Our goal is to establish a legacy in our community by offering social engagement through the cultural arts, professional training, access to resources & visibility for homegrown BIPOC artists through their process and presentations. Since 2016, we have provided approximately 200 free events (readings, creative workshops & lectures), published 6 collaborative zines featuring local POC poets (working class &/or undocumented), 4 individual chapbooks by POC writers, & initiated the “Scholar Holler Archives” which provide BIPOC scholars an opportunity to distribute their academic work affordably and has evolved into a podcast series. During the pandemic, we shifted our programming to virtual platforms and have since established publication reviews, an arts & culture monthly column, a multigenerational podcast program, and virtual exhibitions via 3D placemaking. We also offer virtual open studio hours, which we set up as a resource art studio, via Crear Studio, jointly offering interdisciplinary art resources, free art supplies, access to a cajon and piano, art workshops, & individual/collaborative workshops for writing, visual arts, media arts as well as inspiration/feedback circles.

Most recently, LMAC is officially the partnering arts organization with UrbanWord NYC for the OC Youth Poet Laureate Program. The Youth Poet Laureate Program celebrates the region’s top youthful poets who are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social justice. The national youth poet laureate program works with local youth literary arts organizations — LMAC — across the US to identify and celebrate exceptional youth poets who use their voices to inspire change. The program model supports local literary partners in launching their local youth poet laureate program, elevating these young poet-activists, and creating opportunities and resources to expand and elevate platforms for these youth poet laureates.

We are also partnering with the OC Public Library to host an adult Poet Laureate, both programs will start together.