March Update
recent press, new stickers, new deals in the shop, upcoming events, & lots of links!
Is anyone else having a month? I had the flu, or norovirus, or something mid-February that knocked me down for like four days and prevented me from attending the Devils Stadium Series game, which would’ve been the “most Jersey” thing I did this month and I’d been really looking forward to it. I attempted to make up for it the following weekend by attending a Princeton women’s hockey playoff game at their very cool and historic rink and then getting Bent Spoon and DeLorenzo's, and then going to another Devils game on Sunday.
Thank you again for all of your kind emails and comments on my newsletter about how this year Jersey Collective turns ten. It was really so nice to hear that my words resonated with so many of you.
I’ve been thinking about the format of these newsletters and how to make them more interesting to read (and more fun for me to put together), so expect to see some mini-essays from me up top in the future. Maybe I’ll share my favorite recent day trips itineraries, talk to other people about their Jersey projects, share random “throwback” posts from Jersey Collective’s past, or talk about the “most Jersey” thing I did every month.
If you have any ideas for what you’d like to see in the updates newsletters, let me know.
Nice things said about us recently!
We were recently featured in an article by Sue Fajgier for New Jersey Digest. On New Jersey Fan Club: “The beauty of the book lies in the diversity of the voices and depth of the experiences. It’s a book that belongs in every New Jersey home.”
Many thanks to Andrea, who you may know from New Jersey is the World, for sharing some kind words about our New Jersey Go Fish! deck.
Upcoming Events
Markets & Vendor Events
Find me at the following markets this spring! I’ll have stickers, books, Go Fish! decks, and other merch, along with the sticker machine stocked with Series 2 designs!
Bell Works Fresh Saturday Makers Market
March 9, 2024 from 12:00-5:00 PM
Bell Works: Holmdel, NJ
Bell Works Fresh is always a great time, and I’m looking forward to being back for the first time since December! If you haven’t been to Bell Works yet, you’re in for a treat—in addition to the market that will be going on, the building is an architectural wonder and houses plenty of other shops, restaurants, and things to do. I can’t wait to get a soft serve from Jersey Freeze.
Pop-Up @ Co-Lab South Orange
March 23 & 24, 2024 from 11:00-6:00 on Saturday and 11:00-5:00 on Sunday
The Co-Lab: South Orange, NJ
I heard about the Co-Lab at South Orange through Instagram, and I paid them a visit a few weeks back and I was so impressed by what’s going on over there. They’re a non-profit that operates as a “business incubator” by providing space for local small businesses to operate temporarily or semi-permanently before possibly moving on to open shops of their own. Their current member shops include a cheese counter, a culinary bookstore, a maker of journals and planners, a gourmet cereal treats baker, and more. They also offer smaller pop-up spaces for shorter periods of time, and that’s where I’ll be on March 23rd and 24th, along with other pop-ups TBA.
Geek Flea
April 20, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
First Presbyterian Church of Arlington: 663 Kearny Avenue, Kearny, NJ
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Geek Flea is my favorite market to do. It’s small, it’s scrappy, it’s in a church gymnasium, and they sell very good and cheap baked goods and hot dogs from the concession stand. The vendor lineup is a cool mix of comics and toys, artists, and vintage sellers. There’s something for everyone and the market has a really homespun feel.
Montclair Literary Festival
May 4, 2024 from 3:00-5:00 PM
First Congregational Church, 40 S Fullerton Ave, Montclair, NJ
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be at the local authors’ tables at Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival from 3:00-5:00 on May 4th! Come check out the festival’s many offerings and swing by my table to say hi and grab a book or cards. The author tables are outdoors, under a tent, and we’ll be there rain or shine! *Please note that I will not be bringing the sticker machine for this event. I may have loose merch stickers but I may not—my previous experiences trying to sell stickers at literary festivals has been that people think stickers are free and grab them and walk away before I have time to say anything, so unless I figure out a good solve for that, I’ll just have books and card decks!*
Can’t make it to a market? Shop our online souvenir shop!
