Atomic Books Blog

From the Fluid Movement list: You are invited to remember and celebrate the life and works of Dawn C. Culbertson at an informal memorial service/tribute concert on Sunday, December 5 at 1022 Fawn Street in Little Italy, 7 PM. Please bring some food or drink to share as well as your memories. Performances of Dawn's work or music she would have enjoyed are especially welcome -- bring your musical instruments and singing voices. Don't you dare dress up. P.S. If anyone has any CDs of Dawn's lute or Evil Pappy music, please email Keri at kburnestonATyahoo.com We're sold out of the Evil Pappy Twin CDs. So if you've googled it and came to a blank page in our catalog, it's because they're gone!

Shine Collective 3554 Roland Ave. 410.366.6100 Walls, walls, everywhere goddamn walls! Sick of paint? Faux finish? Sick of wall paper? Sick of paneling (even ironic paneling)? Sick of posters, calendars, fabric and all that other crap we stick on our walls to give the illusion we're looking at something neat? Try some wall decals. Shine has a wide selection, but we're partial to the video game character looking ones. $47 for the small ones (pictured) and $50 for larger sizes. The True Vine 1123 W. 36th St. 410.235.4500 Holidays mean holiday music. This CD contains a bunch of turn of the century holiday music to give a family get together a nice ecclectic soundtrack. Oh, by turn of the century, we're referring to 1800s-1900s, not this last one. $17. Milagro 1005 W. 36th St. 410.235.3800 Back to that wall thing. Okay, say you have someone on your list that won't dig wall decals? Try some nice, imported-from-Mexico, wall ornaments in vario...

Just heard the shocking news, from Artmobile : Dawn Culbertson collapsed and died at the BFMS [Baltimore Folk MusicSociety] Thanksgiving night dance at St. Mark's-on-the-Hill parish hall Thursday November 25th. She had Thanksgiving diner with several BFMS friends at Diane and Carl Friedman's house, and arrived near the end of the dance. She danced a few contra dances and seemed fine. I danced the last contra and the closing waltz with her. While chatting during the cleanup, she slumped to the floor. Judy (Meyers, an RN) and Eileen Newburn (also an RN) attended to her, and they and Bob Eckhardt immediately began CPR, while Dan Brandt called 911. Emergency assistance arrived within about ten minutes, and worked diligently and intensely before taking her to Northwest Hospital. However, it seems likely that she had died immediately. I go into these details because I think it's important to know that she had a lovely time the last few hours of her life, she seemed to die s...

Burn, Christmas! Burn!! is an anti-Christmas, um, Christmas book. You know, the kind of book that makes you think about how fucked up consumerism is and how corporate greed hurts elves and did you know, elves make your $9 Target shirts, not little children in third world countries? Don't buy it. For chrissakes, the elves will come and burn down your house!

It's in! It's in! Maggie didn't even wait to take off her scarf and jacket before she dived into the issue. All pre-orders will start shipping out today! You lucky bastards.

Just waiting for all the turkeys, brined, fried, smoked, whatever, to start flooding Flickr . Flickr is all about food! If you've noticed our Flickr Zeitgeist Badge on the right only displays new photos from my contacts and friends. The above link shows you all new photos being posted.

I hate shopping. I hate going to the mall. But you know what? I don't have to leave Hampden to shop. Here's our little Holiday Gift Guide Picks. But we haven't finished walking around the Ave, so more to come on Friday. See, I'm also lazy. And if you're lazy, perhaps if you ask nicely, we can add on some of these items to your online orders from us. Wait, that's way too complicated. (Descriptions of the items were written by Benn. He just made them up.) Ma Petite Shoe 832 W. 36th St. 410.235.3442 Sure, everyone thinks this shoes & chocolate boutique as the place for women to indulge their sweet tooth as well as their insatiable need for stylish shoes (and it is), but they also have stylish shoes for men! Rose's Cookies 842 W. 36th St. 410.235.9801 The holiday season can be so cruel to those who can't bake, what with all the cookies flying around. This year, impress your loved ones with some cookies from Rose, she won...

Jason Kottke wants to know what he's missing about comics !

Photo by J. Mayer. So I've been resisting looking at this art project by Chris Cobb. For one week, this past week, Adobe Books in California, let this artist rearrange all their books into the color wheel. Anyone who has ever worked in a bookstore probably let out a huge groan when they first heard about this. What a nightmare! But it sort of helps out when a customer asks, "Um...I'm looking for a book. The cover is red." At least you have a red section now. I have to say that it looks beautiful. And sort of magical. And this is the part of the spectrum that I would be attracted to - the pinks and the reds.

Neal Pollack says, "Writers get less respect in this country than people who eat live bugs on television for money!" Ted Rall was dropped from the Washington Post. (Most disturbing is the term "users" for "readers" of the Post.) And good-bye Highwater !

And even then we'll start again and just pretend that nothing ever happened.

Yup. It's real. And they'll be in the store next week.

Hey, Microcinefest starts tomorrow! Whatever you do, don't go to microcinefest.com.

Well, the rumors were close. The next "The Simple Life" isn't set in Hampden, but Ellicott City . Reportedly, Hilton and Richie are staying with an Ellicott City family this week - "reportedly" being the operative and recurring word in the not-so-simple local arrangement. Reportedly, everyone who agrees to be filmed with the stars has to sign a confidentiality agreement that, if broken, may well result in a spin-off reality show called "Extreme Bankruptcy." Money doesn't talk. The Eisner episode is scheduled to air in February. Then, the family can tell friends what Paris and Nicole were like in real life, if there is such a thing anymore. After the show airs, we can learn what they ate and wore and said inside the Eisner home. Do they floss? Wax? Waxed floss? Do they snore? Would they ever come to Timonium? We do have a new Eckerd's ... Alas, until February, our simple imaginations must run wild and cheap.

Tin Many Alley is moving away from Philly to NYC! Their last exhibit this year, Ultra-Murder Death Squad, works by Tim Biskup and Andrew Brandou, opens November 20th and runs through December 24th, with the Opening Reception on Saturday, November 20th 6pm-10pm.

Calling out for photos taken this past Saturday at I HATE The 80s Night! I was too busy to take any. You know, too busy doing the Wild Thing .

The new Regional edition of Print Magazine is chock full of band/show posters. Especially the Washington/Baltimore section. I guess that's what you get when you have a band made up of graphic designers. One more step in the spread of Design-core. Or is it that rock posters are taking over the world? Hmmm, which is more compelling, the music or the art? Also, congrats to Scott Sugiuchi for getting four of our event posters in the issue.

If you're getting your 80s outfits at Galvanize , ask for your 20% discount! Say you heard it from the Mobtown Shank . So which Breakfast Club kid were you? I could relate to all of them, except for the jock (I played tennis, not exactly a team sport). I was mostly the nerd and the weirdo. Poor kids, having problems with the pressure to conform in one way or another, trying to figure out how to be happy and how to meet or fight the expectations of society. Ultimately, I was pretty disappointed by the movie at the time. I think it made me cry. Whew, I'm so glad the 80s are over. OR IS IT??

The Baltimore Sun is doing an "extreme makeover" for their comics page. Vote for the comics you'd like to save! Wow, that list is like a freaky time warp.