Ever since the news broke a few weeks ago that the Asbury Park boardwalk’s historic Casino building’s future is in danger, old photos of the city have been absolutely flooding my social media feed.

I wasn’t terribly surprised by the news. Anyone who is even tangentially a local or has been one any time over the last 15 years has watched the developer who owns these historic spaces neglect them for years. I suppose it’s easier to allow a building to crumble into the sea and hope no one will notice than it would be to rehab it properly. Easier to knock it down and replace it with the kind of generic condo building you could find anywhere, and to name it after what it replaced.

I’ll never have whatever possesses someone to look at a historic building or a patch of undeveloped land and think there’s money to be made here instead of feeling the weight of centuries of collective memory.

At first was harder for me that usual to conjure the kind of outrage I normally feel when I learn about another piece of my home state failing a part of its history, because lately there have been so many bigger, more pressing outrages happening in our country—ones that involve human lives and questions about our democracy. But many things can be true at the same time. And the Casino is more than just a building. It’s been the backdrop against which so many New Jerseyans have lived their lives, including me.

I scrolled through my Instagram feed the other day and saw dozens and dozens of pictures I’d taken in and around the building. When I used to photograph portraits, I used it constantly, for the visual interest and good lighting it provides. It was the backdrop for portraits of me that were commissioned by the former Lamplighter Magazine to accompany an article I’d written for them about Instagram and Jersey Collective, and it was where my friends Haley and Darren helped me take this photo, to celebrate when Jersey Collective reached 10,000 followers.

I am choosing to remain cautiously optimistic about the fate of the Casino and Convention Hall. It was heartening to see the outpouring of outrage from the community, and I hope as this situation continues to unfold, the public will keep up the pressure. I hope I never have to post a series of photos like these, but of Convention Hall and the Casino, and say something like, I wish you could’ve seen it.

Thanks for reading,
Kerri

• If you’re in the Red Bank area, the biggest news you’ve probably been seeing lately has probably been about the ice boats. It even made the New York Times, and Brian Donohue has been doing a lot of great reporting on the ice boats (and ice fishing) over on Red Bank Green. The North Shrewsbury Ice Boat & Yacht Club is a little wooden building near Red Bank’s Marina Park, and I never knew it existed until I went there in 2014 with the designer who did the Jersey Collective logo, Jason Carne, so I could take some photos for a project he was working on at the time. This was so long ago, but I remember how old and cool the building was, and the history seemed really interesting, and I feel very lucky that I had the chance to go inside the club!

• The band The Mountain Goats put out an album of a recording of a show they played in Princeton in 2024, and instead of doing that thing national acts often do where they try to pass off a show as having taken place in a neighboring state, they leaned hard into the Jersey of it all. The record is called Going to Princeton 10/20/24, and the design features the colors and symbols of our state flag, a giant image of our state seal, and a goldfinch on the record label.

• If you remember Jersey Collective Reads, you’ll of course remember Courtney Preiss, co-host for that project and author of Welcome Home Caroline Kline. She just launched a new newsletter, and her first essay about motherhood is so beautiful and has me very much looking forward to reading more of what she plans to share!

• Underground Skate Shop collaborated with artist John Cozz and photographer Jordan Galiano for a collection celebrating Rutt’s Hut (but by the time you read this they may be sold out).

New Jersey Bookstore Crawl

Postcards have landed! Coming soon to participating bookstores, and other community places that make sense like coffee shops, record stores, and more! Getting postcards printed is always something that makes an event feel more real to me, so I’m thrilled to have these in hand. They were designed by Kristen of Hello Art Design!

A new event series

A few weeks ago, I was starting to get information together for my taxes, and I realized I’ve been paying for a Zoom account, which we used when we did Jersey Collective Reads. Since it was fresh in my mind, when we got an unexpected snow day last month, I impulsively posted a link for a meeting in my Instagram story and invited whoever wanted to join me for a writing session. We briefly talked before and after about what we were all working on, and spent an hour writing in silence, mostly with our cameras on though so it felt like we were doing something together. I had read about similar events but never tried them. I usually find Zoom really draining, even though I mostly find in-person interactions really energizing. So I was never sure if this kind of thing would work of me, but after having tried it, I can say that it did!

I’m still workshopping what to call it, but I’m going to do it again on Sunday, March 22 at 10:00 AM, and I invite you to join me. Think of it as a virtual study hall, where you can work communally, while still in the comfort of your own home (or wherever are). You’re welcome to use the time however you need: write, work on art, organize or edit photos, work on an application to submit your art or writing, edit your website, etc. And we’ll chat briefly before/after, too, but that’s optional. The spirit of it is to provide a place for people who do creative projects to feel a little less alone while they do them, or to feel accountable to actually sitting down and working for a bit.

This is all very much still an experiment, so I look forward to seeing how it goes and figuring out what else to do from here! I would love to do in-person versions of this, too, but since that Zoom account is paid for through next fall, I might as well use it for something!

Upcoming events

Independent Bookstore Day Sticker Machine Pop-up
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Watchung Booksellers: 54 Fairfield St, Montclair, NJ
More details soon, but like last year, our sticker machine will be at Watchung Booksellers for Independent Bookstore Day, stocked with (new, to be revealed soon!) book-themed stickers. Unlike last year, this time I will be hanging out all day as an attendant, so I can make change for you and say hi.

Jersey Art Book Fair
May 2 & 3, 2026
Mana Contemporary: 888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ
More details soon, but I’m looking forward to releasing some new work (!) at this year’s JAB!

Let’s hear from an interesting New Jerseyan! Interview has been lightly edited for space.

This month’s Q&A is with author, poet, activist, (and my friend!) Alicia Cook. I met Alicia through Jersey Collective back at the very beginning of the project in 2014, and it has been so great to see everything she’s accomplished since then.

You were one of the first people to ever do an Instagram takeover of Jersey Collective, and at the time I didn’t even know you yet! I remember being so excited that a stranger wanted to participate in my scrappy little project, and that you were a fellow writer. I went back and looked at the interview I did with you that week because I thought it might be fun to ask you some of the same questions, but in doing so I realized: twelve years later, everything is so different for you and for Jersey Collective! So I’ll ask you this instead: how has building your following, for lack of a better word, on Instagram over the last decade impacted your creative practice?
Oh my goodness. I went back and looked at the interview too. And I love that my Instagram bio at the time was “I think I’m a writer.” That interview was nearly two years before my debut book of poetry was released too! Wow.

I’ve tried my best to NOT have building an internet base influence my creative practice. Especially the way platforms like Instagram suppress posts and avoid chronological order. The community I began building over ten years ago…I think a lot of them still follow me, but hardly see my posts organically anymore. I can’t let engagement, or lack thereof, impact my creative practice or type of work I am creating. I just can’t. The robots win that way.

We need social media. You can build an audience. You can market thoughtfully. But the work itself HAS to stay sovereign. If the algorithm becomes the primary audience, the work narrows. If the work remains yours, the audience will find it in the ways that matter.

While we’re looking back, your first book of poetry, Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately, turned ten in January. Did you have any sense at all back then that it was going to be a book that would still be such a big part of your life so many years down the road?
I honestly didn’t think much about the long-term life of the book. My literary agent said something like, “This is the kind of work that will still be on shelves and find people even ten years later.” And I didn’t really let it sink in until about two years ago, when the work was being adapted into an operatic song cycle.

I needed to write that book back then. I think if I hadn’t, I might have completely sunk into my own sadness. It gave me purpose at a really difficult time, and it still gives me purpose and pride today. It’s surreal to realize that something so personal, something born out of that kind of necessity, can continue to resonate and evolve over a decade later.

