Becoming a slampion: Isabel Zacharias

When Sophomore Isabel Zacharias steps up to the microphone, everyone in the room becomes silent. Her presence fills the stage, and her voice has a musical quality that catches the attention of the audience without demanding it.

To all the people who are trying to find what to be: / It’s not that hard. / To all the people who can’t decide: / it’s not that hard. / To all the people who can’t get over it: / it’s not that hard.

Zacharias made a New Year’s resolution at the beginning of 2008 to write a poem every day and so far, she has kept it. Zacharias writes about everyday things and how they affect people or how she feels life should be.

“I don’t usually write sad poetry, but it’s not really happy-go-lucky either,” Zacharias said. “There’s a really broad range.”

At the NW Poetry Slam last year, Zacharias performed her poem “Simplest Terms,” reflecting on math and “how nothing really adds up.” “Simplest Terms,” along with the poem she plans to perform at this year’s Poetry Slam are her two favorite  poems she has written.

“‘Simplest Terms is one of my favorites because it’s about the simplicity of life, which is something that I really believe in.” Zacharias said.

Even when she was younger, Zacharias knew she wanted to write. She began in fifth grade but didn’t like anything she wrote until middle school.

“I’ve always kind of been interested in writing, but what really got me started was the creative writing classes. At first I just took creative writing because I was like ‘oh it would be an easy ‘A.’ Then it just exploded and I got to write,” Zacharias said.

As she speaks, her words catch the imagination of her audience.

“I think Isabel’s strength is not only that she is a fantastic writer, but she also has the confidence to share with her class when not everyone is willing to get up and share their writing. She blows everybody away with the performance,” English teacher Lindsay Kincaid said. “She can read anything and make it sound poetic. With dry textbook material or short stories, she just has the voice of presence that makes any text entertaining.”

Zacharias began writing performance poetry as an eighth grade creative writing assignment.

“The assignment was to write a poem and perform it for the class,” Zacharias said, “After that, I started doing things on my own.”

Last year, Zacharias partnered with 2009 Poetry Slam “slampion” Ann Manly to write.

“Isabel looks to other poets for inspiration, not to copy them, but to challenge herself and to experiment with taking different approaches and looking at poetry from alternate perspectives,” Manly said. “She and I really enjoy sitting down and creating poetry together. We have different writing styles, but we both respect each other’s techniques.”

On the second Friday of every other month, Zacharias organizes Black Dog poetry night. This event was originally inspired by her middle school creative writing teachers who were both interested in performance poetry. Most of the regulars are NW students and graduates.

“It’s been very successful; people can do any poetry or music,” Zacharias said. “It’s just a great way for everyone to get up there and do something. Then I started going to this thing downtown in the Blue Room called Jazz Poetry Jams. That’s part of what really got me into it too. I don’t know, I just caught the bug,”

Zacharias also writes songs in addition to her poetry.

“When I’m writing a song, it’s basically words that I’ve already written that I’ve just put some music with,” Zacharias said.

Zacharias can finds inspiration in almost everything.

“I feel like poetry is about making things inspiring that wouldn’t normally be,” Zacharias said. “Just like friends, just like my day-to-day life.”

-Claire Gordon