Blog of the Week – Contrariwise.org

Our Blog of the Week is Contrariwise.org, a growing collection of literary tattoos. I talked with Jen Grantham, the site’s creator.

Q: Are you the original creator of Contrariwise? If so, tell us more about how you first came up with the idea. What inspired the blog? How would you define your role as its “curator”?

A: Yes, I'm the original creator. I purchased the contrariwise.org domain back in high school for a portfolio project. After I graduated, the domain sat unused for several years while I tried to come up with an idea for a website so I could put it in use. Google searching "contrariwise" for ideas brought me to this tattoo, and that prompted the idea for the site. I did a search for "literary tattoos" and found a few online communities and single articles, but no websites specifically dedicated to the topic. So I made one!

Q: When and how was the blog first created?

A: April 2007. The "how" isn't very exciting. I came up with the idea and had the site up a few hours later. I started emailing people whose pictures I found online to ask for permission to use them on the site. I guess word got out, and within a few weeks I was getting thousands of hits a day.

Q: What is the meaning of the name “Contrariwise” and how does it relate to your vision for the blog or your approach to literary tattoos?

A: The name doesn't really have anything to do with the site or literary tattoos. I picked the name "contrariwise" back in high school because I love Lewis Carroll, and he uses it repeatedly in Through the Looking Glass. I thought I'd read somewhere that he actually invented the word, but I can't find that information anywhere now so it's probably not true. In any case, the word is often associated with him. I suppose you could say that getting tattoos has always been contrary to societal expectations, and getting a work of literature inked onto your skin is contrary to traditional tattoos.

Q: Do you have a literary tattoo? If so, please tell us a little about its significance to you. If not, would you ever consider getting one?

A: I don't have any tattoos. I have considered it many times, but as a rule of thumb I won't get anything tattooed on myself if I haven't loved the idea for at least a month. So far I haven't ever made it a whole month, so no tattoos.

Q: What is one of the more interesting tattoos that you’ve come across? Do you have favorites?

A: I'm always drawn to the simpler tattoos, and the ones that come with a personal story. I love this one, and I just posted one a few days ago that someone got for the son he found out wasn't his. I love a good story.

Q: Literary quotes and images for tattoos are pulled from across genres and media (books, politics, plays, quotes, even song lyrics and graphic novels). What separates literary tattoos from other tattoos that might happen to include words? Is there a set criteria for a tattoo to be considered “literary”?

A: This is actually a touchy subject with many of my website visitors. I'm using a very broad definition of literature. If someone got a tattoo of an instruction manual, would I post it? Probably, if it was an interesting textual tattoo. I've posted single words and punctuation before. I love it when people send me tattoos from lesser-known works and even from poems they've written themselves. Generally, if it has words in it, I'll post it. I try not to draw too many lines. Though I do try to balance out the "borderline" posts (things like song lyrics) with tattoos from more well-known works of literature.

This topic came up a lot after I posted a young adult librarian's Twilight tattoo. I received tons of emails and comments from people about how Twilight has no literary merit and shouldn't be featured with writers like Shakespeare. Well, why not? As much as people love to hate Twilight, it's a popular series of fiction novels that has sold millions of copies and won tons of awards. If I'm not allowed to post Twilight tattoos, does that mean all young adult fiction is off limits? What about children's lit? You're probably not going to compare Green Eggs and Ham and King Lear either, but that doesn't mean they don't both have their own reasons to be on the site.

Q: How do you decide which photos are posted? Tell us a little about how many you receive and what it’s like to sort through so many photos and stories.

A: I receive, on average, about 5-10 a day. This number skyrockets when the site is linked on a popular website. When Neil Gaiman linked to my site, I got over 100 submissions. It's overwhelming and to be honest, my selection process is entirely random and makes very little sense. I usually do an inbox search for the first word that pops into my head ("happy" or "hamburger"), which significantly filters the number of emails. I'll then browse through and pick one to post. Reading all of the emails would literally be a full time job. I wish I had more time to dedicate to this project.

Q: A commenter on one of your posts claimed that literary tattoos have become a “trademark” of the emerging “hipster” culture. How would you respond to this comment? Do you see a growing movement in literary tattoos?

A: I can't say I disagree that literary tattoos are becoming popular. A trademark of hipster culture? I'm not sure about that. I've had emails from moms & dads, grandparents, librarians, firefighers, marines, CEOs, university professors, elementary school teachers, and all sorts of professionals. Hipsters definitely don't have the majority on this one.

Q: What, if anything, do you think literary tattoos mean to the floundering world of print? Do you think it speaks to the permanence of the written world? Or is it simply another fad?

A: I don't think literary tattoos mean anything to the world of print. I don't think books are going anywhere - moving to a digital format, maybe, but there is always going to be literature. As long as there is literature and as long as people get tattoos, there will probably be literary tattoos.

Q: Literary tattoos mark an interesting intersection between literature lovers and tattoo lovers. Book snobs scorn those who misapply quotes or who have never read the literary works they tattoo on their bodies. Tattoo lovers often seek to memorialize a phrase or quote that is personally significant. What do you think?

A: I think tattoos are personal. People get them for all sorts of reasons - maybe something extremely significant happened and they got a tattoo to commemorate the event, or maybe they just thought it was pretty. I don't see anyone's reason for getting a tattoo as being less valid as anyone else's. I don't see why someone can't feel a personal connection to a quotation without having read the entire work it belongs to. Who cares what reasons other people have for altering their bodies?

Q: What is your vision for the future of Contrarwise?

A: I hope to update it more frequently! I have lots of things in the works that I haven't had the time to implement yet. I'd like to create a better submission system, and a forum.

Q: What projects are you currently working on?

A: I'm a freelance photographer, so I'm always working on my own projects. Right now I'm working on catching up on my photo editing before Christmas! You can check out my photography site here: http://jengrantham.com