Jersey Collective Reads
We’ll have some new announcements regarding our Jersey-themed literary series soon! Until then, you can watch (or just listen) to our previous author events on our YouTube channel.
Also, have you preordered Courtney’s forthcoming debut novel Welcome Home, Caroline Kline yet? From Courtney’s Instagram: “You don’t have to be a baseball girl or a Jersey girl or a beach town girl to love Welcome Home, Caroline Kline—but if you happen to be any of the above, I want you to know this book is *especially* for you + I cannot wait to get her into your hands on April 16th.”
Sticker Club
Our second “true” series of stickers1 is now available from our sticker vending machine!
Read more about the artists and find links to more of their work here. The stickers look great and they’re going fast! The machine will be with me at all of the market events I shared above, and more announcements are coming soon. Make sure you’re following us on Instagram!
Recent Pop-Ups
During the last weekend in February, the machine popped up at Old Hights Brewing Company in Hightstown. It was a busy two days for the machine, thanks to everyone who stopped by to check it out! That Sunday, the brewery hosted a local performers showcase, and they have several more scheduled, so be sure to follow them on Instagram to learn more about that and everything else they have going on over there!
Shop Updates
I’ve added some new options to our shop!
Now you can order Go Fish! art stickers in economical sticker packs instead of only individually. If you select “pack of 4,” be sure to specify which stickers you want in the notes at checkout, otherwise I’ll send four random ones!
You can also now order a copy of New Jersey Fan Club along with a deck of New Jersey Go Fish! cards in a discounted bundle. Perfect to give as a gift, or keep half of it for yourself, or keep all of it for yourself!
You can now order the New Jersey Fan Club stickers individually or as a set! I previously was throwing the stickers in for free since my publisher had printed the bird stickers and given me a big stack, but they were so popular over the years at various events that my stash has been depleted and I’ve reordered them! The stickers will still be included with all book orders, but I wanted to offer them separately as well because I’ve been asked in the past.
Upcoming holiday shipping cutoff:
If you’re trying to include a New Jersey Go Fish! card deck in an Easter basket this year (how cute would that be?!), please order by March 21st just to be safe!
New Jersey Round-Up
I loved this essay about the film Garden State by mantunes for The Newarker.
And on a similar note, I really want to see the documentary Chasing Chasing Amy, about the Kevin Smith film.
The Greetings from the Garden State podcast (listen to my interview episode here!) is hosting Jersey Fest at White Eagle Hall, a show featuring five New Jersey-based bands and beers from different breweries in the state.
Black Glass Gallery’s “Best Of” show opens later this month at the Jersey Shore Arts Center.
This Sunday, Stockton University is hosting Lines on the Pines, an annual event which promises over 80 Pine Barrens authors, artists, and artisans sharing their love of the Pine Barrens.
Opportunities for NJ writers and artists
SMUSH Gallery is currently accepting submissions for their upcoming affordable art show, “Zero to 100.”
If you’re an artist who makes stickers, check out this cool opportunity to have your stickers displayed on a shipping container in South Jersey.
Montclair indie bookstore Watchung Booksellers is looking for original art to adorn new bookmarks for Independent Bookstore Day in April.
If you don’t mind being paid in pizza, Pete & Elda’s is having a contest for art to appear on their 300th t-shirt.
State Theatre New Jersey is looking for audition tapes for a June talent show that will showcase the talent of Jersey performers aged 5-25.
This section features links to things we think our community will be interested in, that have strong New Jersey ties, and that have as few barriers for entry as possible (we aren’t fans of submission fees but will sometimes include opportunities with them if they are negligible or sliding scale or fund a non-profit organization). We do not run advertisements!
That’s it for now!
-Kerri
@ksulphoto
@jerseycollective
We did a special collaboration with Art Fair 14C last fall, but I don’t really consider that our second series!