Afternoon Activities
Block A: Bloody Hell 2: High Tea, Low Tide (Laneia, Carolyn, Lizz R & Claire) // This is a Holdup: Make Your Own Suspenders (Laura Wooley) // QPOC Speakeasy (Gabby, Yvonne, Elicia, Kaylah, KaeLyn, Cameron, Carmen, Cecelia, Brittani, Laura M, Jasika Nicole, Whitney, Djuan, Mey, Carolyn W & Kai) // Sex in Video Games (Morgan) // Creating a Community Newspaper for Weirdos (Grace, Hansen, Chelsey & Heather)
Block B: Celebrity Dance Grooves (Kaylah & Djuan) // Sciency Bar Tricks (Laura Mandanas) // Gender Pronoun Crafts (Whitney & Mey) // Feels Academy (Taylor, Heather, Liz C., Gabby) // A Conversation with Brittani Nichols & Lauren Morelli
Carolyn Yates, NSFW Editor and Fun Home Counselor: I missed the first Bloody Hell but I was super excited for Bloody Hell 2, in which we got the chance to talk about alternative menstrual products and new moon rituals and people of different gender presentations reconnecting with their bodies regardless of whether or how they bleed, and it seemed like everyone could have kept going for hours.
Lizz Rubin: It was so much better than Bloody Hell 1 because we made it more feelings focused and less medical which I LOVED. I did however draw a huge uterus, cervix and vagina in the dirt for everyone.I loved hearing so many women’s feelings about their periods. Their struggles and their moon ceremonies.
Laneia Jones, Executive Editor and Runaways Counselor: We had everyone come down to the table and play around with the many products donated from Holy Sponge, Luna Pads, and Glad Rags, and we are so grateful to those companies. I think a major hurdle with sustainable menstrual products is that they’re foreign to most of us and we just don’t have any idea where to start or what we’re dealing with in terms of like, the size or look of these products. Campers shared stories and practices and asked questions — not just of us, but of each other, which was amazing.
Lizz Rubin: It just felt like everyone was coming from a really similar and really different place. I can’t explain it. It was incredible. Most importantly: I was actually technically getting my period during the bloody hell period feelings atrium. It was so right.
Gabby: The QPOC Speakeasy is my heart and soul. I’m so honored to be a part of the queer/trans people of color space on the mountain.
KaeLyn: The Speakeasy is the most beautiful thing on the mountain. Better than the fiery #nofilter sunsets. Better than the cool, still silver mornings. Definitely better than the veg options at dinner.
The QPOC Speakeasy // photo by Robin Roemer
Carolyn W.: I thank God every day that I was asked to be on this random panel last camp for QTPOC Straddlers, which turned out to be the speakeasy.. My life hasn’t been the same since. I’m so grateful to Gabby for letting me be her deputy. Or her Vice-Principal. Or her deacon (cause The Speakeasy is damn near a religious experience.)
Yvonne, Senior Editor and Shark Week Counselor: This was QPOC Speakeasy’s second year at A-Camp and just like the year before, it filled me with so much love to be in a QPOC-only space!
Carmen Rios, Straddleverse Editor and Rodeo Disco Counselor: I’ve loved doing QPOC activities at A-Camp since our very first panel way back when, and it was amazing seeing how many people and how much love came to this year’s Speakeasy.
Trent: It was so great to see all of the QPOC gathered on the mountain, getting to know each other and sharing their feelings.
Gabby: From friend-speed-dating to making an A+ Bee to breaking out into small and large groups just to talk, the entire Speakeasy workshop was a lovefest.
Carolyn W: When the session started we were literally bursting out of Deer. There was barely space to move.
Gabby: We could use a two-hour block and still need more time and a bigger space. God, everyone is beautiful and open.
Carolyn W: I was nervous and excited to see how many folks showed up to the space. Gabby lost her voice that morning and asked me to open the space which was never a question. We had a great discussion about why The Speakeasy exists and our hope for the space.
