hmdJanuary 27 is Holocaust Memorial Day, a day for everyone to remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in the subsequent genocides of Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. Holocaust Memorial Day honors the survivors of these regimes and challenges ourselves to use the lessons of their experience to inform our lives today.

The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. In Hebrew, Holocaust Remembrance Day is called Yom Hashoah.

How can life go on? is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2017. The aftermath of the Holocaust and of subsequent genocides continues to raise challenging questions for individuals, communities and nations. HMD 2017 asks audiences to think about what happens after genocide and of our own responsibilities in the wake of such a crime. This year’s theme is broad and open ended, there are few known answers.

Author and survivor of the Holocaust Elie Wiesel has said: ‘For the survivor death is not the problem. Death was an everyday occurrence. We learned to live with Death. The problem is to adjust to life, to living. You must teach us about living.’

To mark HMD 2017, Lagan Online is asking for poems and prose pieces on the theme of ‘How can life go on?’ The best pieces will be published on their site on the 27th January.

Submission guidelines:

Max. length of poem: 20 lines / Max. length of prose: 500 words
Please send in a maximum of two poems or one prose piece.
Send the poem in a Word attachment to laganonline@theverbal.co
Include your name, location, and Twitter handle if you have one.
Deadline: Sunday 22nd January

By Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith is a third-generation Ryukyuan-American, award-winning poet, author, and publisher with 20+ years in newspapers. Publisher of Space & Time magazine (est. 1966), two-time Bram Stoker Awards® Winner, and HWA Mentor of the Year, she shares Authortunities, a free weekly calendar of author opportunities at authortunities.substack.com.

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