Ayala Zarfjian

A Corner in the World Ayala Zarfjian

A Corner in the World is a collection of poems that transports the reader to a dark time in history. It is like looking at an old photo album filled with nostalgia and profound pain. The poems have a film-like quality with imagery and descriptions that make the reader feel like a witness. In these poems, Ayala captured the actions and feelings of her father, her aunt Shelley, and her grandparents. This unforgettable and powerful collection was written for them, for all those that survived, and for those that perished. Ayala shows humanity's best and worst from one verse to the next; from the warmth, courage, and resilience of family members to the horrifying cruelty and unthinkable atrocities of the Nazis.

Their personal stories transcend generations and remind us to never forget. The trauma of the horror lived and passed through generations is hauntingly remembered. In these poems, hope can be destroyed, but it can be birthed again and it can prevail. Hope is resilient. Hope is strength. Hope is the ultimate survivor and the greatest legacy of Ayala's ancestors who survived the Holocaust.

This is a collection to be read slowly. These poems, beautifully written, capture so many raw emotions, potent and heartfelt, including sorrow, fear, despair, and profound loss. So many wounds touched again and uncovered while maintaining gratitude and a graceful perspective on life. These poems and the voices of survivors like Ayala's family will now live forever in the minds and hearts of readers of this collection, never to be silenced again. Their voices float through their memory and claw into our consciousness, with relevance to the growing antisemitism in our country today.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Holocaust charities.