Yvonne: I can’t believe the Speakeasy doubled its size from the last camp. The entire time we were together at Deer Lodge I was just like fuck yeah! we’re gonna take over this m*therfuckin camp!
Gabby: I loved it when the A-Camp staff squad introduced themselves to everyone and found a group to speed-date with and I loved Elicia being the host.
Carolyn W: Elicia held it down during a rowdy speed-dating session. I loved looking out and seeing all those QTPOC folks connecting. It was so beautiful.
Elicia: I love the QPOC Speakeasy, even if every time I called stop on the speed-friending rounds everyone got pissed at me. Sorry, ya’ll. I was just doing my job!
Yvonne: Friend speed dating was excellent! I met so many new faces. The only bad thing about the speed dating is I wanted to keep talking.
Gabby: Carolyn made sure that everything was going smooth. Like everyone pitched in and did their thing. Thank you for everyone who brought their real life into the space and made connections with others.
Carolyn W: I was and AM in awe of what The Speakeasy has grown into. I had to hold back the tears. I agree with Gabby the sky is the limit!!! I’m ready for next year!!
Trent: I was mostly there to just chill and observe and I thought I would get away with doing so until Jasika convinced me to actually mingle and participate. I’m glad she did because I really enjoyed it! You know, we all have feelings. And sometimes, we don’t realize how many feelings we have until we find other people who share our feelings and experiences.
Grabby: Ev’Yan from the Beyhive brought out the feels in the larger breakout group. She was the one who started things off by being honest about her feelings and what articles from Speakeasy members and the Speakeasy FB group have brought into her life. I was grateful to her for that.
photo by Nurse Viv
Laura Mandanas, Staff Writer & Outsiders Counselor: I have learned so much about myself and the world through the conversations we’ve been having on facebook, and it was so wonderful to have that support and love carry over into a physical space.
Trent: Pretty much everyone who goes to A-Camp knows what it feels like to exist in the world where everything around us promotes heteronormativity — sometimes you want to see things and people that reflect your queerness. And in that same regard, being not only queer but also a POC, you want to see things and people that reflect your QPOC’ness- and this is what the Speakeasy provides, this is why it is so necessary and important.
Whitney: I had amazing conversations with about QPOC role models, jobs and life with other queer and trans people of color at A-Camp.
Carmen: Then we spoofed the A-Camp Bee and I turned the Schwartzcast into a Drakecast as per Brittani’s suggestion. Sorry Stef, but I’m not sorry at all.
Elicia: I am always inspired by the community leadership skills of Gabby and Carolyn. Also, thanks Yvonne for helping out with questions and a shout out to my zine team who did GREAT WORK creating the backside of the Speakeasy Bee!
Whitney: The Speakeasy is a really wonderful and safe space, and I’m so happy that I can be a part of it.
Gabby: We went from 34 queers of color at last year’s speakeasy to about 66 this camp. The sky’s the limit y’all. Let’s double our numbers for next camp!
Liz: I went to Laura’s “This is a Hold-up: Make Your Own Suspenders” workshop, which not only had the cutest name, but also gave me the cutest pair of suspenders!
KaeLyn: Jae came over to me and was like, “Lauren Morelli just helped me make suspenders. LAUREN MORELLI JUST HELPED ME MAKE SUSPENDERS.”
Liz: Lauren Morelli and I made matching leopard print suspenders and I definitely want to wear them every day.
photo by Robin Roemer
Laura W: Dear Lauren Morelli: it was really fun making suspenders with you. I think you had fun too. If you ever feel like a suspender-making workshop would be a good bonding experience for the cast of Orange is the New Black, I’m your girl. Sincerely, Laura W.
KaeLyn: …and then Jae and I sat next to each other at The Lauren Morelli & Brittani Dinner Show Experience. My butt hurt from sitting on that log, but it was worth it.
photo by Robin Roemer
Stef: I’m excited that we finally somehow convinced Lauren Morelli to join us in our mountain paradise.
Yvonne: Omg, I was so excited to listen to Brittani and Lauren Morelli speak because I knew it was going to be so hilarious.
