A-Camp 6.0, Day Three: Monday, June 1st
Morning Activities
Pre-Breakfast: Coffee & Dream Diaries (Morgan)// Diarist’s Hike (Ali & Hansen)
Block A: Self Defense 101 (Laura M) // Quilting (Jasika Nicole) // Working In Solidarity: Combating Transphobia In Queer Spaces (Mey, Morgan, Maddie & KaeLyn) // Chosen Family Panel (Mary, Grace, Taylor, Whitney & Kristin) // Changing the Narrative: The Importance of QPOC Fiction (Carolyn W) // This Is A Queer Desire Map Circle (Carmen & Rachel)
Block B: Write Your Face Off #2 (Rachel, Riese & Laneia) // Bicycle Repair and Maintenance 101 (Heather) // Anal Sex: A Gentle Introduction (Ali, Lizz Rubin, KaeLyn, Carolyn Yates) // Basketball Wives of Angelus Oaks (Brittani, Carly, Claire) // SuperPhat Soap-Making (Laura Wooley & Mey) // Lip-Syncing Essentials with Kristin & Dannielle (Kristin & Dannielle)
Sarah Hansen, Fun Home Counselor: Ali and I lead a Diarist’s Hike in the morning, and we had tried the hike twice before, once getting so completely lost I made a cairn for us because I was convinced we were going to die alone in the woods. But! We pulled it off when it came to the actual day and the trip to the Medicine Wheel was a success.
Ali Osworth, Star Runners Counselor: Oh gosh, the Diarist’s hike might have been my favorite quiet moment at Camp.
Hansen: Taking a quiet moment is so necessary for camp and I rarely allow myself to do it, so it was a nice reset.
Ali: It was exactly what I needed — I brought my tarot cards and read for myself on a rock overlooking the mountains and then I wrote about it. Fun fact, every prompt I wrote for the hike was based off of tarot cards I pulled out of my deck.
Laura Mandanas, Outsiders Counselor: During Self-Defense 101, Marni and Robin helped out by posing as attackers in their bear suits. It was very special.
Marni Kellison, A-Camp Co-Director: Robin and I assisted Laura M with her self-defense workshop as the aggressor-bears. Speaking as a bear, it was really fun and informative and Laura is a great teacher.
Laura M: I wish we got through more material this year, but I’m happy that everyone who attended knows how to throw a proper punch!
Carolyn Yates, Fun Home Counselor: Our Anal Sex: A Gentle Introduction workshop (or as it will live in our hearts, “Butts: I’m A Cheerleader”) was, I think, mostly an excuse to talk about anal sex a lot, a goal that we definitely achieved.
KaeLyn Rich, Shark Week Counselor: At the Butt Sex panel, I was again just like, “Wow, these humans let me stand up here with them. WHAT A DAY.” Lizz is hilarious. Carolyn is a boss bitch. Ali is the tops in so many ways.
Lizz Rubin, Witchblades Counselor: Once upon a time I had this insane idea that we would talk all about anal sex for an hour. And then we did that. We just did it. We talked about anal for a hour with campers. We talked all about safety and lube and going slow. We talked about poop and toys and condoms. It was incredible.
Ali: Butt sex. Lizz, did that harness ever make its way back to you?
Lizz: We did find the harness with the peep hole back!
Carolyn Y: There isn’t a ton of discussion about anal sex among queer women and so helping to create an environment where it was the focus felt really good.
KaeLyn: We packed that room (insert packing joke. insert fudge packing joke.) full of anal-sex novices and experts! We had to add chairs! I hope lives were changed.
Carmen Rios, Rodeo Disco Counselor: While everyone else was talking about butt sex, I was wrangling a surprisingly large amount of A-Campers into a bench circle to help them map out the rest of their lives as per The Desire Map, that self-improvement book I talk to you about on a daily basis.
Emily Gigler, Superstar: Carmen’s desire map circle was a goddamn revelation. A precious cluster of friends and community sitting in the forest focusing on how we want to feel, and how we can create those feelings and experiences for ourselves in daily life. That shit is mad applicable, that’s that shit you take home with you.
Carmen: We laughed, we forged friendships, Rachel learned a lot about me by looking over my shoulder at my completed copy of the workbook, but nobody cried — even though I apparently requested not one, but two boxes of tissues for the activity.
Rachel Kincaid, Ghost Power Counselor: The boxes of tissues were actually, I think, the only materials that Carmen had requested for the activity, and we had to send someone to find pens. Nonetheless, it was a joyous time! I was so pleased by how many people were willing to spend an hour or so Finding Their Truth (TM) in a little campfire grove, and Carmen’s Desire Map passion was infectious.
Gigler: The collective energy of all of our ideas and ambitions bouncing around with each other is transformative.
Maddie Taterka, Firebirds Counselor: I felt really honored when Mey asked me to be part of Combating Transphobia in Queer Spaces, and I really loved this discussion.
