deeply connect with others.

She asked her audience to “accep her donkey,” in reading from one of her poems, conveying the resounding message that every poet, writer, performer and human, for that matter, is not always without fault. Trommer’s work can be read from one of her 11 collections of poetry or from a variety of avenues like that of O Magazine and TEDx.