To commemorate the book’s anniversary, you just put out a collection called More Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately, which includes 30 never-before-published poems you wrote back in 2016. How did it feel digging those up and revisiting them, and how has it been sharing them now?
Thanks to the operatic song cycle, I had to revisit Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately in ways I hadn’t in years; I really had to dive deep into the text. And doing that gave me a whole new appreciation, not just for the book, but for who I was back then…someone I’m sometimes embarrassed of, because I was acting in survival mode at the time. I often think of the Alicia Cook who wrote SIBFL as almost a separate version of the person that I am today.

But working through it with the song cycle helped me make peace in a way I hadn’t before. That also got me thinking about all the work from that time that’s never been published (either because I wasn’t ready to share it, or it just wasn’t finished). I loved going back and looking at it, and it really reinforced something I always tell writers: never delete your work! You never know what it might mean to you, or others, years later.

I feel like there’s this narrative that once you’ve traditionally publish something, you’ve “made it” in some way, and the rest of your writing career will be easy. One thing I really admire about you is that you’re always sharing your rejections (like how you recently had a poem published by a magazine that had previously rejected your work 30 times), which I think reminds other writers that every project is its own unique thing and the work is ongoing. What was it about More Stuff that made you want to release it yourself?

Mac Miller has a line that goes “Please don’t nod your hеad, and please don’t tell mе I made it / ‘Cause people start to get worse once they think they the greatest.”

Honestly, 10 years ago, if I had waited for Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately to be traditionally published, it probably still wouldn’t exist. I really mean that. It took me taking my career into my own hands, self-publishing Stuff, for the “powers that be” to even take me seriously. Once that self-published book started selling and charting, that’s when a literary agent came along, and then a traditional publisher. Talking about the problems with the traditional publishing system is a whole other conversation.

With More Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately, I wanted to return to that same approach that gave the first book a chance. I wanted it to feel like a full-circle moment. It’s also not a full-length collection, so I wanted control over pricing and to keep it accessible. And I wanted to release it as a surprise in a short timeframe, which just isn’t possible with a traditional publisher.

Even after Stuff found success, I pitched what would become Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back, and while they didn’t pass outright, they also didn’t say yes. They encouraged me to take more time shaping it. A few months later, the title and the work were more fully formed, and they accepted it. Every project really does have its own timeline and life. It’s never a guaranteed deal, no matter what you’ve published before.

Since it’s freezing out, let’s imagine it’s a sunny day a few months from now. What’s on the itinerary for your perfect Jersey spring day?
I live right by Branch Brook Park, so a run through the Cherry Blossom Trees. That’s it.

• NJ Pinhole Club is accepting submissions for a spring pinhole photography exhibit to be held at Unique Photo in Philadelphia. Deadline: 2/22.

• The Asbury Book Cooperative is hosting a comedic personal essay contest, and they’re looking for submissions. Five winners will be invited to read at their event on March 7, and a first-place winner will win a $250 cash prize. Deadline: 2/23.1 $10 submission fee.

• The third annual Rutherford Film Festival is seeking submissions for the following categories: narrative feature, narrative short, documentary feature, documentary short, music video, and screenplays. Early bird deadline: 3/1, but submissions are accepted until 6/1. Early bird submission fees vary by genre but are either $25 or $30. Late deadline fees increase to $45 or $50.

• The Dodge Poetry Festival is accepting applications from poets who “practice spoken word, slam, performance poetry and avant-garde, who use their poetry as a catalyst for social change” for this year’s October festival. Deadline: 3/20.

• Essex County residents age 60 and older are invited to submit writing to the 2026 Essex County Division of Senior Services Legacies Writing Contest. Work should focus on “a special person, a life altering experience or a significant period in your life.” Deadline: 4/20.

• Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences is accepting work by South Jersey photographers for “The Art of Lifeguarding,” a “one-night-only photography exhibition and community fundraiser celebrating the skill, dedication, and enduring spirit of Long Beach Island’s lifeguards.” They are looking for photography, most likely from previous seasons, as well as fine art if it fits the theme. Deadline: 5/15.

I compile this monthly list of New Jersey artist and writer opportunities from sources including social media and organization websites. Unless explicitly stated, I am not involved in organizing these events and cannot answer questions about them! Please click through the links to find answers to your questions or for points of contact.

Feel free to send me anything you’re a part of or that you see, either via email or on Instagram! I prioritize sharing in-state opportunities that don’t charge submission fees, or that charge nominal fees or take fair commissions and directly support local arts & culture organizations.

This month’s “On Our Radar” section is a little more sparse than usual—I’ve been spending a lot less time scrolling on my phone lately, which has been good for my brain but bad for certain parts of this newsletter. This issue does contain a great interview for you, and a bunch of local opportunities for writers and artists!

Thanks for being here,
Kerri

• A podcast I like, You’re Wrong About, put out a holiday special where they collaged together clips of listeners from around the world talking about where they live and why they like it. There are, of course, two New Jersey entries (back to back, starting about 41 minutes in), but the whole piece is a really fun listen!

• I’ve been (re)watching House lately, and I was reminded it is a show that takes place in New Jersey. It wasn’t filmed here, but a lot of the aerial shots are actually Princeton and Trenton. A fun game we’ve been playing in our house is pausing the screen anytime they show a pill bottle so we can see the New Jersey addresses. I’ve been trying to decide why it doesn’t really feel like a New Jersey show despite being set here, having them mention Trenton and Princeton and Camden and other towns frequently. But every so often something will jump out at me: a street scene that looks like Manhattan but is supposed to be Princeton, a reference to it taking two hours to get somewhere that is really only like 40 minutes from Plainsboro, or a bagel that looks disgusting.

Sticker Club

Thank you to everyone who has submitted to my call for sticker designs so far! The deadline was initially earlier this week, but I truthfully will not have a chance to look at things until the weekend, so feel free to send me things through this weekend. Basically, if the website still shows the form linked, you can still send me submissions.

New Jersey Bookstore Crawl

I announced previously that our 2026 crawl will be held on June 5-7 this year, and I’m pleased to share that bookstores can now apply to join us. I’ve emailed everyone who participated last year, and I’ll be doing more outreach soon! If you’re another type of business, please note that this form is only for bookstores, but we will have opportunities for others to participate in the form of sponsorship and events, and the details of that are forthcoming.

Available for wholesale!

Thank you as always to the independent retailers who purchase Jersey Collective-made items for their shops. If you’d like to carry any of our items in your shop, shoot me an email and I’ll send you our current wholesale catalog. I can also do bulk orders if you want to give our items as gifts for your large scale event—in the past year, I’ve put together bulk orders for the Newark Museum of Art and for William Paterson University (both huge honors!). If you’re interested in stocking New Jersey Fan Club, that can be arranged directly through Rutgers University Press for the best deals, or through book distributors.

Reeves-Reed Arboretum
Location: Summit, NJ

I don’t know about you, but I certainly have one thing on my mind after all of the recent (and forthcoming?) snow: spring. I thought I’d share Reeves-Reed Arboretum this month so you can mark your calendar, like I am, and plan to visit once daffodils are in full bloom. They’ve got a beautiful field of them, and I’ve only ever seen photos of it when they’re at their peak, but it looks beautiful. That first pop of color after winter ends is always the best.

Let’s hear from an interesting New Jerseyan! Interview has been lightly edited for space.

This month’s Q&A is with author Pooja Makhijani, author of two forthcoming picture books: Bread is Love and Together for Mama. Read on to learn about her books and her process, and then plan to check out one of her book events this spring at libraries and bookstores across the state!

Congratulations on having TWO children’s books coming out this year! I was excited when you announced Bread Is Love because as a person who has followed you on Instagram for a few years now, I always really enjoy seeing your photos of the bread and baked goods you make. It just felt like such a natural fit, for you to write a children’s book about bread. How did you realize that you should combine two of your skills in this way?
Picture books have always been my first love, and I’ve known since I was in middle school that I’ve wanted to write them. I published my first picture book in 2007 (!), but found greater success in journalism and creative nonfiction.

