Melanie Weiss and Isaiah Makar talk about the Spoken Word

Melanie Weiss, author of the award-winning novel "Spoken" and Isaiah Makar, founder of Impact Makars, will co-host a presentation on the power of the Spoken Word in school and the workplace at the Eastgate Café, 102 Harrison St., Oak Park on Wednesday, November 20 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

Melanie’s book is set in Oak Park River Forest High School and is the perfect holiday gift for the teens on your gift list. But this presentation isn’t just another book signing (although books will be available for sale). A graduate of the high school and the Spoken Word Club, Isaiah Makar is a real life demonstration of how oratory skills can help people of all ages achieve success.

Isaiah was recently interviewed by Michael Romain for an article in the October 29, 2019 edition of the Oak Park River Forest Wednesday Journal. Excerpts from this article are republished below:

Key to a flourishing workplace? Spoken word by Michael Romain

Oak Parker Jamael "Isaiah Makar" Clark is on a mission to show the corporate world just how beneficial spoken word poetry can be to workplace culture and, ultimately, the self-fulfillment of employees.

The Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate and alum of OPRF's Spoken Word Club is so confident about the mission that over the summer he left his position as District 97's spoken word coordinator — which is funded by the Oak Park Education Foundation — to devote his full attention to building Impact Makars.

Clark offers what he calls Makarshops to HR professionals and employees of large companies. The workshops, focusing on spoken word poetry and impromptu creativity, are designed to help people open up.

"Unfortunately, a lot of people hide themselves when they clock in, so during the workshops I'm extracting what they suppress," Clark said during a recent interview.

Participants write poems on orange sheets of paper. Random reflections (Clark calls them "Aha! Moments") that spring to mind are written on blue sheets of paper, then tossed to the front of the room.

By the end of the workshops, people who entered the experience reticent and subdued often leave much looser.

"Some even say, 'I wasn't looking forward to this and didn't want do this since I'm not creative, but it was a lot better than I thought it'd be,'" said Clark.

Once the Makarshops are finished, Clark packages the employees' anonymous poems and musings into what he calls a Makarzine (the word "makar" comes from the Greek word makarios, meaning creative artist/poet).

Clark said his three years in District 97 helped him hone his big idea and gave him confirmation that spoken word can help not only students in the classroom, but adults in the workplace.

"Three years ago, bringing spoken word poetry into the professional development realm was just an idea," Clark said. "I was a teaching-artist in the district, but I also did conferences and presentations [in the corporate world]. I'm glad I did both at the same time because I was able to blend both practices.

"My goal is to take these poems and workshops and provide creative and innovative practices that create more diverse and inclusive working environments and culture," Clark said.

"At some point, these middle-school and high-school students will be in these working environments, which I want to change," he added. "So by the time they become the next leader, the next CEO, the next executive, they know how to create working environments that empower employee voice and give employees a sense of belonging and a sense of ownership of their identity because when you suppress your identity, you're not allowed to be yourself."

Please join us on Wednesday, November 20 from 7:00 to 9:00 at the Eastgate Café, 102 Harrison to meet Isaiah and Melanie to find out more about how the Spoken Word program can change lives.

The Eastgate is a full-service restaurant and a minimum order of $10 is suggested for all program attendees. The menu offers gluten-free and vegan options as well as a wide range of specialties ranging from Hungarian sausage to lasagna to cheese burgers and baked brie with shrimp. There is also a full bar, salads and desserts. Reservations are HIGHLY recommended! Just call 708-660-9091 or 312-213-0485.

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