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Every year, over nine million tourists flock to one of America’s best family beach vacation spots—The Wildwoods of New Jersey. The iconic barrier island is acclaimed as much for its kitschy “Doo-wop” architecture and signage as for its famous boardwalk, ranked among the top ten most popular in the nation.
Looking Beyond the Cliches
But the Wildwoods are more than sunshine, blue skies, and quirky motels. This five-mile strip has a character rarely explored in other books.
The colorful explosion of unabashed patriotism, tattooed hipsters, flamboyantly feathered mummers, dazzling custom vehicles, and provocative political T-shirts subverts the resort’s quaint 1950s trappings. Xiomaro’s prose and 160 photographs expose the tension between idealized midcentury America and contemporary culture, values, and politics.
The photographs also reveal the hidden beauty of the Wildwoods during “bad” weather, in the smallest patches of sand, and during the quiet solitude and starkness of the off-season. The beach, boardwalk, and backstreets return to the fewer than 13,000 residents, offering a welcome respite before the Wildwoods awaken again.
Rediscovering History and Memory
Street Photography of the Wildwoods comes on the heels of Xiomaro’s acclaimed Street Photography of New York City—both books take a deeper look at all-too-familiar destination sites. Together they form a throughline to his National Park Service commissions photographing and writing about sites connected to George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and other American icons.
From Cancer to Creativity
After overcoming prostate cancer in 2005, Xiomaro transitioned out of a career as an entertainment lawyer representing recording artists. During his recovery, he found peace in the solitude of wandering with a camera. The reinvention was commemorated by adopting his pseudonym—“Xiomaro” (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”)—which literally means “ready for battle.”
Any image or text or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever – including any and all uses in connection with artificial intelligence technology – without my express written permission. Violators will, and have been, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Xiomaro logo by Azul Burger. Photos of Xiomaro by Barbara Cittadino.