I fell in love with bread baking during a challenging divorce almost a decade ago. It’s has been a life-changing practice: bread baking has eased my anxiety, enriched my relationships, provided literal nourishment, and fed me as an artist and photographer (which you have seen on socials!).

The pandemic prompted me to take an inventory of my creative ambitions (as it did for so many others). I recommitted to writing picture books. Writing about bread, and celebrating all the things it came to mean to me—science, self-care, sustenance, sharing—just made sense.

You are good at writing across genres—you are also a journalist, and you’ve written reported pieces and recipes and you did a great essay for New Jersey Fan Club—how do you decide whether a subject you’re interested in should be a children’s book vs. a reported piece vs. a recipe?
As woo as it sounds, the story often ‘tells’ me how it needs to be told. I write so I can understand the world and my place in it. The story leads me and I follow—fingers crossed that I learn something along the way.

Like many artists, I also have obsessions—family, food, books, parenting/care work, identity, migration—and I also return to these subjects over and over in different ways. I wrote a deeply personal essay about postpartum depression for The Washington Post. Shortly after, I convened a roundtable of new parents of color to discuss postpartum depression and other mood disorders for Buzzfeed. I contributed a recipe to Bon Appetit’s Fourth Trimester series: til (sesame) laddoo. And now, a picture book—Together for Mama (Rocky Pond Books, June 23)—about a family who is experiencing the hardship of postpartum depression.

Having one book come out, let alone two within a few months of each other, is a big undertaking for any author. How are you approaching the next few months?
As such a privilege. I can’t wait to see, hear, and feel how children and their caregivers and educators react to my books! I’m looking forward to story times, and craft times, and also advocating for art, community, and diversity alongside fellow authors and illustrators.

What advice would you share with someone who wants to pursue writing children’s books?
Read, read, and read some more. You can’t be a writer if you aren’t a prolific and critical reader. Read books that have been published in the last three years to get a sense of what is being published and where your ideas/work may fit into the marketplace. Read book reviews. Talk to children’s librarians and booksellers and ask for recommendations—they know everything!

• A call from us: Jersey Collective is open to submissions for our next two series of stickers! I’m accepting work for our next unthemed series as well as for a special series that will be used to promote the bookstore crawl. More info and submission form are here. Deadline: 1/23.

• Bury Me In New Jersey is accepting submissions of writing and artwork for the second issue of their literary magazine, Mourning Papers, which “reflects the spirit of New Jersey while exploring broader, universal themes: how we build community, how we care for one another, and how those practices can extend beyond where we live.” Deadline: 1/30.

• Flemington DIY is accepting submissions of photographs for a show called “Glimmers Through the Lens,” which aims to display work that reflects “a warm embrace in the chilling moments we are experiencing.” Deadline: 2/12. $10 entry fee, less for members.

• coLAB Arts, in partnership with the City of New Brunswick and others, will be producing the inaugural Heartbeat of the City Festival in Fall 2026, and they are seeking “artists who have a history of creating public art, including but not limited to murals, sculptures, monuments, and landscape design and architecture that speaks to cultural history, placekeeping, memorialization, and commemoration” to apply for residencies to create “temporary public art installations.” Deadline: 2/13.

• The Monmouth Museum seeks submissions for a juried exhibition called “A Time Within a Time,” which asks artists to reflect on “the moments that sit inside other moments, the memories that define us, and the ways we understand the passage of time,” through any visual arts media except photography. Deadline: 2/13. $30 submission fee for first work; $10 each for up to three additional submissions. Work must be for sale; 30% commission to the museum, 70% to the artist.

• Over the Moon Art Studios is seeking submissions for a show called “Art of the Esoteric,” which will feature work that “explores the spiritual, the symbolic, and the transformative,” using any medium, including but not limited to “oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, drawings, sculptures, collage, printmaking, and photography.” Deadline: 2/16. $25 submission fee for up to three pieces; additional submissions are $10. Work must be for sale; sales split 50%-50%.

• NJ Pinhole Club is accepting submissions for a spring pinhole photography exhibit to be held at Unique Photo in Philadelphia. Deadline: 2/22.

I compile this monthly list of New Jersey artist and writer opportunities from sources including social media and organization websites. Unless explicitly stated, I am not involved in organizing these events and cannot answer questions about them! Please click through the links to find answers to your questions or for points of contact.

Feel free to send me anything you’re a part of or that you see, either via email or on Instagram! I prioritize sharing in-state opportunities that don’t charge submission fees, or that charge nominal fees or take fair commissions and directly support local arts & culture organizations.

Here we are, somehow: the end of the year. Thank you for being a part of my year this year, whether you read my book, picked up the magnets we made this year, played New Jersey Go Fish! with your family, came to see me at a pop-up, or participated in the first New Jersey Bookstore Crawl. I spent more time working on this newsletter this year, when it came to Jersey Collective stuff, and less time posting on Instagram. I enjoy working on these a lot, and it means a lot to me that you’re all here reading it every month!

When I think about what I hope to do through Jersey Collective in 2026, I have two main things I’ve been thinking about. One is that I want to do more in-person events, like the bookstore crawl. Though definitely not all on that kind of scale! Some of you may remember when this project first started in 2014, Instagram meetups were really popular and we used to host/co-host them fairly regularly. I miss that energy. I’m not sure what the 2026 version of an Instameet is, but I have been thinking about it.

The second is that I hope to produce some new work, and I don’t totally know what it will be yet, but there will be something. 2024 brought New Jersey Go Fish!, and 2025 was our souvenir magnets. We’ll see what 2026 brings, but I would like for it to bring more than just one thing, and for whatever it is to be something meaningful and interesting. I’m also throwing this out there: I’m always open to hearing ideas for ways to partner to bring your New Jersey-related ideas to life. I’m just one person, so it would have to really make sense, but sometimes I see New Jersey-related things and think, I wish they’d asked me to do that with them!

If gift-giving is a part of your holiday season, I hope you’ll choose, like I do, to support small businesses, artists, and shopping locally. We’re lucky in New Jersey to have so many thriving independent shops, places with walkable shopping districts, and artists/small businesses. If you need ideas for places to shop super-small businesses and artists this month, my friend Cyd at New Jersey Isn’t Boring compiled this great list of art/craft/vendor markets taking place around the state.

Wishing you a wonderful December and beyond,
Kerri

• This Saturday at the Newark Museum of Art is Newark Zine Fest, put on by Dense Magazine, who also produces the Jersey Art Book Fair. Go support DIY, print media, and local artists! While you’re there, be sure to spend some time in the museum’s galleries and don’t miss their excellent gift shop.

• Have you been watching the new Ken Burns documentary about the Revolutionary War (or are you younger than me and all of my friends)? You’re probably aware that a lot of Revolutionary War activity happened right here in New Jersey, so of course a lot of those places are documented in the series.

• And if you want to witness some of that history in a more hands-on way, this is the perfect time of year for it. There’s an annual reenactment of Washington’s Christmas 1776 crossing of the Delaware River, which they really do on Christmas Day at Washington Crossing Historic Park and you can watch it from either side of the river on Christmas Day or a few weeks before (this year’s early one will be on December 14). The following week, Trenton celebrates Patriots Week, an annual event featuring reenactments and history events, a lot of them free.

• Kristen of Hello Art Design, who was responsible for the New Jersey Bookstore Crawl branding and design work, is offering a very fun holiday commission: get your loved one a customized drawing of a goose!

