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Rating: 
Summary: ink on ink
Review: Addonizio's and Dumesnil's anthology on writings on tattoos is a great collection of work. You can't go wrong with the writings inside. There is some great (and at times surprising) fiction inside, which includes: an excerpt from Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man, Kafka's "In the Penal Colony," Sylvia Plath's story "The Fifteen Dollar Eagle," and Flannery O'Connor's "Parker's Back." O'Connor is always a joy to read, and this story is an especially good one. There's even a piece from Herman Melville (selected from Typee). Steve Vender has a most interesting piece on meeting one of the gang members he is to defend--this is a fascinating piece. And there are also vignettes scattered throughout where people discuss their tattoos, as well as other pieces of fiction. And there's poetry by Thom Gunn, Kim Addonizio, Bob Hicok, Mark Doty, Cheryl Dumesnil, J.D. McClatchy, Tony Hoagland, Brenda Hillman, Laura A. Goldstein, Garnett Kilberg Cohen, Michael Waters, Joseph Millar, Katharine Whitcomb, Eliot Wilson, Bruce Bond, Virginia Chase Sutton, Lissette Mendez, Dzvinia Orlowsky, and Denise Duhamel. Not only does it look impressive, it reads very, very well. I'm not surprised that Addonizio put together such a strong selection of work. I can't think of any other person who would have been more suited to this type of anthology. It's a great collection, one I'm sure everyone would enjoy reading.
Rating:
Summary: A "pre"-review
Review: Cheryl Dumesnil was one of my professors in college. I have not read this book yet, but based on her abilities as a teacher, I am totally looking forward to reading it.
Rating:
Summary: a rich collection for writers & body art addicts alike
Review: I bought this while on vacation in San Francisco and read the entire thing on the plane back to New England. A great variety of short stories, essays, and poetry, this collection brings together a lot of powerful pieces of writing. Tattoos are examined from many different perspectives, ranging from a tool of intimidation and punishment to something beautiful and otherworldly. Parts made my skin prickle and my hair stand on end, bracing for the touch of the needle. I'd been thinking about getting a new one. Reading this solidified that decision. My favorites: Murguia's "A Toda Maquina" & Orlowsky's "Tattoo Thoughts"
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