Hilarious, vibrant, magically cohesive despite its seemingly divergent themes, brimming with endorsements of the best music and books you haven't heard or read yet, the Nevada Avenue Outdoor Free Bookshop and its proprietary newsletter burned bright during its short life between August 2020 and December 2021. Located on a well-trafficked corner of Chevy Chase, D.C., the NAOFB started as a way for punk rocker and erstwhile lawyer J. Hunter Bennett to offload his excess music books and noir novels, but swiftly grew from pandemic project to passion project, and from there to neighborhood fixture and really damn good newsletter.
Here you'll find the collected newsletters, each annotated with anecdotes about the contributors, goings-on in the wider world (there were quite a few in 2020–2021!), neighborhood gossip, and praise from at least two members of Fugazi. A touching testament to the DIY spirit, a treasure trove of literary and punk rock recommendations, and a low-key how-to guide for building something unique with your own network of like-minded weirdos. C'mon, where else you gonna find Millions of Dead Cops and James Salter in the same place?
SUBJECT: Music / Punk / Zine Collection / About Zines / About Books / Microcosm / Father's Day
PUBLICATION: May 12, 2026
PRICE: $15.99
ISBN: 9781648414268
FORMAT: 192 pp, 5x7", paperback
WHOLESALE: Standard
CARTON QTY: 42
ART:
Marketing Notes
- A story about building community in DC during COVID
- Collects the humorous newsletters, interviews, and missives that reflected on the punk community in DC and beyond
- Appeals to Gen X punk nostalgia, with contributions from members of Youth Brigade, Dag Nasty, and Meatmen
- Builds on DIY spirit and the Third Place movement as they gain popularity on Tik Tok and beyond
J. Hunter Bennett writes for the music magazine Ugly Things and plays bass guitar in the band Dot Dash. Because neither of these jobs pays very well—okay, at all—he also practices government contracts law at a large law firm in Washington, DC. He previously served as a Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice, and an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia. He considers himself a connoisseur of orange soda.
A small, innovative publishing house, Microcosm Publishing specializes in work designed to make the reader feel good about being alive, take an active role in bettering their life, and impact the world around them. Microcosm has developed a reputation for teaching self-empowerment, showing hidden histories, and fostering creativity through challenging conventional publishing wisdom with books and zines about DIY skills, food, politics, and art. Our books are printed in the USA.
Microcosm Publishing
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