Riese: Basically the idea was that Lauren and Brittani were gonna have their weekly dinner date in front of us, on a stage. Everybody got to submit suggested topics of conversation. Apparently a lot of them were about Samira Wiley, but a lot of them weren’t, and they answered them and they laughed and everybody laughed and it was incredible.
photo by Robin Roemer
Brittani: The dinner talk with Lauren was a true blast because I felt like I was showing off my best friend to the world. (Never let her read this because I will never hear the end of it.)
Ali: If Britani could interview everyone forever, I’d be cool with that.
Stef: The teasers she gave us about Season Three of Orange Is The New Black helped remind me that I’d still have something to live for when we got back down to sea level.
Cecelia: I laughed, I cried, I thought a lot about the important work of writing honest queer narratives into mainstream media. It made me think about something a writing teacher once told me, which is that you write because you need to figure out a personal question that you don’t know the answer to. The fact that Lauren’s personal coming out story aligned so beautifully with her writing was a really great reflection of the “answer the question within you” lesson. It made me feel like I don’t have to have it all figured out yet, and as a writer, that’s kind of the point.
photo by Robin Roemer
Cecelia: Also it gave me great insight into Los Angeles taco culture.
Kristin: It was very fun. My biggest takeaway was that there was a callout to Brittani in the upcoming season of OITNB, and also that there were so many ants on the logs that we used as seating. Ants on a log as a snack is real cute ‘til you see lots of monster ants on an actual log. NOT SO CUTE.
Yvonne: I was right! The whole talk was hilarious and also very insightful into how TV works and also weirdly inspiring about writing and pursuing your dreams. I was most fascinated by Brittani and Lauren’s friendship and their preferred tacos in LA.
Brittani: Hannah Trees described the talk as “us trying to out-embarrass each other” which is fairly accurate. I spilled my drink no less than three times and I blushed no less than five.
Morgan McCormick, Sea Otters Counselor: I had given my Sex and Videogames seminar the week before with San Francisco Sex Information at the Center for Sex and Culture and it was really splendid to give it again. Everyone had super neat questions and was kind enough to put up with my health problems that meant I had to stop an hour and fifteen minutes in and just sit and drink water until the room stopped spinning on its axis. Cut that out, room. No time for your tomfoolery.
photo by Robin Roemer
Morgan: People came up to me a lot over the week telling me how much they enjoyed it (the talk, not my dizzy spell) and considering how niche a subject it is that is a really fucking swell thing to hear.
Mey Rude, Trans Editor & Hogwarts Counselor: I’m kinda terrible at crafts, but I always end up helping people with their craft workshops (and often leading my own, but more on that later) and so this time, I found myself helping out Whitney with the Gender Pronoun crafts. These were a resounding success.
Carmen: After this block, everyone was wearing these gender pronoun crafts and I was just so jealous I didn’t have one. Next time, I am going to Gender Pronoun Crafts.
Mey: Anna Bongiovanni skipped right over the traditional pronouns, and even over non-traditional ones, and just made perler beads that spelled out “Anal.” Right on. Also, CJ made a really great “B’Day Boi” pin, because apparently in England people wear birthday pins? It ended up looking really great.
photo by Robin Roemer
Morgan: Taylor Hatmaker, radiant dove of wonder, asked me if I would be willing to join Liz, Heather, Gabby and her on the Feels Academy/Mental Health Panel. I had never talked about my brain things in front of a group of people before, really I had only ever talked about it to partners and very very close humans. I wasn’t sure I was ready. I might as well have been at Waffle House I was waffling so hard.
photo by Robin Roemer
Rory Midhani, Illustrator & Rodeo Disco Counselor: I liked The Feels Academy. It was impressive to see Morgan, Heather, Liz, Taylor and Gabby talking about difficult things so openly. I took the drawing of this out of my sketchbook and pinned it on my wall cos I don’t wanna forget their strength.
drawing by Rory Midhani
Morgan: I mean, wow, Heather and Liz just sat and talked with me for a goodly while helping me to parse out my thoughts into something I could share and I decided to just go for it. I said things I’d never had the courage to open up about before and I got such ample hugs and thank yous for it. More than anything though I feel a special kinship now with my fellow Feels Academics, a sense of community about a part of me I wasn’t sure I’d find community for and so I didn’t even know what I wanted it to look like. It looked like the five of us, and it looked like all of y’all in the audience. Thank you for helping me unshoulder an old burden.
