With support from the California Arts Council, Lyrical Opposition will fuse poetry and choreography in a short film about the generational trauma faced by young BIPOC boys growing up in 1990s East Palo Alto. Collaborative partners Antonio Lopez, 2025 Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, and Nathan Cottam, director of Mannakin Theater & Dance will work with Lyrical Opposition to transform Antonio’s book “The Right to Remain Violets” into a short film that draws from Lopez’s award-winning poetry to interrogate what voice and body can express together that neither can alone. CAC funds will support production, post-production, and screenings in jails, reentry spaces, and local venues. This project uses arts as a tool for healing, cultural memory, and narrative power, including facilitated dialogues by system-impacted individuals—offering testimony and movement as vehicles for justice, imagination, and repair.
Lyrical Opposition develops lyrical artists, activists and educators through personal and professional development. Lyrical Opposition also partners with communities of color in order to curate events centered around joy, liberation, and healing.
Lyrical Originals are curated artistic spaces, where Lyrical Opposition organizes events and platforms where artists, musicians, poets, and filmmakers can showcase their work and share messages of hope, empowerment, and social justice. These events are often admission-free, making them accessible to a wider audience.
Lyrical Studios is our physical space where we offer artists and filmmakers equipment and software use to create new works. We encourage and support artists who use their creative talents to raise awareness about social issues, challenge systemic oppression, and inspire positive change in their communities. Lyrical Opposition provides resources needed to thrive as a professional artist in the marketplace.
Lyrical Academy leads and engages in educational programs and workshops aimed at empowering individuals, particularly youth, to use creative expression as a tool for personal growth, self-expression, and advocacy.
Lyrical Open is a monthly open space for creatives to connect, collaborate and network with other artists and community members. Lyrical Opposition aims to create these spaces where people can come together, celebrate their creativity, and find solace and inspiration in the midst of challenging societal issues.
Lyrical Vinyl is a nonprofit record store that exists to serve as space for artists to work for supplemental income in between gigs and performances. As well as being a space in the community with the intent of preserving the arts and physical mediums.

