This awesome tattoo belongs to Molly:
This tattoo was inspired by a trip to Bread Loaf this summer, where I studied poetry with Ellen Bryant Voigt. I have always admired the ways we can re-imagine poems outside of typical lineation, how poems can become sculptures and books can be objects of art with textures and breath. A bit of fortune converged with my desire: I have a dear friend in my MFA program whose husband happens to be a tattoo artist, and that husband just so wanted to spend some time on a letterpress, and I had just acquired a Kelsey platen press. A trade was proposed, and Shawn designed the whole thing with wings in mind, something that would also resemble lungs and breathing and the lift of freedom at the end of Sharon Olds‘ oft-studied “I Go Back to May 1937.” The poem is there, on my arm, in its entirety. Olds is my most beloved living poet, and this poem speaks to me with my own work–taking life experiences and professing: “Do what you are going to do, and I will tell about it.” Olds once said that poetry comes out of her lungs, and now I have this reminder, this collection of gorgeous language, that tells me again and again: don’t forget to breathe, don’t forget who you are.
You can view Molly’s Flickr set for more pictures of the tattoo’s progress.
The tattoo was done by Shawn Hebrank of Identity Tattoo in Maplewood, Minnesota.
Tags: I Go Back to May 1937, Sharon Olds
(151 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)
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Wow !
I can’t help but wonder how it’ll age with time, but that certainly seems appropriate, considering the poem. Regardless, it’s staggeringly lovely.
that’s stunning! absolutely amazing!
It’s amazing how everything can be interpreted. Much like poems and words.
I didn’t see the wings until I looked at the Flickr set, but instead saw fire. I think they’re both very fitting.
Wow, wow, wow. Amazing.
Sharon Olds is an amazing person. I’ve had her as a professor; she gave us copies of a poem she was working on. She’s really lived. I love this tattoo!
Love this!
Nice idea but that will be a blurry mess within 1 year.
[...] A m a z i n g tattoo [...]
I can see what you were trying to do but it seems a bit of a mess…
If you click on the flickr photos everything is clearer. It’s a very unique idea and gorgeous tattoo and even if the words do run together it will still be in a nice wing shape and you will always know what it says. beautifully done, I’ve never seen anything like it!
I don’t like this at all :(
whats with the no posting for almost a month- this makes me sad inside and outside.
I second Heather’s sentiment : (
Update this site, gosh. This may not be important to you but a lot of people like to share and interact with people of the same interests (i.e. literary tattoos.) Make a commitment and stick to it! It makes me angry how this site is updated only once a month, there have to be more literary tattoos than that. I have 4 so contact me if you’re having trouble finding people. :/
Jen, you could (and probably should) just give the site to someone who has the time to keep it up.
Agreed with both Anons.
to anon 1 – that’s awesome you have 4 literary tattoos! can’t wait to see them (at some point, i guess?). i want to ask what they are but that’ll spoil the actual photos…
anon 2 + 3 – i agree w/ this too
come on, everyone. take a chill pill and give jen a break. i’m sure she does her best to keep up with the site, but she does have a life of her own and other important things to attend to. as much as you and i would like to see the site updated, the fact remains that jen isn’t doing it for profit or any other banal reasons like that. contrariwise is a labour of love and a hobby. jen isn’t obliged to post tattoos just for our daily/ weekly entertainment if she has other more crucial things she needs to do.
that said, i am looking forward to when the updates do resume. come back soon, jen!
It’s not an obligation, but it seems like it feels like it to Jen, since she rarely posts. She should maybe think about collaborating with one or two others so the site could be a much more enjoyable place for people who share her “love and hobby” as you say. It’d be beneficial to everyone, I think. (=
Everybody here might also like this site, if you don’t follow it already:
http://community.livejournal.com/literarytattoos
I miss the literary tattoo updates too! Here’s something to hold everybody over: the poetry podcast I co-edit has some tattoo related poems this week and a conversation with a tattoo artist while he was tattooing my ankle. Here’s the link – http://www.redlionsq.com.
I agree that if Jen finds this too much of an obligation, it would make a lot of sense to ask one or two people to co-moderate. Otherwise it is tempting to try and start up a different blog just for some regular content. I love this blog’s theme dearly but it’s sad that long breaks happen completely unannounced.
I have emailed Jen several times and get completely ignored, its quite shoddy the way she treats fans of her site.
If she can’t cope she should get help as others have already said.
it’s been 2 months. is the site dead?
The site is dead people.