2026 Bookstore Crawl

It’s true: the New Jersey Bookstore Crawl will be back again in 2026! This time, it’ll be an entire day longer, too. Mark your calendars for Friday, June 5 through Sunday, June 7, 2026. The store list will be bigger next year—in addition to hopefully including some shops we weren’t able to this year, several new bookstores have opened/will open in time for the next crawl.

@njbookstorecrawl

New Jersey Bookstore Crawl on Instagram: "You’ve been asking, s…

I’m going to get to work on the crawl after the new year, but some things you can expect for 2026: the same format you know and loved, an all-new website that will allow us to share a lot more information about all of the stores, more in-person parties/events. The pop-up we did with Cozz Coffee was so much fun so we want to do more of that kind of thing!

If any businesses are reading this and want to be involved with the 2026 crawl, feel free to shoot me an email. I’ll be looking for prize donations and locations to host events! If you’re a bookstore, I will get in touch after the holidays—no need to reach out just yet!

Upcoming event

My last market of the year is this Sunday! I am a little burnt out on markets for the time being, and you may not see me at any for a while, so please do come through if you’d like to shop or meet me in person! Prices of items at in-person markets are a little cheaper than online (so it’s easier to make change), plus you can shop from other vendors and have conversations, so it’s more fun than shopping online!

Porta Holiday Market
Sunday, December 7 from 12:00 - 4:00 PM
Porta: 911 Kingsley St, Asbury Park, NJ

Sticker Club

The time has come to publish new stickers! Be sure to find our call for submissions below, in the section with all the other local artist/writer submission calls. I’m taking submissions for the next two series: one is unthemed so anything goes, and the other will be another book/literary-themed one to pair with promoting the bookstore crawl. You can see previous sticker designs here. You’ll notice a lot of animals, other creatures, and food—all things I personally like and can attest the general public has liked in sticker form. You might notice, too, that there has been at least one fish in every (regular, unthemed) series. It’s like a fun little easter egg that I think probably only I am aware of and amused by. I will probably regret mentioning this because the form might fill up entirely with fish submissions (which maybe is also fine??).

Anyway, all of that is to say, I am open to all ideas! Find all of the details in the submission call linked at the bottom of this email. Can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

Frenchtown, NJ

In October, a friend and I both took the day off our respective jobs and spent the day in one of New Jersey’s Delaware River towns: Frenchtown. I’ve been before for various things, but it was fun to have a full day to wander around.

A short list of things to do

• EAT & DRINK: Sandy’s Scoops, Honey Moon Bakery & Pizzeria, Frenchtown Cafe, Wild Fern Brewing.

• SHOP: Frenchtown Bookshop (lovely shop with the nicest people and such a great selection of titles), Modern Love (I wanted to buy everything in here), Sublime (they have great cards and gifts and once when I was in there they had a few copies of New Jersey Fan Club as well!), Merge Gallery (antiques in an old garage), The Spinnery (if you do any kind of fiber arts or need a gift for someone who does), Black Swan Provisions (fancy pantry stuff).

• EXPLORE: D&R Canal State Park (we met up with a friend and went for nice long walks in both directions from the center of town), walk across the bridge to Pennsylvania for absolutely no reason other than it’s funny to think about walking to another state and the view from the bridge is pretty.

Let’s hear from an interesting New Jerseyan! Interview has been lightly edited for space.

This month’s Q&A is slightly different—instead of asking the questions myself, you’re getting a conversation between Jared Hart and Mike McLaughlin. Mike is a photographer who is releasing a book of over a decade’s worth of images taken at Asbury Lanes, titled Lightning in a Bottle: A Love Letter to Asbury Lanes. Jared is a singer, songwriter, and his record label Mt. Crushmore Records co-published the book with Mike and is distributing it. They had a great conversation that I’m pleased to share!

You can check out the book here, and you can attend launch events on Friday, December 19 at Parlor Gallery from 7-11pm and on the evening of Saturday, December 20 at The Art Spot.

Jared Hart: Hey Mike. I feel like we’ve been talking a lot over the last few months, but it’s nice to switch it up from pallet shipments and promotional layouts. First off, how are you and how far are you from Asbury Park right now?
Mike McLaughlin: I’m great! I am currently living in Florence, Italy. I’m teaching photography at Florence University of the Arts and truly enjoying this new chapter. I love Europe in general and Italy in particular. Florence is an inspiring city, the birthplace of the Renaissance, so there’s plenty here to keep me excited and motivated.

JH: We’re here to talk about the upcoming release of your photo book, Lightning In A Bottle: A Love Letter To Asbury Lanes. Do you remember the first time you stepped into the Lanes? What was your first impression?
MM: I got a call for an assignment from The Star-Ledger to photograph a “car show” with some bands at the old bowling alley in Asbury Park. I had lived in Ocean Grove for years and had been hanging around Asbury since the late 80s, early 90s. I knew the place but didn’t know it was still operational. When I pulled up, the street and sidewalk were filled with old chopped hot rods and some people hanging around outside that looked like they’d just stepped out of a sock hop in American Graffiti. I went inside, and Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys, a rockabilly/punk/blues/rock band from Rhode Island, were playing on a DIY plywood stage set up in front of the center bowling lanes. People were shooting pool, bowling, dancing, and hanging out. The place looked like a retro-futuristic clubhouse, like something out of The Jetsons. I fell in love immediately.

JH: When I think of the Lanes, I find myself thinking about the people I met there before thinking about the shows. It’s even where I met you. What did you enjoy shooting more: the bands, the artists/visual performers, or the patrons and staff?
MM: I loved it all so much, and I think it was the constant variety of what was there to experience and to shoot that was a big part of it for me. While editing the book, I had the most fun and laughs going back through all of the “family photos” of the staff and patrons. Photographing the bands was a serious form of therapy for me; it was a release. I completely lost myself while shooting the shows, like I was in such a zone and working on autopilot, lost in the energy.

JH: I’d assume that the Lanes could be a difficult environment to shoot in. Low and fixed light, a tight dance floor in the early days, and some obstructed views in the later ones. Did you have any tricks or secret spots to make sure you got the shots you wanted when shooting bands? We used to always talk about your flashes in the ceiling trick.
MM: Figuring out how to shoot at the Lanes, and then constantly adapting that to its ever-changing stage iterations was, in hindsight, an excellent working challenge that had a massive part in developing my style, out of necessity. It was a very dark room, though early on the ceiling was off-white tile, later black. I’ve never much liked the typical straight-on shots of performers—like shooting from the center straight on— and for me the Lanes was good for that. I shot from the sides or even the back quite often.

I always want to tell the whole story from all angles and that includes how I photograph music. Working from the sides gets you more flattering shots of musicians, without mics in front of their face. It also allows you to see the story, the interactions between band members, their interactions with the crowd, and the crowd itself. I often shot from the back of the stage because I like shots of musicians with an entire background of fans.

I would occasionally show up early, grab a ladder, mount a couple of strobes in the ceiling tiles, and run extension cords backstage. It gave me much more control than an on-camera flash and made for much more dramatic lighting. I first tried that with the lights on, a couple of poles mounted to the floor and ceiling, and a battery pack below. I learned my lesson hard at the ERGS! farewell show when it got so crazy and someone knocked the lights out, and I couldn’t shoot that amazing finale! Mounted ‘em to the ceiling after that!

JH: Is there a show that you missed that you still think about? I was laying in the back of the van somewhere the night of the last show…
MM: Soooo many! I was working like crazy doing photojournalism throughout and sports photography in New York City towards the end, so I often missed shows due to work or getting back too late. Or I’d make it just in time for the headliner but miss the openers, who were often incredible. Off the top of my head, I’m bummed I missed Link Ray, Kathleen Hanna (with Julie Ruin I think), Bad Brains, Gaslight Anthem, Negative Approach, Psyched To Die, T.S.O.L., Detroit Cobras, Scandals, Subhumans, The Measure. I could go on and on. I shot about 260 bands at the Lanes and missed just as many!

