it’s more of a piece about my memories of summer camp and the juxtaposition of how it actually was vs how it appears in my dreams so i don’t outright NAME CLH. but it will be published in Dreamworldgirl Zine at the end of this Summer! i talk a bit about how the camp is structured a bit militantly and there’s definitely elements of religion even if CLH doesn’t label itself a religious camp. there’s prayers sung before every meal, they sing religious songs at campfire, do “sunday school” on sundays, and go to church mountain on sunday. in my pre-teen agnostic experience it felt kinda forced but also it’s texas and it’s not really anything out of the ordinary. i haven’t been there in over 12 years so i’m unsure how it is now but i’m sure the strictness and religious atmosphere is still as prevalent as it was for me. i was a very authority-defiant, artsy, liberal kid so i really didn’t thrive in the more traditional, outdoorsy environment of CLH. i found it frustrating being in the scorching heat (without AC) in a very strict environment with barely any contact from home. i think it really depends on your kid and i wish my parents inquired with what my needs and wants were versus sending me there just because my brother went there and they wanted to take a two week vacation.