My White Cotton T-Shirt

“I didn’t get the chance to know what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been assaulted.”

New to campus and excited about college, Mary Simmerling starts her life in Los Angeles at a party, where she is assaulted while trying to rest. Initially faced with harsh denial of her experiences, she is pushed back into herself and continues to live in fear. Mary shares with us her journey from the throes of an eating disorder and dropping out of school, to finding support in literature and freedom through art.

Mary Simmerling is a poet, scholar, and activist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Illinois and an MA in Psychology from Adler University, specializing in applied ethics, social justice, and trauma recovery. In addition to being on the faculty of Cornell University, she serves as the Senior Research Advisor to the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Mary is both an Affiliate and Board member of Amherst Writers & Artists, and maintains an active role in nonprofits across the US & Canada that provide direct services to survivors of violence and trauma.