It’s been a week and a day since we all tearfully hugged goodbye at the Reynolds 2011 Closing Banquet (mental note for next year–Kleenex at the tables!), and since then I’ve been wondering how to wrap up this glorious week in blog form. I batted around a few ideas, but then I thought, why not let the 2011 campers speak for themselves? So, when asked, “What was your favorite memory of Reynolds?” this is how six of this year’s “little minions” respond:
Mariah Derringer, of Frankfurt, Kentucky:
“Sun was streaming in the windows, warming and lighting up the Board Room. Everyone was focused on Jane [Varley] as she read the [student] pieces. I, however, was having a realization. I was sitting in a room full of future famous writers. It was an amazing feeling. I wanted to get all their autographs so I could have them when they all became famous. I was kind of excited. When my child reads their novel, poetry or short stories, I could look at my child and say, ‘I met them. I was there when it all started.’ It was a bone- chilling feeling.”
Erin Davoran, of Cincinnati, Ohio:
“Each day brought things both new and exciting with many moments of hilarity, creativity, and bonding. Some of these moments would be trying Chow Mein for the first time at a Chinese restaurant (and hating it), playing revealing rounds of Never Have I Ever along with one very comical game of Truth or Dare, witnessing the TAs and campers share their touching compositions, and staying up until 5 a.m. on the last night with friends I will never forget.
“Through all of it, one memory sticks out the most from my time at Denison: The Closed Eye Contest. This game, which a few of us renamed the Gensemer Game, started out very innocent one night and ended two hours later with bruises, humiliation, and overall betrayal. The object of this game, invented by Harry Gensemer, was to see who could keep their eyes closed the longest. Simple, easy, fun… at first. The players in the game were myself, Harry, and Rachel Young. Though I doubted Harry’s honesty very early in the game, I kept my eyes shut as the three of us competed for nothing more than the honor of winning this made-up game. As the competition continued, I tripped over, kicked, fell into, and bumped many people and objects. My cell phone was stolen and I chased it around the large room blindly, following the sound of “Fireflies” by Owl City protruding from the speakers as people laughed at the tomfoolery. When I would sit, people attacked me with lanyards and peanut butter. Rachel and I were also attacked with fans and hair dryers, for no apparent reason. At one point I realized we were being videotaped and photographed – very embarrassing. The TAs almost tricked us (me and Rachel, for we were allied against Harry, our opponent) into thinking it was time for bed check, but a quick re-dial phone call to my mom outwitted their scheme, for it was not the time they claimed.
“In the end, everyone convinced me that both Harry and Rachel had given up, so I opened my eyes to bright light and mocking faces looking down upon me. [....] Looking back at the pictures and videos of this eventful game, I can’t help but laugh and applaud the schemers for a job well done. I laugh at it all now and know that it will become a legendary event in my mind, if not a few others’ as well. Remembering this event a few weeks after the camp makes me miss Denison and all the people I met there. I want to thank everyone who gave me such wonderful memories to take home, even Harry and his minions for their deception.”
Trevor Grayeb, of Flint, Michigan:
“My week at Reynold’s seemed to last a lifetime, and yet it passed in the blink of an eye. Never have I gotten to know so many people so well in so short a time, and never have I been a part of such a diverse yet universally ‘different’ group of people. Leaving Denison was the last thing I wanted to do, but I left with friends, memories, and experiences that I’ll have with me forever.”
Cady Courtright, of Wooster, Ohio:
“The last night of camp was the best. Having no curfew (as long as we were in the building), my friends and I had a sleepover and lay on the floor, simply talking. I probably got to know them more in that one night than I had over the entire span of the week, and that will always stand out in my memories of Reynolds. These people became some of my best friends, and I don’t know where I’d be if I had never sent in an application!”
Anne Redd, of Temperance, Michigan:
“I remember sitting in one of the lobby chairs the first day, listening to the quiet sound of hushed voices and fingers gently pushing down keys. My head was pounding; I had no idea what to write about. I was thinking that if this was what the whole week would be like… I would go crazy. However, it was just the opposite. After everyone got out of their little shy bubbles, the lobby’s hushed voices turned into a wide arrange of conversations. Within those walls of the lobby and the third floor dorms, I became so close to so many people. [But] it wasn’t all about writing. [There was] going to the lake and to the Columbus Art Museum. Competing in some intense games of battleship (which I won) and creating the most exceptional headgear and glasses out of pipe cleaners. I went in to the camp not really knowing what to expect. I came out in tears, wishing I didn’t have to leave.”
and Joe Barry, of Nashville, Tennessee:
“It still amazes me now, a week removed from being in cozy Granville, that twenty-eight strangers could so quickly become some of my closest friends, a few of whom I feel like I know better than my friends at home. It’s amazing how open you can become while sharing your writing. My favorite part of the whole experience was being able to show my writing to other teenagers for critique and advice. I love sharing what I’ve worked so hard to write with people who appreciate just as much as I do. When you’ve put so much effort into a poem or fiction piece, when you’ve approached it from various angles, and when there’s still something missing, I love giving it to a friend to read, listening carefully to suggestions that can help the piece reach new levels. I feel like the most exciting thing we did all week was the student reading session at Bandersnatch, the on-campus coffee shop, on the final night. Laying back and listening to everyone debut their pieces was incredible and proved to be a fantastic ending to what had been a magical week. [...] there is nothing better than having a group of friends who can help inspire you to write each and every day.”
Whether we like to admit it or not, we writers are social creatures: we need one another not only for inspiration and peer critique, but also for friendship, encouragement and love. As Mariah, Erin, Trevor, Cady, Anne and Joe can affirm, you may come to Reynolds seeking out one thing, but you will inevitably leave with the memories–and realities–of so much more.
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