JH: Do you think the existence of the Lanes had an impact on your creative identity?
MM: 100%! It was really where I first developed my own style and way of seeing. The aesthetic I eventually developed was because of the access I had and how much I was shooting there, and because of constantly having to adapt to the setup, the crowds, the logistics, etc., which kept me on my toes and forced me to adjust as I went. Trying to see and then make a photo in the chaos of bodies flying around with little room to move around keeps you hyper-aware and vigilant; you’ve gotta be on your game.

Many of the bands I knew, but if I didn’t, I would watch for a couple of songs without shooting, learning the visual rhythm of the band and the crowd, how they moved onstage, how they interacted together and with the crowd, how the crowd moved, and then I’d figure out where I wanted to be to see it all best. Watching a crazy pit for me is like looking at a Jackson Pollock painting. Most people only see chaos. I see patterns in the chaos, a rhythm to its movement, then it’s just getting myself in sync with that rhythm, finding the patterns, and hoping my timing is on when I press the shutter. Easy!

JH: You actually put this entire book together yourself. Not just shooting and editing the photos, but learning to lay out and publish a printed book was a hell of a task. Was there anything that you learned in that process that you’ll be taking with you into other realms of your creative life? What was the hardest part?
MM: The whole thing started because I was in school for a master’s degree and had the time to dig back through my archives. I was learning the basics of InDesign for a graphics class, and that was a big help. I also had an amazing 22-year-old classmate, Mathilde from France, who helped me in many of the areas where I was struggling. I nicknamed her IT because she was always helping me, whether it was specific InDesign details or posting shit on IG.

Editing and selecting all the photos for the book was hard—there were around 100,000 to start with—so choosing was an enormous task. So was designing the layout of the book. I think the final version that went to print was, like, version 15. I made some big, radical design changes early on, then it just became constant subtle changes to the flow of the book. I hope it worked!

• SMUSH Gallery in Jersey City seeks artists to participate in “Just Black?, a community curated art show by local Black artists.” Registration deadline: 12/16. Work must be for sale, and SMUSH and artists split sales 50/50.

• Beach Badge is looking for “Jersey Shore-inspired creative non-fiction of 250-2,000 words, photography, or other artwork” for their next issue. Deadline: 12/31.

• Flemington DIY is seeking work by kids aged 12 and under for a Youth Art Show. Registration deadline: 1/5.

• Drawing Rooms seeks work for a group exhibition called “On the Grid, Off the Grid.” Deadline: 1/9. $35 entry fee. Work must be for sale (60% to artists and 40% to Drawing Rooms).

• NJPAC is commissioning thirteen new public artworks to be installed indoors and out in locations across a new Newark campus, that “will include new mixed-income residential buildings, retail spaces, parks, education, rehearsal and community space.” Application deadline: 1/19.

• Bury Me In New Jersey is accepting submissions of writing and artwork for the second issue of their literary magazine, Mourning Papers, which “reflects the spirit of New Jersey while exploring broader, universal themes: how we build community, how we care for one another, and how those practices can extend beyond where we live.” Deadline: 1/30.

• And lastly, a call from us: Jersey Collective is open to submissions for our next two series of stickers! I’m accepting work for our next unthemed series as well as for a special series that will be used to promote the bookstore crawl. More info and submission form are here. Deadline: 1/20.

I compile this monthly list of New Jersey artist and writer opportunities from sources including social media and organization websites. Unless explicitly stated, I am not involved in organizing these events and cannot answer questions about them! Please click through the links to find answers to your questions or for points of contact.

Feel free to send me anything you’re a part of or that you see, either via email or on Instagram! I prioritize sharing in-state opportunities that don’t charge submission fees, or that charge nominal fees or take fair commissions and directly support local arts & culture organizations.

I have a pretty good sense of direction in general, but there are a few places I can effortlessly navigate no matter how long it has been since I was last there. Cape May, where I reliably spend time once or twice a year, is one such place where I have a really established mental map—second only to Monmouth County.

In September, I always spend at least a long weekend in Cape May with my family and, for the last few years, some friends. It has become my most sacred annual tradition, a true non-negotiable that I look forward to all year.

I can’t think of another place that I haven’t lived but still have as many memories associated with. I’ve been going to the area since before I can remember. My earliest memories of the region are from when my mom would pull me out of school for a long weekend every September or October. Over the years, more family and friends would often join us for these off-season trips. My aunt and uncle and cousins often stayed the same weekend and at the same hotel. We started bringing my grandmothers. This year, over the course of a week, I got to spend time with my parents, a mix of uncles, cousins, aunts, my grandmother, some of my friends, and my partner. The house my family rented had a rotating mix of guests, and it was so special to spend time with so many people I love at my favorite place.

On the last night there, we decided it would be fun to cook a meal in the house rather than go out for dinner. We picked up some fresh seafood and got to work finding creative ways to use up all of the odds and ends left in the fridge: I threw together a scrappy salad using tomatoes, corn, peppers, and onion (from my friend’s CSA share from a central Jersey farm). My partner cooked the scallops and tuna we picked up to perfection. One of my friends whipped up a mayo and herb dipping sauce. We were even brave enough to use a few teaspoons from a jar of seasoning someone had left behind in one of the cabinets. It was a really Jersey meal, made all the better by the company.

Every rented Jersey beach house I’ve ever been in has had some wooden sign with a cheesy saying on it. The winter rental I lived in years ago that had one that read, “at the beach, you forget to count the days.” The house my family rented in Cape May had one that said, “Good friends know all of your stories. Best friends helped you write them.” It’s cheesy, but this year’s trip reaffirmed for me just how true that is.

-Kerri

• The New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance has announced the 2025 Author Awards winners, recognizing authors who have published works on our state1. Congratulations to Patricia Chappine for New Jersey Women during World War II: On the Home Front and Abroad, Eric G. Bolen for Beaches, Bays, and Barrens: A Natural History of the Jersey Shore, and Aldo A. Lauria Santiago and Ulla D. Berg for Latinas/os in New Jersey: Histories, Communities, and Cultures.

• Have you picked up the October issue of Weird NJ magazine yet? It’s full of great stuff, as usual, including an interesting update on a story that was also featured in New Jersey Fan Club: the Egg-O-Mat, a former roadside attraction in Warren Township, has been restored.

• The Race of Gentlemen, which features vintage motorcycle and car races on the beach in Wildwood, was recently featured in the New York Times with some really nice photos.

• Recent updates from New Jersey Fan Club contributors2:

  • Kasey Bohnert (who also designed our perfect magnets), just released two gorgeous coloring books featuring her illustrations: one gardening-themed and the other featuring the city of Charleston, SC. I have them, and they are so fun to color and so nicely designed, as are the accompanying stickers!

  • Now through November 30, Haley Simone Potter has an exhibition of her art at Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center’s Starlight Gallery. There is an opening scheduled for November 2nd.

  • Mike Dawson has revealed the cover for his forthcoming graphic novel for upper elementary and middle-grade readers, The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James, out May 19th, 2026.

  • Chris Gethard wrote several essays for the latest issue of Weird NJ, and recently celebrated the 500th episode of his podcast Beautiful/Anonymous, which Time magazine named one of the 100 best podcasts of all time. You can listen to the 500th episode, which was recorded live at Smodcastle Cinemas in Atlantic Highlands last week, here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Not shockingly, it contains a lot of New Jersey-specific discussion.

  • Alex Flannery illustrated and designed a maze titled “Escape from Devil’s Tower,” written by Chris Gethard for the latest issue of Weird NJ.

