Tattoo Shops and Tattoo Artists: Literary Tattoos

The Tattoosday Book Review: The Word Made Flesh

If you're looking for an awesome gift for an ink-loving special someone  this holiday season, and you can't afford a budget-buster like Marisa  Kakoulas' <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Grey-Tattoo-1-3-English/dp/3934020852/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292409182&sr=1-1">Black & Grey Tattoo</a>, I'd strongly recommend <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Word-Made-Flesh-Bookworms-Worldwide/dp/0061997404?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide.</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061997404" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwsRPgkL-59GejKVpqZ3p2HzyhwMsdC4XWiT0F-3u8o0fktjn7rE0UYAYGzW3-N0fratMUjkJvkqOoQZf1XvvPSGdfLChIdvdotvwwAWKnToEkRCNzktN8I_C4v4U-H8z0HOGIG4zNOQ/s1600/the-word-made-flesh-literary-tattoos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwsRPgkL-59GejKVpqZ3p2HzyhwMsdC4XWiT0F-3u8o0fktjn7rE0UYAYGzW3-N0fratMUjkJvkqOoQZf1XvvPSGdfLChIdvdotvwwAWKnToEkRCNzktN8I_C4v4U-H8z0HOGIG4zNOQ/s400/the-word-made-flesh-literary-tattoos.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><br />As a lover of both literature and tattoos, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Word-Made-Flesh-Bookworms-Worldwide/dp/0061997404?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Word Made Flesh</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061997404" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> is right  up my alley and, judging by the long-standing interest in sites like <a href="http://www.contrariwise.org/">Contrariwise</a>, should be an  enjoyable read for many.<br /><br />Last year, it seems, when I first posted (<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/07/call-for-submissions-literary-tattoos.html">here</a>) about Eve  Talmadge's call for submissions, I was a bit jealous in a  why-didn't-I-think-of-doing-that sort of way. But I quickly got over the inkblogger envy and waited with anticipation to see how this would turn out.<br /><div id=":159"><br />The answer: pretty darn good.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Word-Made-Flesh-Bookworms-Worldwide/dp/0061997404?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Word Made Flesh</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061997404" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, as the subtitle describes, juxtaposes photos of  tattoos of a literary flavor, with blurbs from the contributors. There  is poetry and prose, as well as more symbolic imagery to represent  specific themes.</div><div id=":159"><br />Compiled by editors Eve Talmadge and Justin Taylor, the reader is  treated to a nice range of work, with a handy appendix which gives, when  possible, credit to the artists and/or shops where the tattoos were  inked.<br /><br />I wondered, when starting the book, if I would see any tattoos that had  appeared on Tattoosday. Sure enough, page 117 features a pair of  alphabetic ankle tattoos, one of which appeared in this past year's <a href="http://tattooedpoets.blogspot.com/2010/03/index-of-tattooed-poets.html">Tattooed Poet's Project</a>, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/04/tattooed-poets-project-rebecca-wolff.html">here</a>. To counteract that, there are two  subjects who declined to participate in the same project.<br /><br />The range of photos and stories is done quite well. We also get a  snapshot of <a href="http://ineradicablestain.com/stain.html">Shelley Jackson's Skin Project</a>, and a lovely piece belonging  to Katherine Barthelme, accompanied by an apropos story by her father,  the late <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Barthelme">Donald Barthelme</a>. Plus, amazing work like this:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HY4XGFMQ4k5Lf5Wyx2vkV5lwlgUdmcDtjcze0SxzEQlqdxX5rzfov6u702XMnCdJOXINagtatPPHApFG2X2PUpJW6XxhzXgBdbMAzWr9DRFf7PyhipYjeMgxty8xoiE1CTNGbrwzIoA/s1600/JP-COFFEE-1-popup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HY4XGFMQ4k5Lf5Wyx2vkV5lwlgUdmcDtjcze0SxzEQlqdxX5rzfov6u702XMnCdJOXINagtatPPHApFG2X2PUpJW6XxhzXgBdbMAzWr9DRFf7PyhipYjeMgxty8xoiE1CTNGbrwzIoA/s400/JP-COFFEE-1-popup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">©2010 Eva Talmadge & Justin Taylor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There is something for everyone here, unless of course, you're a barbarian and have never read a book in your life.<br /><br />I heartily recommend this title and at a list price of  $14.99, it won't break the bank.<br /><br />There's a slide show <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2387/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-02/the-word-made-flesh-literary-tattoos-explored/">here</a>, over at <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-02/the-word-made-flesh-literary-tattoos-explored/">The Daily Beast</a>.<br /><br />You can read and see more, as well as hear how to submit for a possible sequel, at <a href="http://www.tattoolit.com/" target="_blank">www.tattoolit.com</a>. I also recommend visiting <a href="http://contrariwise.com/" target="_blank">contrariwise.com</a>,  as well as checking out the <a href="http://tattooedpoets.blogspot.com/">Tattooed Poets Project index</a>, which links  all the tattooed poets who have appeared here the last two years.<br /><br />You can buy the book here:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0061997404&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And, as for what's next from the editors, a recent email from the editor's says it all:<br /><blockquote>"I'm happy to announce that we are now collecting images of music-related  tattoos for our next book. Song lyrics, band logos, record labels,  musician portraits, you name it -- if it's in your skin and has to do  with a musician, song or band, we want to put it in a book. Pass the  word, tell your friends. Here's the fine print:<br /><br /><b> THE WORDS TO EVERY SONG: Music Tattoos from Around the Globe</b> (working title, suggestions welcome), edited by Eva Talmadge.<br /><br />Submissions  now open for high-quality photographs of all kinds of music related  tattoo work: band logos, song lyrics, record labels, musician portraits  -- if it's a tattoo inspired by music and it's on your body, we want to  see it!<br /><br />We're looking for a wide range of genres and eras -- from classical  to rock'n'roll to hip hop, punk rock, indie and soul -- if you ever  loved a song or a band or a musician so much you went to a tattoo shop  and made your devotion permanent, we want to know about it!<br /><br />As with THE WORD MADE FLESH, we don't want <i>just </i>the images. We also want a few words from you about <i>why </i>you  got your tattoo, what that music means or has meant to you, and any  anecdotes involved. How much (or how little) you choose to say about  your tattoo is up to you, but a paragraph or two should do the trick.<br /><br />And of course please do provide us with tattoo artist/shop credit,  photographer credit, your name or pseudonym, the city and state or  country where you live, and the name of the band or song or composer  your tattoo refers to (even if it's obvious).<br /><b><br />Deadline for the first round is 12/31</b><br /><br />Please send clear digital images of the highest quality possible to <b><a href="mailto:tattoolit@gmail.com" target="_blank">tattoolit@gmail.com</a></b>.  Images should be around 2000 pixels across, or a minimum 300 dpi at 5  inches wide, but if you're not sure about all the technical stuff, just  set your camera to its highest resolution and send the best photo you  can. Text should be included in the body of the email, not as an attached document. Also be sure to include one or more pieces of contact information, so we can let you know if you’re going to be in the book.<br /><br />And finally, we are indeed still collecting literary tattoos for the tumblr blog, <a href="http://tattoolit.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoolit.com</a>. If you have a literary tattoo and want the world to see it, please do e-mail it to us at <a href="mailto:tattoolit@gmail.com" target="_blank">tattoolit@gmail.com</a>, or submit it directly (as an image, not text) to <a href="http://tattoolit.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoolit.com</a>.</blockquote></div>And, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't direct people <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Literary%20Quotes">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Literary%20Tattoos">here</a>, the tags that link all the literary tattoos that have appeared here on Tattoosday.

