Yesterday, Ari Satok ’14 published his first story online. The Great Princeton Adventure is a 40-stanza poem about the Princeton experience, written and illustrated by Satok. It’s a wonderfully accurate depiction of the Princeton experience, with everything from bullshitting precepts to visits to CPS to somehow ending up on Wall Street. Satok manages to fit in something that can speak to the experience of nearly every undergrad. Although the poem is a message to the class of 2014, it’s really about Princeton in general.
Clik here to view.
Cover image of “The Great Princeton Adventure,” written and illustrated by Ari Satok ’14
Clik here to view.
The first stanza of “The Great Princeton Adventure.” Although it opens and closes with messages to the class of 2014, it’s really a story that speaks to the Princeton experience as a whole, regardless of class year.
The Great Princeton Adventure manages to combine the styles of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuess–mostly simple and occasionally silly. The project arose when Satok began to reflect on his four years at Princeton and to put that into words. “My hope was that it would make people smile, laugh, reflect, and reminisce in a way that was at once nostalgic and honest about the Princeton experience.” The poetry itself depicts a very real Princeton experience, and the extra quips and social commentary that the illustrations provide make The Great Princeton Adventure an even truer reflection of what many people experience–even if they’re not willing to talk about it. “Ari’s piece is quietly powerful and singular in the way it tells the college story from admission to graduation and beyond, while acknowledging both the highs and the lows along the way,” said Amalya Megerman ’16, who colored the title page.
Though this is not the first poem Satok has written, it was the first time he’d tried his hand at drawing. A member of the Edwards Arts Collective, he decided to give it a shot. After completing pencil-sketch illustrations for each stanza, Satok “thought it would be really fun to get friends to come and color them in to bring their own creativity to the project.” So he did–and each of the drawings is accordingly reflective of the different styles and tastes of the students who colored them.
In publishing The Great Princeton Adventure online, Satok hopes that “others who’ve gone through this Princeton experience can hopefully enjoy it and connect to the book as well.”
