Welcome to the LIGHT: Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation blog! Here we will share all things LIGHT, from our open call submissions to festival and camp information to literary works that aid to bridge the divide between the public and public health professionals.

The Latest in LIGHT

Open Call: How might we reimagine healing and transformation with cancer through poetry, art, letters, and stories?

Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation (LIGHT) is calling for submissions for the third issue of the LIGHT Magazine, an annual literary magazine in public health that connects, creates, and curates content for the public by the public. We are interested in learning how you reimagine healing and transformation with cancer through art, letters, stories, and poetry and invite you to share your experiences and stories about cancer.

Perhaps it is you who has had cancer and are now in remission. It could be that it is your father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or friend who has cancer and is living with it or has had cancer and has passed with it. Maybe it is you (or someone you know) who never took a simple test, like a pap smear, and you’ve discovered it when it is already too late. It could be that you are barely living with it; it could be that you’re dying with it. Perhaps you are the one coping with cancer, or maybe you are coping as a loved one or a friend, even a caregiver, of someone who has cancer.

There is no entry fee! Prize money (1st: $500, 2nd: $375, 3rd: $125) will be given to the top three contestants of each category. The deadline is November 1, 2023, at 11:59 PM CST.

Visit https://light4ph.org/ to learn more and to submit via Submittable.

“Many voices are better than a chosen few; LIGHT creates a brave space so ALL voices can be heard & shared.”
LIGHT founders

Shop Issue 1 of the LIGHT Magazine

LIGHT Issue 1: How might we recreate public health as art, letters, stories, and poetry?

The theme of our first issue is based on the submissions we received in our first crowdsourcing open call: How might we recreate public health as art, letters, stories, and poetry? We encouraged the public to submit content that represents how they interpret public health through one or more creative outlets.

Shop Issue 1 of the LIGHT Magazine here.

“LIGHT: Reaching beyond to ignite healing and transformation that centers the public in public health.”
LIGHT founders

View the 2023 LIGHT Virtual Festival

The LIGHT (Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation) Festival assembles everyone in the field and all members of the public—artists, poets, practitioners, storytellers, and the like—who have an interest in communicating public health information in a way that is meaningful and resonates with all. This event aids in bridging the divide between public health researchers and the public by creating opportunities to connect with one another through art, letters, stories, and poetry as lived experiences of healing and health.

View the 2023 LIGHT Virtual Festival on Youtube.