Presence: painful yet pure

Poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer joins host Lisa Keefauver for a heartfelt conversation exploring the complexities of grief, the power of poetry, and the importance of self-compassion in the grieving process. They dive deep into the role of metaphor as a way to metabolize grief, and how writing can serve as a vehicle for self-compassion. Rosemerry is in a deep and expansive relationship with grief after the death of her son Finn by suicide in 2021 followed shortly afterwards by the death of her dad. In her work, just as she does in this conversation, she offers a tender voice, big heart, appetite for play, willingness to plum the depths of love and loss, and an insistence to be honest in her use of words. She emphasizes the duality of love and loss, and the significance of community in navigating grief. The conversation culminates in a powerful reading of Rosemerry's poetry, highlighting the beauty and pain intertwined in the human experience of love and loss.

ABOUT GUEST

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer has been writing and sharing a poem a day since 2006—a practice that especially nourished her after the death of her teenage son in 2021. Her daily poems can be found on her blog, A Hundred Falling Veils, or a curated version (with optional prompts) on her daily audio series, The Poetic Path, available with the Ritual app. She is the author of Exploring Poetry of Presence II: Prompts to Deepen Your Writing Practice. Her spoken-word albums include Dark Praise, which explores “endarkenment,” and Risking Love, which explores loving even when it seems impossible. Both are available anywhere you listen to music.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ROSEMERRY at www.wordwoman.com

READ HER BOOKS: Unfolding, All The Honey, and more at https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=rosemerry+wahtola+trommer

SIGN UP FOR HER POETRY WORKSHOPS: at www.wordoman.com

ABOUT THE SHOW & HOST

Lisa Keefauver is an author, keynote speaker, social worker, widow, assault & cancer survivor turned grief activist on a mission to help us center aliveness in a world full of loss by reimagining the narratives of grief, one conversation at a time.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LISA: at https://lisakeefauver.com/

ACCESS GRIEF SUPPORT: https://lisakeefauver.com/support

READ BOOK: Grief is a Sneaky Bitch: An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss. https://bookshop.org/p/books/grief-is-a-sneaky-bitch-an-uncensored-guide-to-navigating-loss-lisa-keefauver/ffd73d6b6921e6b5?ean=9781477329306&next=t&

READ ESSAYS: AFGO with Lisa Keefauver on Substack - https://afgowithlisakeefauver.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

EPISODE THEMES:

grief, grief support, child loss, suicide, grieving, grieving parent, community, poet, poetry, writing, healing, unfolding, podcast

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