Jason Parks

Ari's Poetics Jason Parks

Aristotle "Ari" Clay has been invited to apply for Scholastics, a gifted and talented program for exceptional students at Parkside Middle School in Dilmun, Indiana. His mother is thrilled. Ari isn't so sure. To be eligible for the program, he must submit an original poem in ten days. While he's been jotting down poems privately for a while, he is anxious about submitting poetry for others to read-and judge. Following an unsuccessful first day of poem hunting, Ari mistakenly leaves his writing journal on a boulder, known as The Stone Table, across the road from an abandoned mansion (which some claim is haunted). After his journal vanishes and then reappears later that same night, Ari receives a series of unexpected poetry lessons. These lessons transform his understanding of how reading, writing, and sharing poetry can enrich his life and strengthen his mind. Ari's Poetics offers practical steps to creating original poetry and invites anxious young writers to value their own creative writing.