Mey Rude, Hogwarts Counselor: It was funny, because right before Morgan, Maddie, KaeLyn and I went to start our Combating Transphobia in Queer Spaces workshop, Caitlyn Jenner made her debut online, so at the beginning of the workshop, I joked that we were changing the topic to just talking about Jenner.
Maddie: I appreciated how open and honest people were about sharing their experiences and thoughts, and I think that in the space we were able to capture how making queer women’s spaces safe and inclusive of trans women is a nuanced and ongoing process, not a singular set of hard and fast rules.
Morgan McCormick, Sea Otters Counselor: I was super glad Mey was our leader because I frequently felt at a loss before camp in our email thread about what to say and she kept us on task with frequent polite check-ins and guidance as we tried to to hammer out an issue that the world struggles so mightily with.
Mey: This was my first time leading a workshop like this, I had been a part of a ton of panels and I had led a craft, but I felt so much pressure on this one. Luckily, I had a really great team helping me with it. Also, all the campers (and staff members) who came did such a great job, I was really proud of the list we came up with, and really happy that we were able to talk about the kinds of issues that we, as trans women, still have, even in queer spaces that say they’re really trans friendly.
Kaelyn: We were nervous cis allies wouldn’t come, but you all came! And were present! And sat back and listened to trans folks tell you what they need! It made my heart sing. My favorite part is that Maddie grabbed the notes and brought them over to Wolf after the session, where they lived for all to see for the rest of camp!
Morgan: After combating transphobia like champs, I really felt like we had done some real good. And activism often lends one to feel that good feelings and a sense of actual accomplishments are nowhere near in sight. It was a real gift and a treasure to be there.
KaeLyn: It was my favorite workshop of camp and a huge honor to be asked to stand up there as a trans ally. I just felt appreciative to be in both the workshops I was assigned to in the morning. Like, surrounded by so much greatness, just glad to be invited to the party.Mey, Morgan, Maddie, and I led some great conversations about making queer spaces trans-inclusive.
Stef Schwartz, Campires Counselor: It was so hard to pick which thing to go to at any given time! I really wanted to attend Chosen Family and the butt stuff, but I ultimately decided that the workshop about combating transphobia in queer spaces was where I really needed to be. I’m really glad I did! Mey, Morgan, KaeLyn and Maddie led a really amazing discussion and I was happy to just shut up and listen.
Laura Wooley, Sea Otters Counselor: It was just wildly successful. Have you all read the article they wrote? I should really be required reading for all queers/feminists/humans.
Liz Castle, Tower of Terror Counselor: The Chosen Family Panel was AMAZING. Thanks to all of you who shared your stories…I’m pretty sure there was not a dry eye in Eagle by the time it was over!
Whitney Pow, Star Runners Counselor: I was so proud to share my (sometimes sad, often bittersweet, sometimes happy) story about my family alongside all of these wonderful, articulate and incredibly brave people.
Whitney: We had some wonderful conversations and questions with campers, about how to self-care and move through situations where we need to find our chosen family, and I just wanted to say I love you all so much, and we’re all here for each other, and you are my chosen family. I feel so lucky to have this queer community through Autostraddle.
Carly Usdin, Special Programming Director: I sat in on the chosen family panel and my adult children, Grace and Taylor, made me cry a thousand tears. I’m a proud mom.
Laura W: SuperPhat Soap Making was so fun that Mey and I forgot to tell everyone why it was called superphat! See, after spending 15 minutes terrifying everyone about lye, I realized that we didn’t have a bucket anymore due to the Great Plague of 2015. We decided to improvise with a plastic hot chocolate container and got to play a real serious game of “do as I say, not as I do” when it totally melted as soon as we poured the lye into it. After a little crisis management, we ended up with some really smooth soap batter. A camper asked if she could add glitter to her soap (obviously the answer to this question is “yes!”) and everyone got really creative with foam letters, ribbon, tea, and lots and lots of glitter.
