Isaiah Mākar
Isaiah Mākar is the Founder of Impact Mākars, which teaches companies how to communicate and build better relationships using poetry. He has a degree from UIC in Organizational/Corporate Communication and has taught poetry to middle school students at the Oak Park Education Foundation. After finding his purpose in the spoken word club and care taking for his mom who suffered from a severe stroke due to workplace stress, Isaiah's life mission became clear: using arts and wellness to help others discover who they really are to design the life they desire to live.
The impact of poetry and the spoken word club
“I hate poetry and I am not joining the spoken word club.”
This was my first interaction with PK and poetry. It was freshman year and PK just announced it was Poetry Week. I didn't care. Secretly, I had the fear of public speaking and social anxiety. The idea of getting up in front of the classroom and expressing myself was too terrifying. Disengaged in the writing workshop, I noticed the worksheet with a line by JAY-Z used an example of alliteration. "Where cat's catch cases." This sparked a new perspective; the music I listen to IS POETRY.
I went home and searched lyrics from different genres. Surprisingly, the songs incorporated poetic devices such as alliteration, similes, metaphors, hyperboles, etc - all of which PK was teaching during Poetry Week. It was the first time I realized my perception of poetry was the problem, not poetry itself. My perception came from not seeing myself as having poetry-like qualities: being open with my emotions, assertive with my words, and being self-aware. This inspired me to teach myself how to write poetry to free myself from this false identity.
Using the poetry workshop handouts from freshman year and sophomore year, I spent the next couple of years writing, editing, reciting my own original work.I built enough confidence to enroll in Mr. Zabransky's creative writing class my junior year. After a couple months of sharing my work in front of the class, a few students said, "Have you thought about joining the spoken word club? You are really good." I brushed it off. Then, it got louder. "You are really good. You need to join the spoken word club", more people would tell me. I eventually walked into PK's office telling him I wanted to join the spoken word club. He laughed at me. He said, “aren’t you the one that hates poetry and you never want to join the spoken word club?” It took me about 10 minutes to finally convince him. PK then said, “ok, if you are really serious, attend the meeting after school. Let me know what you think and we’ll take it from there.”
Not only did I attend the meeting, I performed in the showcase that year. I was a finalist in the junior slam poetry competition. I performed a rap for the entire school at the MLK assembly. I performed in every showcase since I walked into PK’s office until I graduated.
The spoken word club and poetry taught me the art of editing the rough draft version of myself. How to scratch out parts that no longer fit. How to rewrite a better narrative. The spoken word club inspired me to create my own business called Impact Mākars; teaching companies how to communicate and build better relationships using poetry.
Top favorite poets or lyricists
Rumi, Khalil Gibran, Hafiz / JAY-Z, Andre 3K, Kendrick Lamar (also the students from Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School and Percy Julian Middle School)
Connect with isaiah web
Writing Prompts
Write a poem that starts or includes the line “Being born ____ is the universe’s way of saying ____”
Write about a moment you were treated differently because of something out of your control
Write a poem that utilizes “space” language or words related to outer space
Write about an impactful moment you shared with a sibling
Write a poem of tribute about someone you love.
Write about making lemonade out of lemons.
Write about a time you could have given up, but didn’t.