SUN AND SURF, sea breezes and salt water taffy. Rip currents and sand-in-your-swimsuit nostalgia.

BEACH BADGE is your entrée to the salt-encrusted, sand-clogged magic, mayhem, and mystery of the New Jersey Shore, as told by those who have lived it. From blistering August sands to the damp gauze of a winter sky,  captures the experience of local and benny alike through personal stories, essays, photography, and other artwork about or inspired by life at the shore…

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Table of Contents

Introduction | William Patrick Tandy
On a Dune Not Far Away | Ron Gaskill
My Nephew’s First Rollercoaster Ride Did Not Go Well | Mike Fenn
Two Deaths at the Ebb Tide Motel | Garnet
Empty Seashells | Michelle Rynkewicz
REVIEW: Not for Nothing – Glimpses into a Jersey Girlhood
Cool | Kathy Curto
REVIEW: Making the Scene in the Garden State
A Surprise Show Ending in Asbury Park | Mike Ricci
The Stone Pony 50th Anniversary Celebration: February 8, 2024 | Connor Kane
Moonburn | MK Wolter
Escaping to the Shore | Paul Carlin
A Pirate Looks at…50? | Nemetz
Down in Wonderland | Danielle DeZao
REVIEW: Greenhead Politics
All Fluke, No Puke | Dan Taylor
I Think It Needs a Caesura | Davida G. Breier
An Elephant Never Forgets | William Patrick Tandy
We Envy Your Journey and Wish You Every Success | Joseph O’Sullivan
Billy the Lifeguard | Ron Gaskill
About the Contributors