  • Just in time for spooky season, Dan Misdea created a booklet featuring high-contrast drawings from his Eisner-nominated debut children’s book The Light Inside.

  • Pooja Makhijani revealed the cover for a forthcoming children’s book, Together for Mama, due out June 26, 2026.

  • Britt Ingersoll received a 2026 Special Projects grant from the New Jersey Historic Commission to go towards housing materials held by the Lummis Library of the Cumberland County Historical Society.

Upcoming events, including one this Sunday!

You can always shop our webstore or visit our stockists if you can’t make it out!

The Bazaar Fall Festival
Sunday, October 26 from 12:00 - 5:00 PM
Whitechapel Projects: 15 2nd Ave, Long Branch, NJ

Geek Flea
Saturday, November 22 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
First Presbyterian Church of Arlington: 663 Kearny Avenue, Kearny, NJ

Porta Holiday Market
Sunday, December 7 from 12:00 - 4:00 PM
Porta: 911 Kingsley St, Asbury Park, NJ

Recent podcast appearance

Thanks again to Bury Me in New Jersey for having me as a guest on their podcast to talk about all things New Jersey. You can listen wherever you listen to podcasts, or here:

Bury Me in New Jersey

Lord Let Me Die In Essex County

Today’s episode centers on one of our key pillars, New Jersey—a theme we’ve returned to often but haven’t yet devoted an entire episode to. And who better to talk about Jersey with than Kerri Sullivan, a writer, librarian, and the creator of Jersey Collective…

Listen now

5 months ago · 3 likes · Bury Me in New Jersey

Recently spotted

A few weeks ago, I stopped into the (somewhat) newly reopened Clark Barnes and Noble and was thrilled to see New Jersey Fan Club face-out on display in their local interest section. It truly always brightens my day to find the book out in the world!

Cape May Point State Park
Location: Cape May, NJ

If you’re looking for nature, Cape May has no shortage of great opportunities to get outside. On my recent trip, we did a few of the trails located at the lighthouse, which I vaguely remember doing when I was a kid but it’s been a long time. There are a few trails that shoot off from one central one, and we had a great time checking them out. Some of them have boardwalk-style walkways, you’ll come across bodies of water, you’ll see birds and (depending on the time of year) butterflies, and some of the trails offer nice views/photo opportunities of the lighthouse. It was also peak monarch butterfly and bird migration time when we visited, so there were a bunch of naturalists around doing demos and answering questions. I got to hold a monarch butterfly after they tagged it and before it flew away (hopefully to Mexico)!

A short list of other things to do nearby (limiting myself to a few favorites)

• EAT & DRINK: Ostara’s Coffee House ( who hosted our sticker machine last month—the best!), Lucky Bones (the first restaurant you’ll see when you reach Exit Zero, and often my first stop), and Scallop Shack Farms (as mentioned above).

• SHOP: Flying Fish Studio (all of my best t-shirts are from here), The West End Garage (a perfect mix of vintage items, new goods, and art, plus there’s an on-site cafe, so you can spend the better part of a day here), Cape May Leather (my often-complimented backpack and wallet were both from here), Wild Roots Provisions (fun assortment of pantry items), and GIVENS (really nicely curated shop with a small-but-excellent book selection).

• EXPLORE: South Cape May Meadows Preserve, Sunset Beach (especially at sunset, it’s spectacular), and Cape May MAC’s historic tours and properties.

• MISC: This is niche, but there’s a really nice pool in Wildwood Crest that offers drop-in lap swim for $8.

Let’s hear from an interesting New Jerseyan! Interview has been lightly edited for space.

This month, I caught up with Lindsay McNamara from Beachy Birder Adventures. I got to know Lindsay because I saw an Instagram post highlighting a presentation she did at a library, and I’ve since gotten to see a few of her presentations, which were all so informative and fun. She was kind enough to donate a prize for our bookstore crawl, and I keep seeing her business pop up on my feed because she keeps doing cool collaborations with other businesses and organizations, like recently Silent Book Club Monmouth County and next month with the bookstore Wolfe & Kron.

What got you interested in birds?
When I was 9 years old, I was in the car with my family driving and looked out the window and saw a tall bird standing on a rock in the middle of the Raritan River. I was like what the f&*# is that! My parents bought me a field guide and I figured out that it was a Great Blue Heron. It was astounding to my fifth grade self, and I’ve been a birder ever since! Many of us will be able to tell you our “spark bird” (bird that got you interested in birding) story.

With Beachy Birder Adventures, you lead walks all over the state and often have fun themes or collaborate with other businesses for unique programs. What excites you the most about forming these kinds of partnerships?
It is so exciting to see how similar birding is to so many other hobbies. You like reading? yoga? meditation? collecting? learning new things? Anything mindful or peaceful I believe has some type of crossover into birding and spending time in natures. So many things are bird-adjacent! I’m so honored to work with such an interesting array of people interested in wellness to bring birds to anyone and everyone mildly bird-curious.

Is there anything specific to New Jersey that makes it an interesting place to bird watch?
There are so many different habitat types in Jersey: we have beaches, marshes, mountains, forests, the Pine Barrens, you name it. All these places make it possible to see over 480 species of birds, including both year-round residents and migratory species. I get so excited about each and every species. I think that every bird is a miracle, and all birds are good birds. I’m always birding and looking at nature. I tell everyone, “You just have to look up! If you look up, it’s there! I promise.”

Where would you recommend folks in our state go if they want to see some cool birds?
Birdy Jerz! There are so many good spots in the Garden State to try if you’re looking to get into birding. I would recommend Richard W. DeKorte Park in North Jersey, Mercer Meadows and Sandy Hook (Gateway National Recreation Area) in Central Jersey and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in South Jersey.

But more importantly, you don’t have to go anywhere fancy to have an incredible encounter in nature.3 There are many great spots in Jersey, including some wonderful county, state, and local parks. They are what you make of them. Likewise, birding isn’t just for one season, as there are good birds all year ‘round.

What advice do you have for people who want to pay more attention to the birds in their area?
I would download the free app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology called Merlin to learn more about what birds you can see and hear in your neighborhood. And of course I would recommend coming on a Beachy Birder Adventure! Our purpose is to lead guided bird walks throughout New Jersey, encouraging all to appreciate the beauty and wonder of nature and to give everyone a chance to be curious, learn and discover something new. Our walks are low key and meant for the bird curious. We slow-bird. We look to meet people where they are through lighthearted humor.

• The South Jersey Artist Collective invites artists to submit to “Visions of Change,” a group show on the themes of “protest, artistic expression, and a positive vision for our future.” Submissions can be “painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, film, fiber, and digital art.” Deadline: 11/1. $10 submission fee for up to 3 works, free for SJAC members or those with an inability to pay.

• WFMU’s next issue of LCD, the radio station’s magazine and program guide, is coming out at the end of January, and they welcome submissions from listeners under the theme of “The Song.” They are looking for “comics, illustrations, or short essays on [specific] songs that are amazing or groundbreaking or outstanding in some way.” Deadline: 11/1.

• Flemington DIY invites artists to submit small works under 10x10 inches for a group show called Take Me Home Tonight!, which will feature an opening reception where the art is hung anonymously with the opportunity to buy pieces at set prices. “The show will remain hanging for the remainder of December, but after the opening night, all prices will be available for purchase at prices set by the artist and their names will be revealed.” Deadline: 11/15. 50% of proceeds from pieces sold will benefit Flemington DIY, the other 50% goes to the artist.

• The Diving Horse, an arts and culture mag inspired by Atlantic City, is open for submissions of “stories, tales, poems, fine art, photography, history, etc.” for its next issue. Deadline: 11/15.