The Tattoosday Book Review: The Word Made Flesh

If you're looking for an awesome gift for an ink-loving special someone this holiday season, and you can't afford a budget-buster l...

3:19 AM

Jack Kerouac Back

This is an orphan post, what I refer to as a photo with no real story attached to it, as the individual who let me take the photo, never e-mailed me with any further details.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ghacjS3XB-jjz64AMMZ-N8a4RMF9OAKG0ixUbCi2Ij3WRYBx1MBP_4Ugc-_PgTXZpD1EgC1MjWl8FaTSJSW8z_vqpUw1QkAOTAxZLiEAPxLPM0KxNeG8Ou_U0BRbWfX7OEerNuM0/s1600/kerouac+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ghacjS3XB-jjz64AMMZ-N8a4RMF9OAKG0ixUbCi2Ij3WRYBx1MBP_4Ugc-_PgTXZpD1EgC1MjWl8FaTSJSW8z_vqpUw1QkAOTAxZLiEAPxLPM0KxNeG8Ou_U0BRbWfX7OEerNuM0/s400/kerouac+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I shot the picture at the end of the Brooklyn Cyclones-Staten Island Yankees game at <a href="http://www.brooklyncyclones.com/">MCU Park</a> in Coney Island.<br /><br />The crowd was filing out, so a protracted conversation was not an option.<br /><br />The woman who belongs to this tattoo, however, did allow me to take the photo and said it was a quote from Jack Kerouac's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Road-Penguin-Classics-Jack-Kerouac/dp/0142437255?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">On the Road.</a><br /><br />It's a slightly modified version of this phenomenal passage:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><h1 style="margin: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”</span></h1></blockquote><br /><br />If you're reading this, Dear Contributor, please accept my thanks for allowing us to enjoy your tattoo here on Tattoosday, but contact me, please, to tell us more.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0142437255" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></div><br /><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0140283293&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>

Jack Kerouac Back

This is an orphan post, what I refer to as a photo with no real story attached to it, as the individual who let me take the photo, never e-m...

