T-Shirts for Writers: Words Plus Paper

Charles Dickens T-Shirt

2010-06-22T15:53:00.004-05:00

We're not sure why it took so long to get around to doing a Charles Dickens shirt. Perhaps it's because some of his stories are a bit sentimental. Still, we loved "A Tale of Two Cities", especially the ending.

Whatever his flaws, Dickens drew an amazing portrait of his times and the working classes of Victorian England. His empathy with the poor stemmed from his own difficult upbringing. After his father was sent to debtor's prison, he was forced to work long hours at a shoe polish factory to pay for his room and board with a family friend. While there he met a boy, Bob Fagin, whose name he later immortalized in Oliver Twist. These early experiences led him to call for social reform and his funding of the Urania Cottage, a home for 'fallen women'.

Dickens enjoyed great success with the publication of his first novel, The Pickwick Papers. He remains among the best known English novelists and has never gone out of print. Bravo, we say.

Charles Dickens by words_plus_paper
Design custom t-shirts at zazzle

High Tech Chinese Internet T-shirt

2010-05-24T13:41:00.002-05:00

Here's a great design from Beijing Central. Even if you don't read Chinese, you can tell what this shirt says: I love the Internet. It has great graphics, too, of a satellite dish, a satellite, two laptops and right smack dab in the middle, a globe with China at the center.

We think it would be pretty hard to find a t-shirt more futuristic than this one. And it comes in a variety of colors, all decidedly monochromatic. Isn't choice a wonderful thing?

I Love the Internet by Beijing_Central
Design customized tshirts at zazzle.com

Supreme Court Humor

2010-01-29T15:49:00.006-06:00

Our sister store, Rising Tide Tees, has posted a couple of funny t-shirt designs at the expense of the Supreme Court. Inspired by the recent Citizen's United ruling granting "personhood" to corporations in the form of unlimited spending on candidate advertisements, these are sure to tickle your funny bone. If we didn't laugh, we'd have to cry.

Corporations by rising_tide_tees
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SCOTUS by rising_tide_tees
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Three by James Baldwin

2010-01-25T18:40:00.009-06:00

We've always admired James Baldwin's honest, compassionate writing, from Go Tell It on the Mountain to The Evidence of Things Not Seen. Raised in Harlem, he became a pentecostal preacher at age 14, but a few years later, he abandoned religion and moved to Greenwich Village. He attended The New School which proved to be an intellectual haven, and there he began writing short stories, essays and book reviews. He also began to come to terms with his homosexuality and quickly realized that America was not a welcoming place for either blacks or gays. At the tender age of 24, James Baldwin moved to France to live as an expatriate.

Now we've put three of our favorite quotes by him on t-shirts and other items. You can find these and more at our Zazzle store, Words Plus Paper. Feel free to drop by and browse!

Baldwin on God

Baldwin on History

Baldwin on Poverty

Baudelaire T-shirt Now Available

2010-01-01T02:10:00.005-06:00

Our first post of the new year (TGI2010) concerns the inimitable poet, Charles Baudelaire. An inspiration to Arthur Rimbaud and truly one of the first decadent writers, Baudelaire had an intense gaze that separates the artist from the average citizen. We also love his Frenchiness and his ability to help continue this French theme. Get your t-shirt now at our Words Plus Paper store and you'll never have to stare anyone down again. Your t-shirt can do it for you. Available in keychains and other items as well. Enjoy and happy new year!

Charles Baudelaire by words_plus_paper
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Jules Verne: Father of Science Fiction

2009-11-20T08:39:00.005-06:00

We're back from our extended vacation with this great new Jules Verne design. This is a continuation of our French writer theme begun back in June with Voltaire because we think France is really cool and we wish we lived there even if we don't speak the language. If it's good enough for David Sedaris, it's good enough for us.

Anyhoo, we've always loved Verne and science fiction in general, as long as it isn't too technical because then it is engineering fiction which is a specialized subset of science fiction. Verne had a great sense of adventure and although science fiction isn't about predicting the future, he did predict the internet, fax machines, and gasoline-powered automobiles. If you haven't read "Paris in the 20th Century", we urge you to do so. This is his lost manuscript that wasn't published until 1994. It's a fascinating read.

