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Auburn's Poet Laureate Marjorie Rommel (2015 -2017)

Marjorie was appointed as Auburn's Poet Laureate in January 2015, and in this honorary role she represents the poetic heart of our community. She has deep connections with Auburn and is an active participant in many literary groups and non-profit organizations. She supports and mentors local poets and reaches out to student groups.

Marjorie co-founded The Northwest Renaissance coalition of poets in 1975, which is dedicated to promoting the writing and performance of poetry and encouraging an audience for poetry. She is currently the NWR President, and actively guides and encourages new members in the art of organizing community poetry events.

Marjorie is a graduate from Pacific Lutheran University (2007) with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing/Poetry, and she has taught at the college and university level. Her work has appeared in more than a hundred commercial and literary publications.

Phone Call

 Hello, you say—

 my heart bounces

in and out of my shoes

 skids across the desk

—a blizzard of memos—

 Has anyone noticed?

Hello, you say--here's a kiss

for the palm of your hand

another to rub like perfume

behind each ear.

Body

“The body makes love possible.”

                        --Galway Kinnell

This form we take not

by choice but from necessity

—bird begets lily, ceiling

breaks into stars—

What is the thing we make—

dust from dust, then dust again?

Two by two we wake, enter

the Ark to find each other:

contrary hearts bursting

into contentious song.