4:18 AM

Kat's Mucha Tattoo, With a Twist of Lemony Snicket

At 31st Street and 7th Avenue, I stopped Kat to ask about her ink.<br /><br />She was happy to see me and had been wondering, having previously read Tattoosday and knowing she worked in the same area as I did, if our paths would ever cross.<br /><br />She has seven tattoos (and a cool blog <a href="http://www.katofalltrades.com/">here</a>), but we focused on the large tattoo on her upper right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rBmqS-MP_mPkyKPkmVMsTW-S2FIhdd9T0ZXQXjYDQzXy8UZASNZGwxqBBzIF4-bwy-hVgbeHM6_vjFiaS7h0pl68yRAt2A8ktnUJDe7cg5C71zZcEO85hV9CUR78IxUyCFsBLPxQ/s1600/Kat+Sleeve+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rBmqS-MP_mPkyKPkmVMsTW-S2FIhdd9T0ZXQXjYDQzXy8UZASNZGwxqBBzIF4-bwy-hVgbeHM6_vjFiaS7h0pl68yRAt2A8ktnUJDe7cg5C71zZcEO85hV9CUR78IxUyCFsBLPxQ/s640/Kat+Sleeve+c.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br /> Or, looking at it as a whole:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOFepXJN3ldzGPi67O9XIWeRrUgjclXe-7fqsX3pxjrPS2PyqeKBKvAkkmKDev4LgBBxJ7hg9EjHH9EjrWTEFctLqX2_oMVuwXHNOXtdYUdx6txoGMfgVZKCccMYdMC4824-t-KdA/s1600/Mucha+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOFepXJN3ldzGPi67O9XIWeRrUgjclXe-7fqsX3pxjrPS2PyqeKBKvAkkmKDev4LgBBxJ7hg9EjHH9EjrWTEFctLqX2_oMVuwXHNOXtdYUdx6txoGMfgVZKCccMYdMC4824-t-KdA/s400/Mucha+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The art is based on the work of <a href="http://www.muchafoundation.org/MHome.aspx">Alphonse Mucha</a>, who has inspired a couple of other tattoos appearing previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/06/sarah-shoulders-her-slavic-heritage.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/09/delissa-reveals-little-bit-of-monaco-on.html">here</a>.<br /><br />If that second link looks familiar, it is because both Kat's tattoo and Delissa's are inspired by the same work, "Monaco".<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtE8zE0mgK-NhNUVrHBCvzokqLNvTUpPIaz18ZDj09V5XrqAPeRfwET3XH2C8vDyNDcSOb8OvyAYWGYya0HtqgeSBJjDCnW3bGlm66ufVxoCPvfG9mvJ6VyOwMSITqmvxCILQ2fG1H/s1600/Mucha_Monaco_Monte_Carlo_1897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtE8zE0mgK-NhNUVrHBCvzokqLNvTUpPIaz18ZDj09V5XrqAPeRfwET3XH2C8vDyNDcSOb8OvyAYWGYya0HtqgeSBJjDCnW3bGlm66ufVxoCPvfG9mvJ6VyOwMSITqmvxCILQ2fG1H/s400/Mucha_Monaco_Monte_Carlo_1897.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br />Kat's tattoo is interpreted a little differently, translated with brighter colors, which, in Kat's words, were "amped up to be on my arm".<br /><br />The plan is eventually for this tattoo to expand to be a half-sleeve.<br /><br />The phrase "the world is quiet here" is a nod to a motto for a secret organization known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V.F.D.">V.F.D.</a> in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wreck-Unfortunate-Events-Books/dp/0061119067?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wreck-Unfortunate-Events-Books/dp/0061119067?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Series of Unfortunate Events</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061119067" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0061119067" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemony_Snicket">Lemony Snicket</a>. These books are favorites among Kat's list of much-loved titles.<br /><br />Her work was created by the artist <a href="http://www.google.com/profiles/the.milkmaid#buzz">Joy Rumore</a> at <a href="http://www.1228tattoo.com/">Twelve 28 Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn.<br /><br />Kind thanks to Kat for sharing her work with us here on Tattoosday!

Kat's Mucha Tattoo, With a Twist of Lemony Snicket

At 31st Street and 7th Avenue, I stopped Kat to ask about her ink. She was happy to see me and had been wondering, having previously read Ta...

3:50 AM

Tattoo Shops and Tattoo Artists

The Tattoosday Book Review: The Word Made Flesh

Jack Kerouac Back

Kat's Mucha Tattoo, With a Twist of Lemony Snicket

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