Jules Verne by words_plus_paper
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Vive le Voltaire T-Shirt

2009-06-29T14:05:00.006-05:00

It's been awhile since we last posted to the blog, but once you see our new Voltaire t-shirt, we think that you'll agree that it is worth the wait. As befits this French Enlightenment author, we're offering two different versions for this famous writer. You can have the design printed in black or white. On the dark t-shirts, the black design will print in both black and white.

Zazzle has a huge selection of t-shirts and other products so head on over to our store, Words Plus Paper, and customize something for yourself today.

Beijing Central's New Critter Line

2009-06-03T13:08:00.030-05:00

Words Plus Paper is proud to announce that our sister store, Beijing Central, not only has a new line of products featuring critters, but also won a Today's Best Award for the Pterodactyl design.

That is one of four new designs featuring cute critters with their matching Chinese characters. They also have Grasshopper, Cuttlefish and Big Red Ant. Head on over to their Zazzle-powered store to see all of these great designs and more!

Shakespeare T-shirt for Writers

2009-05-29T11:11:00.010-05:00

It's taken awhile, but we here at Words Plus Paper have finally created a Shakespeare t-shirt. As much of the Bard's life is undocumented and photography did not exist in Elizabethan England, we took some liberty in trying to produce a more handsome version of the great poet and playwright than the one seen in the Droeshout Engraving. We think Shakespeare would be pleased with the result.

So if you're a fan or you know someone who is, head over to our store at Zazzle and stock up now. This design is available on buttons, magnets, mugs and more fun stuff. To buy or not to buy, that is the question.

Edward Abbey Quote T-Shirts

2009-05-14T13:37:00.007-05:00

We loved Edward Abbey's novel "The Monkey Wrench Gang" and its somewhat zany cast of characters. We loved his non-fiction works such as "Desert Solitaire" and"Confessions of a Barbarian". Now we've designed a couple of t-shirts featuring quotes from this complex and gifted writer and conservationist. The hard part was choosing which quotes to use.

From his essay collection "A Journey Home", which is something of a sequel to "Desert Solitaire", we took the quote about unchecked growth being analogous to cancer cells. And on the lighter side, we have his humorous quote about dogs that any dog-lover will enjoy.

These designs and more can be found at our Zazzle store, Words Plus Paper. Stop by some time!

Rewriting History

2009-05-08T10:41:00.006-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks here at Words Plus Paper, but we've finally managed to not only get all of our designs transferred over to Zazzle, but also to rewrite all the links in this blog to point at Zazzle rather than Cafepress. Word of mouth advertising is the best, they say.

Today we will begin the process of shutting down our Cafepress stores. We have the Words Plus Paper premium shop and then 50 or so basic shops for designs that didn't fit in to our main store. The good news is that Zazzle doesn't charge for its galleries so we've split off our Chinese and science designs into their own stores. Links to these sister stores, Rising Tide Tees and Beijing Central, can be found in our sidebar.

Also, as promised, we now have writer t-shirts featuring Emily Dickinson and Ambrose Bierce. Stop by our new location on Zazzle and take a look. Thanks!

Emily Dickinson T-shirt

Ambrose Bierce T-shirt

Cafepress Slits Own Throat

2009-05-01T14:56:00.008-05:00

In a surprise announcement last week, Cafepress said they would restructure marketplace commissions so that designers would only receive 10% of the selling price. Prior to this designers were free to set their own mark-ups and many of them set theirs on the high side. Cafepress claims this move will provide a more uniform shopping experience for customers, but what they have actually done is lay off thousands of shopkeepers who depended on their Cafepress sales for a living or, at least, to make ends meet. Most of these people will not be able to collect unemployment even though they will lose a good deal of their income. Many may now have trouble making mortgage payments. Cafepress has said nothing to counter these claims and shows no concern for their so-called "partners".

We think Cafepress is either insane or on the verge of bankruptcy to institute such a change. This new pricing scheme reminds us of a wolf caught in a trap who will chew off his own foot to regain his freedom. Afterwards, of course, he is crippled and may not be able to survive. So, too, shall Cafepress be crippled and we predict they will be out of business within 1 year.

The changes do not go into effect until June 1st, but we have been hard at work setting up shop over at Zazzle which we now find to be a superior platform. We plan to have all of our designs transferred within a couple of weeks. And because Zazzle does not charge a fee for its galleries, we have split off our science and Chinese designs into their own stores.

