Carlos Antonio Contreras, a national champion performance poet from Albuquerque, New Mexico will present his work during a White Fund lecture series titled “Becoming Comfortable in the Skin of Your Own Voice” offered in partnership with Northern Essex Community College on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 8:45 a.m. at Lawrence High School, 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence. This event is free and open to the public.

“I have used spoken word as a tool for growth, advancement, and survival,” says the 25-year-old.

Performance poetry he explains is “A journey in spoken word, how it heals, helps, and informs one about who they are, where they are from, and who they come from – but most of all, why that matters, to us all.”

His lecture will include a slam poetry performance and a discussion on how to use poetry to encourage participants to “find their own voices, their own messages, and their own point of delivery.”

Contreras has twice been recognized as a national champion performance poet. He got his start in the area of competitive spoken word, or Slam Poetry when he was just 17.

Today, Contreras works as an educator in Albuquerque. He leads writing workshops in the adult jail facility at the Metropolitan Detention Center where he developed the JustWrite writing exchange which is both an exchange between college students and inmates, but is also an exchange between numerous universities, and correctional facilities. In addition, Contreras teaches all levels of high school English.

For additional information about this event, or The White Fund, or to receive a calendar of upcoming events in the White Fund Enlightenment Series, call 978-738-7403 or visit the website www.necc.mass.edu/whitefund.

The White Fund’s purpose is to have a free series of interactive presentations for Lawrence area adults, youth, and children. The audience is encouraged to seek wisdom, cultural enrichment, and intellectual enhancement by attending and participating.

Funded by a generous financial gift from the Honorable Daniel Appleton White, the White Fund Lecture Series has provided cultural conversation featuring well-known lecturers in fields such as history, literature, travel, the arts, and politics. The White Fund is collaborating with Northern Essex on this series.

For additional information or to be notified of upcoming events in the White Fund Enlightenment Series, call 978-738-7403 or visit the website www.necc.mass.edu/whitefund