Celebrating The Wonderment
A poetic and musical evening in honor of Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer’s newest collection.
Hosted by Telluride Arts
Free and open to the public
“Rosemerry’s words help me feel the radical amazement of life—something I cherish and so often forget,” says Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance. Brach is writing of local poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer’s new book, The Wonderment. “These poems arise from a deep intimacy with the mystery we are part of; they nourish the heart and spirit.”
The Wonderment is Trommer’s sixteenth book and twelfth collection of poems. Trommer will be celebrating the release on September 24, at Telluride Arts. The evening opens with piano music by Travis West and brief readings by high school junior Hazel Frerichs and high school senior Stella Coe. Trommer will read poems and converse with the audience. Books will be available for sale on site thanks to Between the Covers. A signing will follow.
“I can think of no better way to celebrate a new book than with music by one of my favorite local musicians and poems by two of my favorite young Telluride talents,” Trommer says. “I’m so excited about sharing The Wonderment. The poems explore how we continue to fall in love with the world, even in the most mundane moments, even when times are hard.”
The book has garnered national attention. Says Parker Palmer, founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal and author of Let Your Life Speak, “At a time when we wonder how to keep our spirits alive, here's a collection of poems to open our hearts to the wonderment at the heart of life. For me, Rosemerry Wahtola Tommer has become an essential poet.” And musician and activist Carrie Newcomer says, “The Wonderment is a guide to the art of being lost and found, broken and whole, fierce and tender—inviting us to notice the presence of goodness and light at unexpected times and even the darkest places.”
The book’s title comes from the poet’s father. On his deathbed, he said, "From our birth...to our death...the wonderment.” His words became a compass for Trommer. The poems explore how the miraculous is not found apart from everyday life, but within it—digging potatoes, driving behind slow cars on Highway 145, grieving unimaginable loss, laughing with a friend, and witnessing the heartbreak of the world’s tumults. “Poems can help us pause, soften, and remember our profound belonging,” she says.
Trommer moved to Telluride in 1994. She’s worked here as a journalist, substitute teacher, parent educator for Bright Futures, and editor for Telluride Magazine. For ten years, she led the Telluride Writers Guild, hosting workshops, literary festivals, a national contest and monthly gatherings. She now travels the world (and the internet), teaching poetry for spiritual organizations, literary organizations, grief organizations, and mindfulness centers.
Book for purchase at Between the Covers in Telluride or online here.