I’m elated to share that my essay, “Summer’s Shore Roars,” was published in Beach Badge Magazine Issue 4.

Beach Badge Magazine is published by Eight Stone Press and edited by William Tandy. From their website, Beach Badge Magazine “is a salt-encrusted, sand-clogged homage to the magic, mayhem, and mystery of the New Jersey Shore, as told by those who have lived it.”

My piece, “Summer’s Shore Roars,” focuses on the local long-running powerboat races and traditions, the revels surrounding the boats’ arrivals, and the thrills of the races themselves. Locals will remember Benihana restaurant founder and race sponsor Rocky Aoki tearing up the ocean in the grueling summer heat alongside other racers as they traversed up and down the shore in the late 1970s, from Monmouth County down to Atlantic County and back. Over time, the races became shorter with different fanfare, but the roar of the boat engines as they scream out of the Inlet onto the face of the ocean lures me to this very day. I did my best to capture in words the magic of those core memories in “Summer’s Shore Roars,” and having my piece selected for publication was truly an honor.

Beach Badge Magazine Issue 4, along with issues 1-3, can be ordered online by clicking here. It is also available for purchase at a handful of shore locations, including Asbury Book Cooperative in Asbury Park and Steady Hand Collective in Neptune City.

While you are waiting for your copy of Beach Badge Issue 4 to arrive, remember to consider Enduring the Waves as well! I guarantee you’ll make at least one connection to Kelly’s story. Click on the book cover above for ordering links and more, including a Reader’s Guide (kind of like a study guide for the book, should you be interested in a deeper relationship with it).

Thank you for joining me on my journey. I’m so glad you are here.

With light and love,

Jill

“Published in Beach Badge Issue 4” was posted on jillocone.com on January 17, 2024. Views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the writer, who was not endorsed or compensated in any manner by any entity; views do not represent any of my employers. Copyright 2024, Jill Ocone. All rights reserved. Contact Jill with reposting, licensing, and publishing inquiries using any of the links below.