Mary Simmerling

I am a poet, scholar, and activist dedicated to advancing social justice, ending violence, and healing trauma. I lead writing workshops with survivors of sexual violence and trauma, and am committed to listening to, nurturing, and freeing silenced voices and to amplifying voices of rebellion, reclamation, and resistance. Blending together poetry, art, philosophy, psychology, research, and advocacy, I aim to raise awareness, call out injustice, and be an agent of healing, hopefulness, and change. 

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 the effects of trauma and the roles of creativity and community in trauma recovery and healing.

I currently serve as Senior Research Advisor & a member of the National Leadership Council for Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and am active in nonprofit organizations in the US & Canada that provide direct services to survivors of trauma. I am an Affiliate and Board member of Amherst Writer & Artists, and lead writing workshops for survivors of sexual & domestic violence as well as caregivers.

My poetry has been published in journals and anthologies, including Peregrine, Ascensus, & the Journal of Religion and Health. 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 (see more at https://sapec.ku.edu/wwyw). 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. The poem was also the inspiration for the musical composition "What Were You Wearing" that won the 2020 BBC Young Composer's Award.