The admin doesn’t reply to emails.. and it hasn’t been updated in months. And even if it is, there’s months between posts.
Hey all,
I started a new website of sorts, exactly like this one.
Submission info is in the first post, so feel free to check it out.
Hopefully you all email me, because I don’t have anything to put up yet :-P
literarytatts.blogspot.com
How lame – I love this site, and it’s rude of Jen to just let it slip away… especially with so many loyal fans! Please bequeath it to someone who’ll keep it regular!!!
Very upsetting that this site isn’t frequently updated. I love looking at all these great tattoos!
In any case, first I want to say that this “I Go Back to May 1937″ tattoo is GORGEOUS and Sharon Olds is my absolute favorite poet. (I am actually getting the last line tattooed on my shoulder in a few weeks)
I also want to mention that on my blog, oneyear100books.com, I am trying to read 100 books in a year. BUT because I love tattoos so much, if anyone reads the blog and happens to have a tattoo that relates in any way to the books I’m reading (even if it’s not directly related to the book), please send me over a picture so I can post it on the blog! My email is RBCandy289@aol.com
wondering if jen is ok
Jen’s okay — she’s traveling! Scotland, the lucky girl.
[...] on poetry tattoos, the House of Baroque brings you this rather amazing thing, from a website called Contrariwise: Literary Tattooes (& trust me, this is the only one you want to see). The tattoo-ee writes: This tattoo was [...]
Hi Jen, just wanted to say that a danish newspaper just wrote an article on literary tattoos and linked to contrariwise. Well done!
Maya
If you like words, Google: Croatoan
oh if she’s ok then she’ll be back and we’ll have more tattos! yay!
still traveling? :(
Wow! This is incredible—I mean, finding this blog. I have several tattoos that I have borne throughout the the years, most of which are, I guess we could say, literary. I never thought about them differently from what I thought about the world. I am, after all, a literary person. The ow or three times I’ve attempted to make sense about the “writerly” style of my tattoos (in three or four languages) I have come with the answer of understanding the body as a soft and sensible surface where things are inscribed (gender, nationality, race, etc.) but things could also be, literally speaking, written.
I have never been a big fan of tattoos but I came across this site and I am…beyond words. I am so taken with many of them and the stories behind them. This is material for an amazing exhibit.
Hey, check out SullenTV’s videos of Musink and some of the biggest names in tattoo art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5uF_o76UR8
cool TAT Vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5uF_o76UR8
It’s time to break out some new photos… We want you back!
So I’m pretty sure the owner of this website is dead. No updates in almost a full year.
Sullen TV Miss Musink 2011 Search, hot tattooed girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i1Lz2eJ2OI&feature=relmfu
That is quite a typography tattoo. Must have taken some serious concentration.
It’s too bad you don’t update this site anymore!!
Check out Wrist Words on Etsy for handmade wooden quote bangles – featuring literary phrases.
http://www.etsy.com/people/WristWords
Sullen TV Musink Sullen Angel Heather Greet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w7ye8KJiOc
Sullen TV Smith and Gustavo Tsunami Art Colab
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQ-N24p3Ew&feature=channel_video_title:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461126436/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
If you want updates go to the contrariwise facebook page. People are posting their ink there.
[...] to barter the use of my own platen press with a tattoo artist for an experimental tattoo in the shape of a lung, I want to be able to make an awesome concept album like PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake, I want [...]
[...] to barter the use of my own platen press with a tattoo artist for an experimental tattoo in the shape of a lung, I want to be able to make an awesome concept album like PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake, I want [...]
[...] contrariwise.org via Rhian on [...]
Witty! I’m bookmarking you site for future use.
coach handbags obviously have great high quality popular.
Wow!!!It’s really very beautiful Tattoo Photos.
Thanks
Ronalton Don
“Laith Salma”
i dont like this :|
LOVE this tattoo. Been looking for some inspiration and this has just sent me off in a completely different direction (promise not to steal it!!)
Jen, hope you’re not dead and that you enjoyed Scotland, if you’re still paying for hosting but can’t be bothered to update, so what, cheers for hosting this space in the first place, otherwise I’d have never seen the tattoos that are already on here! Everyone with their knickers in a twist who thinks they’re being helpful whilst also being moaning minnies, shhhh.
[...] tatouage de Jen (5), visible sur son site, entièrement consacré au tatouage littéraire, contrarywise litterary tattoo : 5. "I Go Back to May [...]
Really nice text, nice and original, love your blog to, keep up the good work, thanks