Blaze Da Poet

I pride myself on being a very fluid, multi-faceted, and quick on my feet speaker/performer. I attribute this to both my God-given personality and hosting experience. (A good host is always ready and able to adapt, adjust and improvise on the fly.) I am more than willing and able to tailor my services to the specific needs of my clients. Give me context, themes, or a general expectation- I'll do the rest.

That being said, I usually start off with a spoken word peice specific to the nature of the event, speak for 15-30 minutes, and end with another spoken word peice.

For hosting- You can expect a light-hearted, humorous, down to earth guy, who knows how to work a crowd, thinks quickly on his feet in case there are any changes, and knows how to keep an event running smoothly!

For speaking engagements- expect honest and transparent experiences, personal struggles and triumph, (appropriate for each specific function of course) and unique stories, all tied into motivating others. For Christian events, I tie all of this into the Word of God, and how He brought me to, through, and out of various situations.

For Spoken Word Poetry- Expect a confident and charismatic performer, who is passionate about the message he is bringing. Be it political issues, everyday life struggles and situations, or the Word of God brought to life through stories and personal experiences.

Team-Building- I have hosted and ran lock-ins, youth group retreats, church retreats, school events, and more. Having worked with youth my entire life, I have an arsenal of games, competitions, exercises, songs, and themes that I use to help bring people together, create structure during events, and help people relax and have tons of fun!

John Arrington Jr., also known as Johnnyblaze, or Blaze Da Poet, is an award winning speaker, poet, host, and youth motivator. He is the 2011 Illinois State Champion in Oratorical Declamation, Winner of numerous local poetry slams, and was featured in the Naperville Sun as a two-time host for North Central College's Gospel Extravaganza. However, Blaze's way with words is outdone by his way with people. He has the unique ability to immediately love, understand, relate to, and disarm people of all ages, colors and creeds through his genuine, confident, and direct yet warm personality. A lifelong mentor, counselor and youth motivator, he has dedicated his young life to encouraging and working with people, particularly at-risk urban youth. He has hosted and spoken at camps, churches, schools, birthday parties, community events, Anti-Hate week campaigns across college campuses, and more. John is the oldest of 4 siblings, son to two loving parents to which he credits his success. John overcame a rocky HS career (flunking out, being homeschooled, and needing an extra year to graduate) to complete his bachelors in communication at North Central College in Naperville IL. John is currently employed as the director for Restoration Ministries’ Harvey Boxing Club, where he works with and mentors youth through the sport of boxing.

As long as I have a working mic, that is all I need!