Fullerton Colleges online Literary Arts journal LiveWire held its Open-Mic night on campus this Wednesday, April 19.

Typically published twice a year, LiveWire consists of work created by FC students as well as non-students of the Orange County area.

In celebration of its newest issue, LiveWire hosted its semester Open-Mic Night, or “Live Mic,” on campus at Fullerton College, inviting anybody and everybody to come and express themselves through whatever art form they choose.

Live Mic is held once a school semester with the next event scheduled for the fall 2017 semester. The next issue of LiveWire will be published this time next year in Spring 2018.

For one special night of the school semester, young artists spoke and sung about love, loss and the removing of the masks we all choose to hide behind.

Some poets who read are featured in the latest issue of LiveWire.

“You can hear and feel the artists emotion. You can see the poets expression,” explained Tristan Santiago, FC student and first-time spectator at the Live Mic event.

Ryan Shiroma, lead faculty advisor of LiveWire and professor at Fullerton College, explained, “What we really hope to do is foster a creative community, not only for FC students but our local area. Whether its music, art, poetry fiction or non-fiction… We look for any creative works that capture what it means to be human.”

It doesn’t matter whether an artist or their art has been published somewhere else before. “We read them blind and publish the best pieces,” Shiroma continued.

The editors of LiveWire, which are made up of FC students and faculty, try to ensure that 50 percent of the art published in the online journal is work done by FC students, but they encourage all members of the community to submit their art.

LiveWire has seen both an increase in interest and participation this semester.

“This is probably the largest staff we’ve ever had,” said Jarek Creason, student art director for LiveWire.

Since it was first suggested by FC English professor Mike Mangam in 2015, LiveWire has provided a platform for aspiring artists to express their creativity, their life experiences and their most hidden feelings in front of an audience.

Make sure to check out LiveWire’s latest issue online.