Djuan Trent, Beyhive Counselor: I helped Megan set up off activities and then I was off to sit on a tree stump and you know… sit on a tree stump. Anywho, I was sitting on a tree stump going over the lyrics to my songs when one of my campers, Aleia, approached me. She sat with me and we just started chatting about life and such. I really enjoyed chatting with her because I love to hear and tell stories. I told her that I once heard a quote on Grey’s Anatomy which really stuck with me, “You never know what secrets the body in front of you holds.” I love stories because we all have one, and through our stories are how we share and relate some of those secrets. Isn’t it so amazing to think that the people you work with, sleep with, drink with and randomly pass in the street have secrets and stories to tell?! Like…that is just one of my favorite things to think about. But anywho, Aleia and I were chatting and relating about our lives as queer women in the world, our families, our siblings and our careers. I’d shared with Aleia that I was enjoying camp, but I was feeling under-used and just lacking purpose… like, I was just waiting to have my “moment” when I would finally be like, “Oh! This is why I’m here!” I told Aleia that I’d decided that maybe my purpose at camp was not to have a big moment, but to just exist and enjoy the experience rather than looking for my “moment.” Aleia understand and reassured me that I was serving a purpose at camp. I appreciated all parts of our conversation. Eventually Ev’Yan joined us and the chat was just getting better and better. At some point, Aleia was asking Ev’Yan about some natural remedies for something and Ev’Yan responded, “Well, I don’t know that much. I just do little stuff here and there.” I stopped Ev’Yan right there and asked her, “Why does it have to be ‘just little stuff’? Aleia may not know anything, so even though you feel like you only know a little, it could be a lot more than what Aleia knows. We have to stop selling ourselves short and shrinking ourselves down to what we ‘just’ are.” And there it was… MY MOMENT! Mica joined and Stephanie joined us as we were talking about the importance of embracing who we are, as little or big as we may feel, and standing firm in this. So often, we cower down to thinking/feeling that we are “just” something, rather than embracing everything that we actually are. Changing “I’m just” to “I am” can seem like it is only a slight change in words, but it is actually a big change in perception, self-perception. And in that moment, I realized I had to stop saying, “I’m just here at camp, I guess” and start saying, “I am here at camp, shawty!!!” That conversation with my campers was much needed and I loved the dynamic of us nurturing, sharing and planting seeds in one another.
Kristin Russo, The Talent: This Lip-Syncing Workshop was a total unknown to us… it’s like, we LIPSYNC all the time, and the dream of our life was to teach a class on how to do it, but we had no idea what that would mean.
Dannielle Owens-Reid, The Talent: We taught the best workshop on planet earth. The happiest day of my life.
Yvonne, Senior Editor and Shark Week Counselor: I don’t remember why but I stumbled upon the lip synching workshop and then just stayed for the majority of it because it was super fun. I didn’t participate but everyone involved looked so good doing it. Dannielle and Kirsten are legit f*cking pro lip synching coaches. Y’all should hire them.
Kristin: We chose Fifth Harmony’s “Bo$$” as the song we’d use to instruct, and also decided that it would be good to direct the attendees in a full-out performance that they could do at the end of camp. We planned a few key parts of the performance, but otherwise left it entirely up to the group. We split everyone up into sections (Fifth Harmony, Horns, “Snappers,” Hype-men, and the letters to spell out C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T) and then discovered we were at a camp full of absolute geniuses as they made their parts INCREDIBLE. We instructed them to meet on their own to practice before the big performance…
Carolyn Wysinger, Firebirds Counselor: At my workshop Breaking the Narrative: The Importance of QPOC literature, we had some amazing discussions about the role of media and literature in telling QPOC stories. The best part was letting the campers work on a few writing prompts an hearing them tell their stories. I was glad that the workshop really drove home the idea of tell your individual stories and the ones they shared were amazing! I was so happy to have been able to inspire them to share. More tears.
Brittani Nichols, Tower of Terror Counselor: Basketball Wives of Angelus Oaks was fun as always. Things were definitely more competitive this year than usual. I think some people were even talking trash to each other? It was definitely better than the basketball scene in The L Word.
Carly: It was definitely better than that scene in The L Word. I love watching Claire do anything, especially sports.
Elicia Sanchez, Ghost Power Counselor: I heard a lot of amazing activities happened which I missed out on because I went back to my cabin after breakfast and took a nap.
Rachel: My intrepid authors showed up to Day 2 of the multi-part Writing Your Face Off workshop, which featured guest stars Riese and Laneia. I was so pumped that everyone who had attended the first day came back for the second, when they could be LIP SYNCING, even. Riese and Laneia led an activity where people used a nontraditional writing form — in this case I believe it was a lab report format — to cover a personal essay topic and talk about a life experience they’d had. People seemed really game for it despite it being kind of a gonzo idea!
Riese Bernard, Runaways Counselor: It actually really helped me outline an essay I’ve been kicking around in my head for a while.
Laneia, Runaways Counselor: Same! Rachel’s writing workshops are the tits. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself at A-Camp and you’re even a little bit into excavating your soul onto some paper, do not miss this.
Heather Hogan, Hogwarts Counselor: So, I had an enormous UPS debacle leading up to camp, and it left me without a lot of things, including a bike to use in my bike maintenance workshop. Luckily, Kip saved the day and brought his bike up to the mountain for me to use. I worked in a bike shop in college for store credit, so I’ve been around the block about a hundred times assembling and fixing bike, but I was SO NERVOUS about doing this workshop. Luckily, everyone was patient and kind and I guess it went okay because when Evie volunteered to change a tire in front of the group at the end of class, she did it brilliantly on the first try. (Um, Jessica, I just remembered I still have your tire lever! I’ll mail it to you!)
