One of my most favorite tattoo conventions is soon upon us, and I'm giving y'all a heads up so you'll join us for another awesome show:  Mark your calendars for the NYC Tattoo Convention, May 18-20, at the historic Roseland Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. Can't get any better than that.

One of my favorite things about the show -- in addition to an impeccably curated list of international artists -- is the feeling you get that there is still indeed a tattoo community. Lots of people trading tattoo stories, picture posing with friends and strangers, and hell, you just may meet your future ex-husband or wife there! Or at least a colorful one-night stand.

Also part of the fun will be performers, tattoo contests, and an array of merch and book sellers ... like me! Look for my table Saturday and Sunday by the stage, where I'll be selling discounted copies of my latest tomes and giving away free N+S buttons and stickers.

And if you don't see me there, I'll probably be by the bar because, ya know ...

Here are some pics below from last year's show. Hope to see you there!

A belly dancing sword swallower. A professor of body modification. A biker bouncer getting his nursing degree. And a balloon clown dressed as a rabbit named ToTo. They are just some of the beautiful tattooed attendees and performers at the NYC Tattoo Convention who -- along with top tattooists -- made this fourteenth year of the show such a success.

[For more photos of the show, see Brian's Flickr Set.]

It's hard not to be biased, however. It's my hometown convention, one that I have attended for over a decade. So much has changed over this time in tattooing, but the organizers keep to a solid formula that works:  well respected and experienced artists in a variety of genres, from tebori to blackwork; off-beat entertainment; quality vendors within the tattoo community; and good bartenders. That formula attracts collectors from around the world who come specifically for the convention.

From Stockholm to Staten Island, they arrive at the historic Roseland Ballroom on Harleys, in wheelchairs, on top of stilts, and in strollers. In various states of undress, they are on view before hordes of tattoo paparazzi. When not under the needle or vying for the next appointment, they push towards the stage to see acts like Natasha Veruschka, a six-time Guinness World Record holder, swallow 22-inch swords while shimmying.

And whether preening or gawking, attendees are interacting. Strangers become good friends, even if just for a few hours, and love connections are often made. For such a hard city, New York's convention is one of the world's friendliest tattoo shows.

Y'all proved that to me. I had put out on Facebook and Twitter that rewards would be bestowed upon those who come up to my Black & Grey book signing table and say, "Marisa, you are so much *taller* in person than I imagined." Mere Needles & Sins stickers and buttons cannot convey my ego's gratitude, dear readers (especially after so many years of hearing the opposite). You rock.

It especially rocked having a table next to Marvin and Doug Moskowitz who were signing copies of The Last of the Bowery Scab Merchants, a beautifully packaged, two audio CD set that holds the amazing stories of their father, Walter Moskowitz. At their table was also the legendary tattooist, anthropologist and author Mike McCabe, whose tattoo books line my shelves. It was an honor to be in such company.

During the tattoo competition (which seems to grow longer each year with full body work), I left our table by the stage to shmooze, shop [thank you, Father Panik!], and ensure my next tattoo appointment with Dan of Calypso Tattoo, who is shown below briefly trading personas with Brian.

You'd think in this time I'd manage a decent photo or even a Tweet, but I was too busy playing with ToTo and his balloon animals to come through. I'm sorry. Thankfully, Brian picked up my slack for Needles & Sins, and two of my favorite fellow tattoo bloggers also have convention coverage:  Check out Bill's photos and review on Tattoosday, and be on the look out for updates from Nathan of KnuckleTattoos.com.

I haven't found much on the show from mainstream media. NY1's video is the only one worth a quick look. I also did a Flickr search and found great shots by Veronica Ettman. Hit me up if you have video and photos you'd like to share.

I'll sign off today by sending much love to the new and old friends made at this convention. You make these events so much fun.

Still in recovery from the NYC Tattoo Convention, which took over the historic Roseland Ballroom this weekend and the better part of my liver. [I've gotten to know the bartenders well over the past ten years.] 

Brian and I managed to shoot a few photos, which you can check here on Flickr. They are the kind of photos you've come to expect from me--that is, pretty sucky--but you'll get an idea of what went down.

Here are my personal highlights of the show, in no particular order:

* I LOVED meeting Batso, formerly of Rescue Ink, shown above with his wife. [Yes, that's a tattoo of him on her back.] He told me that he, and a couple of other members, left the group because it became less about saving the animals and more about money with their reality show. He is just as passionate about animals as shown on TV, warm and very kind, but I would never want to get on his bad side. [He said that when he finds men who have tortured animals, he wants (has?) to torture them so they can know what it feels like). He continues to do animal rescue, work on his cars, and now he makes special soap that he says will keep us all looking as young as he does at 77 years old. Check his personal website here (although it doesn't seem to have been updated recently).

* Another great character I met was Richie Magic (best to turn your sound off if clicking). Richie is the world record holder for extinguishing 200 lit cigarettes in his mouth in 6 minutes and 37 seconds. Here he is on the right with his tribute tattoo, to himself. Richie is also a master magician, sideshow performer, and part of the Ripley's Believe it or Not family (often working with his wife of 25 years, Barbara; check them on The Marriage Ref show). Richie and Barbara were a lot of fun, and I may just follow his advice to one day become a target girl for knife throwers impalement arts practitioners.

* The tattooists all seemed to be working on interesting pieces.

* There were many of the under-ten set in attendance--most with temporary tattoos from a special kiddie booth.

* There were also less people getting drunk, although the ones who did, clearly made up for the rest. We salute you drunken girl with the super-sized fake breasts who kept yelling, "I can pay you in tits!" when given her bar tab.

* And of course, I loved meeting all of y'all who came over to the Father Panik booth, where I was held captive, and proved my theory that N+S readers are the smartest, hottest, beautifully tattooed, and most forgiving people on this planet. I kiss you.

Soccer moms and leather daddies, rockers and strollers, pin-ups and piercers, docs and jocks, and a tattooed lawyer or two ... the crowd at the NYC Tattoo Convention this weekend was as diverse and exciting as its Time Square locale.

See for yaself on our Flickr set.

I'm exhausted from the nonstop sensory overload, so I'm gonna just break this redux down to the show highlights:

• * All floors were packed but not jammed as usual, so it didn't take a half hour just to push your way to the bar. A plus. It's a safe bet to blame the economy for the diminished numbers. I heard a few people outside the show saying that they didn't want to pay the $18 cover.

• * Toilet Ink. A grown woman on roller skates dressed as a toilet is always a crowd-pleaser.

• * The old school icons working: Robert Benedetti, Greg James, Shanghai Kate, Jack Rudy, Bill & Juni Salmon.

• * New blackwork artists in attendance in addition to 9-year convention veterans Dan DiMattia and Alex Nardini, including Germany's Time Traveling Tattoo and Belgium's Hannya Tattoo.

• * French Avant Garde tattoo style representing: Art brut badass Noon was working the Tattoo Culture booth along with resident artists DC Wallin and Gene Coffey. Rumor is that Aussie tattoo hottie Jake will be extending his guest spot there ... permanently.

• * Beautifully decorated men in thongs.

• * The fabulous Boris Zalaszam graced NYC for the first time with his stunning realism and ornamental work.

• * Drunken debauchery.

• * And my shameless but effective promotion of this site.

I tried to make it to the convention party at Niagara bar last night, but after the Dionysian feast amongst almost forty tattooers and collectors at Churrascaria Plataforma, a massive meat coma set in and I dragged my butt back to Brooklyn.

Once again a draining but damn good time.