Trip Journal: SBC Organizer Summer Camp 2026
"It was so fun to have a little taste of being a summer camp kid again! Everyone's friendly energy was fantastic, the educational bits were helpful, and the activities were fun. Can't wait til next time!" — SBC Santa Rosa organizer Amanda
Submitted for the approval of The Midnight Society... three days of reading, reveling, and rhinestone-ing in the Rockies.
Hi! I’m Kate, the Community Manager for SBC—and one of your resident Camp Directors! I'm also a SBC Chapter Organizer, so the idea of gathering leaders from across the country together in a rustic, nostalgic setting was near and dear to my heart. Fire up the s'mores—it's time for CAMP!
DAY ONE - Arrival, Book Swap, & the U.S. Premiere of Virginia Woolf's Night & Day on the Big Screen
High up in the Rockies, SBC Co-founder Guinevere, Programs Manager Jazmyn, and I felt like little kids on the first day of school as our organizers pulled into camp—on a big yellow school bus, of course! After settling in, we took in the awe-inspiring views of the Rocky Mountains and convened in the camp's pavilion for a meet-and-greet. Our friends at The Bookish Goods kindly gifted our campers some truly adorable items from their new Summer Camp line, and we couldn't wait to surprise everyone with their new spoils.
Pictured: The breathtaking mountain views and our welcome wagon; making fast friends; Guinevere and Jazmyn show off our Bookish Goods gifted merch; a peek at our custom Welcome Bags (which included camp itineraries, pins, stickers, candy, bandanas, and our favorite Killer Brownies.)
After a spirited Book Swap Royale, pizza, and presentations from HQ, campers cozied in for the U.S. premiere(!) of the new film Night & Day, based on the novel by Virginia Woolf, and starring Lily Allen, Jennifer Saunders, and Jack Whitehall. (Spoiler alert: it was fantastic and opens in U.S. theaters on September 4th. Run, don't walk to catch it!).
Pictured: Guinevere teeing up our Book Swap; organizers from all over the country meeting and mingling; Virginia Woolf under the stars.
DAY TWO - Book Fairs! And Crafting! And Bears! OH MY!
I awoke with the dawn and enjoyed a stroll through camp, the fresh summer air and rising sun feeling positively intoxicating. The only thing that could make this better? A morning book fair with a coffee in hand, of course!
The Shop at MATTER, a black- and woman-owned bookstore out of Denver, set up camp under the blue skies and offered a fabulously diverse collection of books, totes, stickers, and merch for our campers to shop.
Pictured: Mountain air; the Shop at MATTER's pop-up; readers enjoying their new books in the wild.
The campers then discovered their new favorite hobby at our Book Bedazzling Workshop! Let's just say we mayyyy have created a few monsters. ;)
Pictured: Taking our book bedazzling very seriously, thank you.
The rest of the day was Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style, chock full of puzzles, pool time, games and crafts, an audiobook walk down a scenic trail, a bandana bracelet workshop, and a round of cupcakes and Happy Birthdays for SBC co-founder Guinevere. Pretty picture perfect, if we may!
Oh yes... and a bear. We named him Gerald.
Pictured: Pool crew; SBC co-founder Laura stops in to solve a puzzle; SBC Fayetteville, Arkansas, organizer Glenna enjoys some watercoloring time; our Book Rec wall fills up; Jazmyn tackles a puzzle and some reading; bracelets are made, bears are spotted, hammocks are hung (courtesy of SBC Lake County, Florida, organizer Natalie).
At dinner, we surprised our campers with more goodies—free books! Everyone took home copies of BEGINNING MIDDLE END by Valeria Luiselli courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf, advance reader copies of RABBIT RABBIT by Jennifer E. Smith and TIGER'S MOUTH by Lucy Tan courtesy of Thousand Voices Media, and fresh Reading Journals thanks to The Bookish Goods. Simon & Schuster also donated copies of the newly released essay collection by Eliot Glazer, THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD GAY.
The day ended with a Craft Rave featuring DJ Meow and a few rousing games of Bananagrams—a camp hit.
Pictured: BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS!; campers hit the dance floor; DJ Meow keeps the vibes high; SBC Silver Spring, Maryland, organizer Isabella keeps the bedazzling on point.
DAY THREE - Farewell!
After a delicious donut breakfast, our beloved chapter organizers and newfound friends boarded the big yellow bus and bid us farewell. Our hearts and bags full, we quickly vowed to do this again soon. And that, we will.
Not "Goodbye", just "Till we meet again!"
Bandanas + Bananagrams 4ever. See you all next year, when SBC Summer Camp will be open to everyone. Details and tickets coming soon.
Love reading and traveling? Us, too. Sign up for our other reading retreats here.