Lara Tupper: Swift Ink Stories

Arts, Crafts and Water Ballet

At age 12, at YMCA summer camp, I made a lanyard keychain by knotting orange and turquoise plastic threads into a boxy cord. (If you went to summer camp in the ‘80s, you probably remember making one, too.) That July, I was obsessed with Prince, the Go-Go’s, and a French-Canadian boy named Jerome. I chose the colors for my lanyard to match my favorite outfits. I was proud of my work—from flimsy bits of plastic, I’d constructed something artful and utilitarian.

At camp, I took Arts and Crafts, Water Ballet, and Outdoor Living (how to avoid poison ivy). Best of all, I was far from my small town, which has been home to Tuppers for generations. Back there, I was an only child, a budding theater nerd, a spatially challenged bookworm who was always picked last in gym class. My identity seemed set in stone.  

But at camp, for two glorious weeks, I wasn’t picked last for kickball—not for the first week, anyway. I could occupy a different niche.

Here's my full article,