Hula Hoops Were My Downfall by Clare Reddaway


My dad used to tell me a story about his younger brother winning a bike by knowing the most yo-yo tricks. There was no actual contest, he’d never even used a yo-yo — he just wrote in with a list of tricks and was declared the winner.

Clare Reddaway’s story about a couple of young friends who desperately want hula hoops when they were a fad reminded me of that story.

Oh, the rapture the first time we touched those thin bands of plastic. Mine was orange as a lolly. Angharad’s was the bright green of arsenic.

So, let me tell you what it feels like when you hoool your hoop.

Read the story



All featured authors

Abby ManzellaAD SchweissAlex DiFrancescoAlex Marzano-LesnevichAllison Field BellAmber BairdAmelia GrayAmorak HueyAmy DeBellisAndrea BishopAndrea CavedoAndrew Bertainaandrew rutledgeAnnalisa CrawfordAnne P. BeattyAnne PanningArthur H. MannersArthur MandalAvitus B. CarleBarlow AdamsBeth KanterBeth ShermanBethany CutkompBob JohnsonBrandon ForinashBrian D. HinsonBrian EvensonCaleb BetheaCamara S. GarrettCandace Leigh CoulombeCarly AlaimoCarmen Maria MachadoCasey McFadzeanCatherine LaceyCecily CarverCharlie RogerschatgptChris ScottChristian EscalonaChristine H. ChenCiara AlfaroClare ReddawayColeman BigelowColin AlexanderCorey FarrenkopfDana WallDavid SummerfieldDavid WatersDerek FisherDouglas A WrightElda OrozcoElise JeanmarieElissa LashElizabeth JannuzziElvira NavarroEmily AustinEmily HampsonEmily RinkemaEmily WaughErik CederblomErin StriffErin WoodÉva SzékelyEvan HannonFionnuala MeehanFrances GapperFrancesca LeaderGarret CroweGary FinneganGraham MortHannah GregoryHannah SmartJ. Haase VetterJ. Malcolm GarciaJ.R. DawsonJ.W. GollJack B BedellJake MaynardJamey GallagherJamie GillJay McKenzieJeanann VerleeJeff FriedmanJennifer PintoJisun ParkJoel Henry LittleJohn HaggertyJordan HarperJosh RankJP RelphJude DoyleJuliet Gelfman-RandazzoK. A. PolzinKara OakleafKaren HeulerKate ArnoldKate AxefordKatherine PlumhoffKatie ten HagenKaty GoforthKeegan LawlerKelli Dianne RuleKelly RobsonKevin Light-RothKevin SterneKevin WilsonKim FuKim MagowanKristen ArnettKyla HaningtonLaura ZapicoLena ValenciaLillie E. FranksLincoln MichelLindsay ComerM.A. BoswellM.E. ProctorMackenzie HurlbertMadeleine VigneronMarco VisciolaccioMarijean OldhamMarilyn DuarteMark IfansonMary HeitkampMegan CumminsMeghan Louise WagnerMichelle DrozdickNatalie WartherNathan LeslieNick EkkizogloyP.R. O’LearyPatrick FealeyPete ProkeschPhebe JewellRachel OffordRobin BeckerRose HollanderRuth BrandtS.A. GreeneSadie Sartini GarnerSamanta SchweblinSamantha Xiao CodySara McKinneySarah GerardSarah Lynn HurdSarah MullensSarah PerrinSophie HamptonSpencer NitkeyStephen DixonSudha BalagopalSumitra SingamSusan PeraboTaffy Brodesser-AknerTaisiya KoganTam EastleyTed ChiangTerese SvobodaTim MaughanTimothy ReillyTracie Adams