• Stockton University is accepting submissions for its Visual Arts Alumni Triennial Exhibition. Eligible works must have been created after graduation by alumni who graduated from Stockton’s ARTV / Studies in the Arts Program with a BA or BFA with visual arts as a major or minor. "Open to all media including “website design, product design, video, animation, painting, sculpture, graphic design, photography, printmaking, etc.” Deadline: 11/17.

• Union Hall Arts has announced its closure, and will be doing one last group show as a send-off called “End of the Road.” They are seeking work based on the theme of “a person, place, or thing you had to say goodbye to…but didn’t want to.” Deadline: 12/1.

• Monmouth County Tourism is taking submissions for its annual travel guide photography contest. “The winning photo will appear on the official Monmouth County Travel Guide cover, be featured in future marketing efforts, and a photographer’s spotlight inside the guide.” They specify that most covers have featured summer shots. Deadline: 12/1. Note that the contest winner gives up certain rights to their work.

I compile this monthly list of New Jersey artist and writer opportunities from sources including social media and organization websites. Unless explicitly stated, I am not involved in organizing these events and cannot answer questions about them! Please click through the links to find answers to your questions or for points of contact.

Feel free to send me anything you’re a part of or that you see, either via email or on Instagram! I prioritize sharing in-state opportunities that don’t charge submission fees, or that charge nominal fees or take fair commissions and directly support local arts & culture organizations.

Mid-September has always been my favorite time of year, and usually one of the busiest. It always feels like there are so many cool events I want to go to between trying to soak up the last of summer by getting in some “local summer” beach days.

I’m keeping this top part short this month because there’s a lot to read below!

-Kerri

• Silver Stream Studio is producing the perfect send-off to summer this evening: a “hike-in acoustic show” in the woods of Essex County, near Hemlock Falls at South Mountain Reservation featuring music by John Cozz, Sammy Mellman, and Joe Allocco.

• If you start a piece of writing with “At night, the New Jersey Meadowlands can look like the entrance to hell,” that’s an automatic must-read as far as I’m concerned. “The Meadowlands Ideal,” published in The Atlantic,1 discusses the “unusual balance of waste disposal, development, and environmental protection” of the region and how some of its protections are under new legal threats.

• The Middletown Public Library is launching a new monthly book club centered on New Jersey books, and they are meeting during lunchtime on Mondays once a month, so you can join in person or virtually depending on your schedule. I am very honored that New Jersey Fan Club is the October pick, followed by Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike in November.

• Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, aka the Bruce biopic that filmed all over the state late last year, has a trailer and comes out in theatres October 24.

• A few issues back, I shared author Patrick Lombardi’s plans to host a series of horror-themed open mics around the state during October, and the schedule is now live, featuring Thursday night events in Sea Girt, Burlington, Somerville, Hoboken, Doylestown (PA), and Flemington.

• Charles Addams was born and raised in Westfield, so every October, the town celebrates Addams Fest was a lineup of arts, culture, and spooky events. It’s a great time to walk around town and see all of the artist-designed window displays at various businesses, and a great chance to see original work by Addams and others.

• I’m sure I’ve plugged The Devil & Daisy Dirt shows here before, but there’s one coming up on 9/28 that is the perfect opportunity to see it if you haven’t already: at Smodcastle Cinemas presented by Weird NJ, who will be selling their October issue at the event a week before you’ll be able to buy it in stores.

Upcoming events

Just a heads up that I am doing fewer markets this fall/winter than last year, so if you want to shop in person, mark your calendars. And remember: you can always shop our webstore or visit our stockists if you can’t make it out to any of these!

The Bazaar Fall Festival
Sunday, October 26 from 12:00-5:00 PM
Whitechapel Projects: 15 2nd Ave, Long Branch, NJ

Geek Flea
Saturday, November 22 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
First Presbyterian Church of Arlington: 663 Kearny Avenue, Kearny, NJ

Porta Holiday Market
Sunday, December 7 from 12:00-4:00 PM
Porta: 911 Kingsley St, Asbury Park, NJ

Sticker Club

Come check out our Cape May pop-up!

Going on now until the 26th, during open hours at Ostara’s Coffee House (600 Park Blvd, West Cape May, NJ). Bring your quarters and grab a Series 3 sticker—and be sure to pick up a breakfast sandwich and drink while you’re at it!

Now booking for 2026

I have developed an all-new program that I am excited to present at libraries and other community groups in 2026. If you’ve seen my New Jersey day trips program (which I’ve given to over a dozen libraries counting!), it’s the same format, but this time with a theme: places significant to Revolutionary War history. It won’t be from a historian point of view, it’ll be more about nice parks and interesting historic sites you can visit—they just all happen to have a connection to the Revolutionary War. Like my regular day trips program, it will feature fun facts and photos I’ve taken, and I’m able to give it in person or virtually. Learn more and contact me to schedule here!

Big Rusty
Location: Hainesport, NJ

These pictures are from a few years ago, which is also the last time I visited Big Rusty, but I thought it would be a good time to share. In case you missed it, in 2023 the Danish sculptor Thomas Dambo created one of his iconic troll statues right here in New Jersey. His statues can be found all over the world—I’ve seen a few others in Maine. We’re lucky to have this unique piece of art in our backyard, so be sure to pay Rusty a visit sometime!

Let’s hear from an interesting New Jerseyan! Interview has been lightly edited for space.

This month, I talked to Sara Wuillermin from Bury Me in New Jersey. Sara was kind enough to have me as a guest on her podcast (airing soon!), and she was a takeover guest on our Instagram account back in 2021.

We caught up about how her project has evolved over time, the creative process, and more. Be sure to check out their Instagram, podcast, and find them at these upcoming events: the Waterford Public Library Local Author Day on 9/27, Oddball Market on 10/12, and Philly ZineFest on 11/1.

In 2021 when you took over our Instagram account, you described Bury Me in New Jersey as “a way to share my experience of studying to become a death doula, until that was paused due to the pandemic and my mom started on hospice for the second time. I focus on documenting our story, sharing info related to grief, and showing off our beautiful part of the state.” How has Bury Me in New Jersey evolved since then?
It's funny because so much has changed while simultaneously remaining the same.

I lost my mom in April 2023, which felt like the closing of a very large chapter of my existence. She was officially diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's when I was 22, and she died a few months short of my 40th birthday. When she passed, it felt like I suddenly woke up in a new world—one where my mother was gone, and I was no longer a child.

While my work as an official death doula is still on pause, the conversations around death and grief never really stopped. What has shifted, though, is the focus—there's now a deeper recognition of how interconnected these experiences are, and how often they're shaped by systems and structures that are, at their core, political.

My experience navigating the healthcare system for nearly two decades with someone living with Alzheimer’s exposed just how broken the healthcare system is, from the lack of understanding and training among professionals to the emotional and financial toll it placed on my family. Caregiving while working added another layer of difficulty that made me question why our systems are designed the way they are, and who they’re actually serving.

When we talk to guests for our podcast, we approach the conversation through several different lenses. Our new tagline is “Grief. Joy. Resistance. New Jersey.” It gives us the freedom to explore a wide range of topics that reflect the complexity of this work. Sometimes guests share deeply personal stories of loss; other times, they bring expertise in a specific field or share creative projects that allow them to express their passion.

These conversations create space to discuss the joy that coexists with grief: the moments of connection, creativity, and clarity that emerge when people show up for each other in hard times. We don’t just want to highlight pain, but also how people build something better in response to grief. Whether that’s through mutual aid, artistic expression, or grassroots organizing, these efforts are part of how we resist the systems that cause harm in the first place.

And then there’s New Jersey, which isn’t just where we’re located—it’s a core part of our identity. It shapes how we speak, how we think, and how we move through the world. As much as we center our conversations on death and grief, Jersey is the throughline: it’s the backdrop, the attitude, and the community that anchors us.

