Literary tattoos

By LAURIE HERTZEL

Last update: October 14, 2008 - 12:01 PM

One day, while poking around on the Interweb, I came across a blog (www.contrariwise.org) devoted to literary tattoos -- photos that people have posted of their own little part in making sure that great writing endures.

On their skin. Well, "great" is debatable; a lot of these tattoos seemed to be more "Little Prince" and Shel Silverstein than, say, Proust or Chaucer, but let's not be snobby.

It's quite a commitment to have a line of poetry inked forever on your chest, or around your biceps, or even, um, going down the back of your pants. A bit more Web surfing found that this wasn't the only blog devoted to this strange art -- not by a long shot.

Oh, and is there a book on this topic, too? Of course there is: "Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos," by Kim Addonizio and Cheryl Dumesnil (Grand Central Publishing, $21.99).

Tattooing "Do not go gentle into that good night" on the back of your neck takes a bold commitment. And maybe a copy editor friend, keeping watch at the tattoo artist's side as he wields needle and ink.

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Here are some of Books Editor Laurie Hertzel's favorite sites and blogs. Got a literary link to share? E-mail Laurie.

Reading Minnesota A blog that features Minnesota writers, illustrators, publishers, bookstores, and reviewers.
Talk of the Stacks An author series from the Library Foundation of Hennepin County.
Poets & Writers The website for Poets and Writers Magazine--podcasts, author interviews, and writing resources.
Creative Writing A place to keep apprised of writing competitions in the United States.
Gather Minnesota Readers The Website for Minnesota Public Radio's books blog.
The Loft Literary Center The Website for the Loft, a local place for writers and readers.
Good Reads A way to track what you're reading, and what your friends are reading.
Lost Manuscripts Just what it sounds like - a blog (sporadically updated) devoted to missing and destroyed manuscripts.
Maud Newton Very hip, reviews, links, a little attitude.
bookreporter.com A plethora of online book reviews and reading guides.
Rain Taxi Rain Taxi Review of Books.