The memoir consists of a collection of essays, not all of which are in chronological order. The book appeared on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list in August 2022. The book goes on to explore his early adulthood, including his move to San Francisco, his work as a bartender, pornography actor, and volunteering for a missionary group, Free Burma Rangers, in Thailand and Myanmar.

He writes about his use of drugs and alcohol from an early age, his time at Cushing Academy and later George Washington University, from which he graduated in 2005. Michigan Quarterly Review described Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them (2014) as 'a strikingly illustrated, curated showcase of tattoos,' whose backstories 'detail heartrending tragedies, funny accidents, and all manner of circumstances in between.' įitzgerald and MacNaughton published a sequel in 2016, Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos.įitzgerald's memoir, Dirtbag, Massachusetts, describes his tumultuous upbringing in the small town of Athol, in western Massachusetts. The books describe the stories behind people's tattoos, collected and edited by Fitzgerald, with MacNaughton drawing illustrations of these tattoos.

Pen & Ink and Knives & Ink įitzgerald has published two books about tattoos, both of which he co-wrote with the illustrator Wendy MacNaughton. Fitzgerald is based in Brooklyn, New York. In 2013, he became the first book editor at BuzzFeed, where he also hosted a live morning show, 'AM to DM,' with writer and poet Saeed Jones.įitzgerald is also the author of the children's book How to Be a Pirate.

After four years at The Rumpus, he moved to publishing house McSweeney's to be the director of publicity. There he published essays by writers such as Roxane Gay and Cheryl Strayed. He joined The Rumpus, a literary magazine, as the first employee in 2009, 10 months after Stephen Elliott founded the publication. Fitzgerald is a frequent guest on The Today Show where he shares book recommendations. He was born in Boston but spent much of his childhood in Athol, Massachusetts. Isaac Fitzgerald is an American writer and author, best known for his 2022 memoir Dirtbag, Massachusetts.

Isaac fitzgerald dirtbag