Dorothy Parker's Elbow

Dorothy Parker's Elbow is the first collection of literary work about tattoos. These stories, poems, and memoirs span the range of human experience, from the awesome to the absurd. Contributors include Ray Bradbury, Rick Moody, Alejandro Murguia, Mark Doty, Darcey Steinke, William T. Vollmann, Elizabeth McCracken, and others—including a prisoner, a private investigator, tattoo artists, and more.

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From the Introduction

Unlike other fashions, hobbies, and interests, tattooing, by its very definition, does not lend itself to fads—it creates permanent art. Perhaps that explains why, despite its move from the social fringe to a newly-won place in the American mainstream, tattooing retains an aura of glamour and edge. In a culture that fears commitment, loves individualism, and takes guilty pleasure in the macabre, tattoos fascinate. Ask anyone who sports a tattoo—as soon as you reveal that you have one (or two, or three), the questions begin: What did you get? Where did you get it? Can I see it? Have you ever regretted it? Did it hurt? Or, as our mothers asked, Why would you want to do that? Behind every tattoo stands a story that people want to hear. Our interest in those stories led to Dorothy Parker's Elbow. In fact, the title came about when we discovered that this irreverent author, always ahead of her time, had a star permanently inked on her elbow.