Every now and then I manage to talk a small press author into showing us a little skin... tattooed skin, that is. I know there are websites and books out there that have been-there-done-that already, but I hadn't seen one with a specific focus on the authors and publishers of the small press community. Whether it's the influence for their book, influenced by their book, or completely unrelated to the book, we get to hear the story behind their indie ink....
Today's ink story comes from Tim Chapman.
Tim is a former forensic scientist for the Chicago police department who currently teaches English composition and Chinese martial arts. He holds a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Northwestern University. His fiction has been published in The Southeast Review, the Chicago Reader, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and the anthology, "The Rich and the Dead." His first novel, "Bright and Yellow, Hard and Cold," was recently released by Allium Press. In his spare time he paints pretty pictures and makes an annoying noise with his saxophone that he claims is music. He lives in Chicago with his lovely and patient wife, Ellen and Mia, the squirrel-chasingest dog in town.
I have a tattoo of a dragon
wrapped around a yin/yang symbol on my shoulder. Why I have any tattoo, and this
tattoo in particular, is a bit convoluted. Back in the late 1970s a woman I
loved was killed in a car accident. This kind of pulled the rug out from under
me, both emotionally and intellectually. I sort of drifted around the country
for a while, and I was angry—really angry. I was like a clenched fist looking
for someone to hit. Whenever I walked anywhere I punched street signs and
parking meters. Other pedestrians crossed the street to avoid me. Once a cop
yelled at me for punching a no parking sign.
One hot day I drifted into
a movie theatre in downtown Los Angeles. I think I went in just because it was
air conditioned. There was a Bruce Lee movie showing. As soon as I saw his
balletic, stylized violence, I was hooked. I started a lifelong practice of
martial arts in order to rid myself of my anger. The martial arts led me to a
study of Buddhism. Buddhism is what helped me understand and eventually
extinguish my rage. Life isn't fair? Loss is painful? I get it.
The other thing I got from
my martial arts training was kung fu. Kung fu translates as effort or hard work.
I had been a terrible student in high school, but eighteen years later I earned
a degree in forensic science and went to work for a crime lab. Ten years after
that I decided I wanted to write, so I went back for an MA in writing and have
since produced a novel, Bright and Yellow, Hard and Cold, and an upcoming
short story collection. I currently teach writing and tai chi chuan at a Chicago
city college. My wife and I have been together for over twenty years, and we
couldn't be happier.
I designed the tattoo as a
reminder of my personal philosophy. The dragon reminds me that, though I am not
naturally talented, I can accomplish goals that are important to me through hard
work and perseverance. The yin/yang symbol reminds me that nature and
circumstance will often play a part in changing those goals and, rather than
whine about the changes, I will be happier if I embrace them.
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