From: VoyageLA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Contreras.

Eric, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Alivio Open Mic was born from the void that existed here in Southeast Los Angeles. There was a lack of spaces that promoted artistic expression and voices here in our community. Each time I wanted to listen to spoken word, engage with artists, enjoy artwork, or share my poetry, I found myself leaving my community of Bell. After finding myself one too many times on the 5 freeway, the 710 freeway, the 10 freeway, and the 101 freeway, I began to think, “Why do I always have to extract myself from my community to enjoy art?” This thought fermented inside of my mind until I ended up doing something about it.

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