Chelsey Petty, Editorial Assistant & Blackhearts Counselor: We held a Bee workshop in the afternoon and it was so, so cool! There were about six attendees and they broke into groups and each tackled a section and we created the coolest community newspaper for weirdos together! It was such a cool and quiet moment just watching everyone dive into their assignments and create something great. I was so glad to be in the presence of everyone who attended.
Gigler: The campers who came out for Celebrity Dance Grooves were a stone cold crew of babes, and though I can’t accurately describe the magic, I don’t need to because in a few days there was gonna be a video of you guys killin it at the state fair!
Gigler: So now every time I hear Feelin Myself I start doing Kaylah’s choreography, which I suspect has resulted in some absurd security footage at my storage unit last week.
Laura M: I was so nervous about Sciencey Bar Tricks! Megan was super patient with all my setup needs, including asking the kitchen last-minute for toothpicks I didn’t end up using. I think the activity went okay? Honestly it’s not always easy to tell when you’re leading the workshop. It was really cute watching some of the teams get super into figuring out the tricks.
Nikki Smaga, Intern: I was Megan’s helper in the afternoon. It was actually a lot of fun. I really like helping and I have background in event coordinating. I have not worn that hat in a while so it was nice to learn how easily I can slide back into that role. I tried to be helpful but not overly helpful. Sometimes it is more stressful having someone keep coming to you asking, WHAT CAN I HELP YOU WITH? I tried to be overly watchful and read body language for moments when I could jump in. That sounded a lot more creepy than I had intended…… I also wore a shirt I made that said: AUTO RAD INTERN, so there’s that.
Megan: Why didn’t I think to make a shirt? Next camp, I’m making a shirt.
Bren: Sidenote: After seeing how much work it all is, I can’t believe Megan used to do all this pretty much on her own. What a superhero.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6See entire article on one page
Wow do you guys seriously not have birthday badges?
I came to the comments to ask the same thing!
I can’t imagine a childhood birthday without a jazzy little badge to wear to school, haha.
(To be fair, I would probably still wear a jazzy birthday badge no matter what)
I can honestly say that CJ’s was the first I had ever seen.
Never heard about it before CJ! I like the idea of it, though!
I am love love loving an excuse to think through camp properly from start to finish. With pictures!
Although I’m not sure about your timeline, because you say that some things happened on the first day, but I remember feeling like I was with good friends already. Time on the mountain is not the same, I swear.
Seriously! How does so much happen in so little time?
I started reading this because I can’t sleep, hoping it would make me more tired because the recaps are always nice and long, but nope.
I’m instead sitting here, super hyped on the fact that A-Camp is a real thing that exists in this world, and dreaming of the day I’m finally on that mountain!
A-Camp 7.0 will take place March 29th-June 3rd in Angelus Oaks, California.
Camp Everlasting
i think i confused the first day of A-Camp with my psychiatrist appointment
it happens
That’s a long camp!
I would go. It’s all-inclusive
I only dance for points.
Rory’s illustration of the Feels Academy is so great!!
I enjoyed that panel. I have notes on my from that I took from it.
Hi! Should we be reserving spots with the $75 deposit now? Is there a reason when I try at the A-Camp website the link seems to just go in a circle? Maybe the reservations aren’t open yet?
http://a-camp.org/register
I don’t think registration is open yet.
feb 1!!
Cool I wasn’t sure if registration and reservations were the same thing or different :-)
THANK i’ve been freaking out about this
(but like are they open yet or is my computer not handling some sort of flash media situation well today? Which Happens Sometimes)
I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who went to Combating Transphobia workshop and helped make queer women’s spaces safer for trans women.
