The Tattooed Poets Project, Volume 5, A Postscript

Cheryl Maddalena's Beautiful tattoo from 2009

As I look back at the fifth installment of the April tattooed poets extravaganza, I am astonished by the amazing array of talented poets who have contributed to Tattoosday over the years.

This year's contributors totaled 35, and we had even more than that many who had previously expressed interest and did not submit their work in time.

That said, I have high hopes for the 2014 edition, which is only 11 months away. Also, I am going to attempt to add more tattooed poets throughout the year, contributing in non-poetry months. Just to keep our collective appetites whetted.

The list of people I would like to thank grows each year. I'd start with directing readers to the Tattooed Poets Project here and expressing my appreciation to the 155 poets who have appeared on Tattoosday over the past five years.

I am also deeply indebted to Stacey Harwood and David Lehman at the Best American Poetry blog. Their continued support over the years has been immeasurable and they have been nothing but encouraging.

I still maintain that the wonderful writer, Dorianne Laux, is also someone to whom I am deeply indebted. She referred me to a slew of tattooed poets in the first year of this project, and each year sends me more subjects.

I want to thank all the poets who answered my initial inquiries, especially those without tattoos, who often directed me to poets who they knew to be inked.

And finally, I want to thank all of my readers, in and out of the poetry community, who have continued to support and read Tattoosday, and have encouraged me each year to come up with thirty posts (or more) to help celebrate the wonders of the written word and the beauty of tattoos.

Bill Cohen
5/1/2013