Bury Me in New Jersey

Grief. Joy. Resistance. New Jersey.

You recently launched a print publication, Mourning Papers. Why did you want to venture into a print space?
Print is actually where I come from. I’ve been making some version of a zine or lit mag since I was a freshman in high school, and have generally focused on producing publications where we’re creating a space with community voices.

While writing has always been my passion, I’ve found that I’m most fulfilled in the role of an editor on these types of projects. There’s something magical about deciding to create a community publication, then putting out a call for submissions and seeing what comes back. In all the years I’ve done this, I’ve always been floored at the response we get from people who want to participate.

Mourning Papers was no different. Especially in an era where it’s hard not to question the information that’s coming at us so quickly online, and how long we’ll be able to connect freely in those spaces, it felt important to return to a medium that by its nature feels much more intentional. From putting out the call for participants, waiting eagerly for the submission deadline to come, reading submissions, carefully considering what fits together, editing to help each piece shine, finding the right art, laying it all out. It feels like building a mosaic—telling a story from all these different pieces.

The look and feel of this first issue was completely inspired by the submissions we received. While we initially thought this would be a more gritty, lo-fi zine, the pieces we received felt more intentional and refined: raw reflections, personal stories of loss, incredible visual art, and urgent calls to action. What emerged feels like a testament to the spirit of this region: a gift for a weary, brokenhearted world that honors what has been and imagines what might still be possible. What came together feels closer to a prayer book from the Pines: a quiet, reverent piece that holds space for mourning and imagination, rooted in place and shaped by community. And we’re honored that we get to bring it into the world.

We’ve been talking about basing the look and feel of each issue around the submissions we receive, so Mourning Papers will always be reflective of its contributors and not just a carte blanche vision. I’m excited to explore this idea more as we put out new issues.

What was the process of putting together the first issue like?
Honestly, it was such a lovely experience, from the support we received in spreading the word to the new connections we made along the way. The magazine became this really special mix of voices: longtime friends, folks I know through local Jersey organizations, people who found the project on social media, and longtime BMNJ followers who’ve been part of the community for years and wanted to contribute.

It was also a great chance to collaborate more deeply with the podcast’s operating manager, Katel LeDu. We go way back—she’s actually the reason I got into podcasting after seeing her speak about her own show, and a few years later, she interviewed me for the very first episode of Bury Me. This season was the first time she was fully involved, and it’s been such an honor to work with her this way.

Katel handled all the layout and approached every detail with so much care and intention. It’s incredibly meaningful to work with someone who just “gets it” and shares the same commitment to honoring each contribution. We wanted the issue to feel cohesive while still letting each piece shine on its own, and I think what we created really reflects that.

I was happy to be invited on your podcast recently and had a great time talking with you! How do you select guests and plan the conversations?
Honestly, the biggest rule of BMNJ these days is “follow your gut.” When we first started, it felt a lot like putting together a lit mag—I’d put a call out into the world and see who responded. And while that led to some incredible conversations, we decided we wanted to be more intentional about whose voices we’re elevating.

This season, every guest has been someone I either know personally or whose work I’ve admired for a long time. When thinking of people to interview, I usually start with people I genuinely want to learn more from, and who I think our community would benefit from hearing.

We’ve released six new episodes of Bury Me in NJ so far this year, with guests including Kara Perez, a financial advisor focused on community building and ethical consumption; our friends Sam and Gabe, hosts of the Labor Jawn podcast which shares stories from local labor history; and Steve Cerulli, an Italian-American scholar who dives into the lesser-known history of anti-fascist movements in Italy and the shifting identity of Italian-Americans after immigration.

After this month, I’ll be stepping away from hosting to focus more on the publishing side of the project. My husband, Bradley Nussbaum, will be taking over as host, focusing on how music and creative projects help people process and communicate through grief. He’s following a similar approach, reaching out to artists and musicians he knows through his own musical career, or whose work has been personally meaningful to him.

I’ve always treated interviews like real conversations. I don’t prep formal questions or do deep research in advance. I come in with a general sense of who I’m speaking with, but I want the exchange to unfold naturally. When I reach out, I give guests a general idea of what we’re about and how episodes usually flow, and I encourage them to treat the conversation the same way they would any meaningful, thoughtful discussion.

We also make a point to let guests know they can edit out anything that feels too personal or wasn’t meant for a larger audience, though honestly, that rarely happens. The only question I send ahead of time is about a song that resonates with them in relation to one of our four themes, since that becomes the title of their episode. A few guests have even said they had one song in mind at the start, but ended up changing based on where the conversation leads.

Why is New Jersey such a focus of what you do?
It’s funny, 17-year-old me would have rolled her eyes at the idea of standing ten toes down for this state. But once I left, I realized how intrinsically Jersey I am, and how fucking lucky we are to be from here.

People like to say we’re the armpit of America, but the way I see it, we’re the fertile crescent: close to several major cities, the ocean, farmland, and access to some of the best fresh food in the country. People love to hate on us, but the influence of this state is undeniable. I’m constantly amazed by how many writers, musicians, and creators come from here, and how often we show up in pop culture.

What’s also cool is how different each region is. I’m deeply passionate about where I live, but I’m also still learning so much about the parts of Jersey I don’t know well. A perfect example is hearing you talk about the places you’re from, further North of me, and getting to hear about the things that make you love the state. Our experiences here may be very different, but it’s incredible how the passion people from here feel is so intrinsic, whether they hail from the South, North, or Central (which I wholeheartedly believe exists).

• Monmouth Arts invites artists from New Jersey to apply to create designs for a series of postcards commemorating Red Bank’s Count Basie Center for the Arts’ 100-year anniversary. Deadline: 9/22. Only Monmouth Arts members ($40/year, free for students) can submit; use code STAMPED for $10 off membership.

• Asbury Park pizzeria Talula’s and Over the Moon Art Studios are seeking pizza themed artwork to display at the restaurant for a group show titled “Hot and Fresh.” Deadline: 9/23.

• Tiny Gallery is accepting works of art in any medium, four inches or smaller for Newark’s Biggest Tiny Art Show, themed around the question, “What brings you joy?” Deadline: 9/26.

• The Port Authority of NY & NJ is seeking Newark-based artists for two projects at Newark Airport station: a mural and digital designs to be used for a work made of glass blocks. Deadline for both: 9/28.

• Monmouth Arts invites the creative community of Monmouth County to submit to Seen & Unseen, a “multidisciplinary exhibition illuminating the forgotten, the hidden, and the quietly profound.” Deadline: 9/30. Only Monmouth Arts members ($40/year, free for students) can submit; use code SEEN for $10 off membership.

• Powell Lane Arts is seeks submissions for “As You Wish,” an unthemed show for “any piece, at any size, but every piece is priced at $450 or less.” Deadline: 10/7,

• Heart & Bone Studio seeks submissions for its first group show, “Skeletons in the Closet,” which will feature work that explores “grief, loss, and the ways life continues through cycles of rebirth and growth” using skeletons “as both symbol and subject.” Deadline: 10/15.

• Union Hall Arts has announced its closure, and will be doing one last group show as a send-off called “End of the Road.” They are seeking work based on the theme of “a person, place, or thing you had to say goodbye to…but didn’t want to.” Deadline: 12/1.

I compile this monthly list of New Jersey artist and writer opportunities from sources including social media and organization websites. Unless explicitly stated, I am not involved in organizing these events and cannot answer questions about them! Please click through the links to find answers to your questions or for points of contact.

Feel free to send me anything you’re a part of or that you see, either via email or on Instagram! I prioritize sharing in-state opportunities that don’t charge submission fees, or that charge nominal fees or take fair commissions and directly support local arts & culture organizations.