1) the Outsiders are EVERYWHERE in this recamp. Love it.
2) Still hoping this speakeasy potluck (its def gonna be a pot of luck and notyour average potlatch) idea happens this coming camp. I WANT TO TRY ALL THE FOODS
3) I would like to see the Gilles music videos all day every day.
4) But also come up with random questions for all of Brittani’s friends (so how do you feel about bears?)
5) 2.0 forever 21 cabin forever proud of initiating a camp phenomenon.
6) thank you Jenny for spelling it Klub
7) kaylah killing the mystery door and that spider story are amaxing.
8) nothing compares to watching a number of queers protect themselves from adorable bear bandits with their fists
9) camp felt so fast but the recamp is SO PACKED I’m glad I get the chance to read about all the things I missed out on!
10) Ali, it doesn’t matter how many times you tell me the things about whiskey, I will never know enough of your wisdom to be bored.
11) the staff reading. Still cant.
12) speakeasy needs at least one night at deer every camp. It was so amazing.
Awwww, Kel. <3 <3 <3
Can’t wait for CAMPPPPPPPPPP!!! AHHHH !!!
Shout out to Speakeasy Klub Deer night I’ve been practicing my twerk skill for camp ;)
Thank you Riese for Recamps! This made my day after coming back from awful commute back from work
Hollarh
Re: Mystery Door 2015
You’re welcome, #sleepcrew.
<3 #slutshack
SLUTSHACK 4 LYFE!!!
<3 <3
THANK YOU THE DOOR WAS A TRUE MIRACLE
slutshack solidarity
I miss waking to the sound of Carmen’s giggle-cackle.
Okay first of all that fucking door. THE DOOR YOU GUYS. THE DOOR. im still freaking out about it.
Second Im sad about missing the piñata but Im so glad you guys enjoyed it. It was named Whittier. @djuantrent
Man I miss camp already you guys
#slutshack4life also more deer tattoos
THE DOOR
The Starsiders are ALL OVER THIS RECAMP I LOVE IT.
Yesss!!!
Long time lurker, first time poster. I have to say that I get so excited reading recamps. It will be my first camp this year and I’m already so emotional. I cant wait!
so excited to meet you!
!!!!!!
<333
I thought I was already excited about camp this year but then I read this and ahhh whole new level of excitement.
Brittani Nichols referred to me by name in this post and I’m pretty sure I’m famous now. Seriously, this is the pinnacle of human achievement. I should drop out of school and quit while I’m ahead.
mazel
I can’t wait for this yearrrrrrr.
when I woke up to find the door had appeared in cabin 19, I understood that camp really is a magic place where everyone gets to be their truest best selves.
i DID NOT KNOW A-Camp was a thing until reading these 6.0 “recamps” & it’s no big deal, I’M FINE, I May Have Hyperventilated At Work
#LateToTheGame honestly though post-panic I texted my MOTHER like “your dream of getting me to leave the damn house & go to sleep-away summer camp MAY YET COME TRUE”
she replied with some sort of emoji and a reference to an episode of Transparent
i love this
Perfect mom response.
Lauren helping me with suspenders and being so patient and helpful and hilarious was a highlight of camp for me. Thanks, Lauren! I was indeed excited after. Pretty sure I was geeking out about it to Leigh as Lauren walked by later and that was so not embarrassing because heck she saw my sewing skills. That was embarrassing. I miss camp and swinging each morning and journaling with tea before the camp woke up. Sorry not sorry for early morning squeaky swings. See you all on the swings the first morning when I’m still on central time and every other morning because it’s the place to be and the best way to start a camp day.
I loved your excitement at camp!
You were really so excited! And rightly so!
Hey, I made it into the recamp! Bren, I know it wouldn’t be the same, but I do have videos of me playing Tetris on youtube if you want to see what the hype is about.
I’ll miss you guys this year, but make no mistake. I will be back up there again.
aw, that’s too bad that you won’t be back this year. We’ll miss you!
I’ll be back though. Y’all left too deep of an impact on me not to come back. :)
Also, side note Mey. I’m still telling people about the story you read to all of us at the staff reading. That was so powerful, and one of the highlights of the whole thing for me.
Thank you so much! That really means a lot
There are videos? PLease may I see them? THIS SOUNDS SUPER COOL.
Of course!
Here’s my fastest sprint time so far. Sprint is just a test to see how fast you are by clearing 40 lines as quickly as you can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W60-JVYEzI&feature=youtu.be
Here’s a video of me playing against some other very good people in competitive play. The different setups and clears you do in this mode push the other players’ stacks higher, and the goal is to top everyone else out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw25U9tyN9s
these videos blew my mind
Woah. I got dizzy just watching that. It is, like super-human!
as i drunkenly slid the pins through the door hinges precariously held in place by Rory so that our calmer cabin mates could snooze peacefully, i felt something deep in my core self click into place. this was the kind of teamwork i came for. slutshack is fam
props to cameron for also helping with mysterydoor2015
@glavinder also took it down like the next morning cause everyone was like i need to use the other bathroom pleasepleaseplease i dont wanna go outside to go back inside
RIP out Bruce and Courtney impression
*our
there’s always next year, i will keep the dream alive
please be bruce
I didn’t even consider it being any other way…
I love camp so much! I love reading these. The staff readings made my eyeballs cry all of the tears. At least the ones left inside after the chosen family panel. Also I jumped off a fucking telephone post thing in the ropes course deal. That day had so many feelings, I was an emotional wreck.
Now that I’ve read through this like 3x..because I’m always going WHAT DID I DO THAT DAY ANYWAY and I’ve process it enough..all I can say THE FUCKING DOOR YOU GUYS.
Ok wait I know what I wanted to really say!! I have like a small tiny video clip from opening night at Klub Deer when ‘Spice Up Your Life’ by the Spice Girls was being played. It’s right when everyone was going
“Colours of the world
Spice up your life
Every boy and girl
Spice up your life
People of the world
Spice up your life
Aaahh!!!
Slam it to the left
If you’re having a good time
Shake it to the right ”
YES YOU WERE ALL SO CUTE. To everyone I fist bumped, heyyyyyyyyyyyyy!! You’re the best! So the best.
Also I’m still so sad I pretty much missed the pinata which I’m told was brought down. There was candy everywhere. Even the next day. SO MUCH CANDY. Until everyone except the staff was left on the mountain, there was still candy in Deer.
This kept me super entertained at work today!
Do registrations fill up really fast?
I’m going to register as quickly as I can but because of time differences I’m usually out of step by 12 hours with the US and am worried it will come out and I’ll miss it. I would stay up all night to register if I had to. :)
Well it seem like I missed a lot of good activities. Wish I could have gone to Homo La Flor and Canoe
but at least I am in one picture (bicycle workshop)
Hello friendly people! This all sounds so exciting. I was especially chuffed (trying to incorporate that word into my daily speech these days) to see that there was (a) a Bisexual Mountaintop Summit and Feelings Atrium and (b) an Introvert Meetup. Story of my life right there! Well, part of the story. I’m excited for registratio!
registration, I mean. Although registratio has the sound of an incantation, which is cool.
I’M SO EXCITED!! I haven’t felt like this since I was a teenager headed off to ski camp.
Also that suspenders workshop looks really cute.
LEMON TWIST HUMMUS THO
right!??!? so often overlooked.
Everyone has such great hair at camp. Goodness. I remember thinking that. Like, how are there this many beautiful people with beautiful hair all in one place? You all look great on the mountain!
These recamps are amazing. They are definitely making it harder to realize I won’t be able to go back this year, but have reaffirmed my love for each and every human, and each and every hairstyle, and each and every animal onesie, up on that mountain. Good lord.
Also, an everlasting shoutout to Ali and Whitney, best counselors ever.
My heart just glows every time I read or think about camp, I didnt go to this one, but remembering past camps and imagining this years just feels so good. <3