On the day of the announcement, we had been uploading new Chinese character designs and, strangely enough,two of them speak quite directly to this current situation. So without further ado, here are our two latest from our new Zazzle store, Beijing Central.

Ignorance

Disaster

Three Thoreau Quotes T-shirts

2009-04-21T10:41:00.006-05:00

Just because we haven't updated the blog in over a week doesn't mean we haven't been busy. Here are three new designs featuring quotes by one of our all-time favorites, Henry David Thoreau. Get yours today at our Zazzle store, Words Plus Paper.

Thoreau on Tools

Thoreau on Writing

Thoreau on Conservation

Socrates T-shirt: Know Thyself

2009-04-11T19:05:00.010-05:00

When we were kids, we were big fans of Socrates. Why I could not tell you. Just accept it at face value. So designing a Socrates t-shirt was a natural for us.

The results are quite satisfactory. Although Socrates did not originate the phrase "Know thyself", he was known for saying it. And the great thing is it applies to everyone. Although the design shown here is purple, we also have a green version available in the science section of our Zazzle store, Rising Tide Tees. Enjoy!

Know Thyself

New Writer T-shirts: Shaw and Emerson

2009-04-09T11:42:00.011-05:00

As promised, we are now offering new designs featuring George Bernard Shaw and Ralph Waldo Emerson. These are available in the Famous Writer section of our Words Plus Paper Zazzle store.

George Bernard Shaw is, of course, the author of Pygmalion, Man and Superman, Saint Joan and many more fine plays. Although he used drama to expound on his socialist beliefs, he was ultimately frustrated by the public's tendency to enjoy them as comedies and ignore the underlying message. Imagine that. Still, he must have done something right because a new film of Pygmalion is currently in production.

George Bernard Shaw

Ralph Waldo Emerson was more of an orator than a writer, but we are still fond of his essays. He was a popular speaker in his day although he did get some flak for taking up the abolitionist cause. He was critical of Abraham Lincoln for waging civil war merely to hold the Union together. But after meeting with the President, he came to like and respect him. We all grow and change.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Two New Inspiring Writer T-shirts

2009-04-07T12:21:00.009-05:00

We've expanded the writer gear section of our store with these two new designs. The first is a humorous take on the "obey" designs that seem so popular these days. Ours features a picture of a book titled "Rules of Grammar" and the word 'Disobey' in large dramatic type. Fans of experimental writers such as William "cut 'n paste" Burroughs or J.G. "why i want to fuck ronald reagan" Ballard ought to get a kick out of this one.

Disobey

Second is a quote by Henry Miller from his 1964 volume on writing in which he says "Writing is its own reward". We lifted the hand graphic from our own store logo to create this cool writer's t-shirt.

Writing is Its Own Reward

Galileo T-shirt: 400 Years of Telescopy

2009-04-03T14:11:00.008-05:00

We here at Words Plus Paper like to celebrate anything that enhances one's view of the universe and humanity's place in it, be it the written word or a great scientific discovery. The telescope certainly qualifies as an invention that changed the way we view our world and ourselves.

Invented in 1608 but refined by Galileo Galilei in 1609 to make it truly useful, the telescope finally provided proof that the Earth does indeed revolve around the sun as Copernicus had claimed some 100 years earlier. Galileo promoted this idea with the world's first stargazing parties. For this, he was charged with heresy and placed under house arrest for what were to be the remaining eight years of his life.

The Catholic Church finally issued a formal apology to Galileo in 1992. A bit late, we think, but who are we to criticize the Catholic church? Words Plus Paper, that's who.

Now, to honor the 400th anniversary of this historic invention, we have designed a Galileo t-shirt. It features a portrait of the brave scientist in a circular logo and the word's "here's looking at you". We think Galileo might have liked it. Get yours at our Zazzle shop and join in the celebration.

Three New Quotes by Dorothy Parker

2009-04-01T20:19:00.011-05:00

Recently we redesigned our Dorothy Parker shirt so it could be printed on colored t-shirts. It was a lot of fun and the results look great. But then we realized we didn't have any Dorothy Parker quotations in our store.

Well, we've remedied that situation with the three quotes shown below. Head on over to our Zazzle store, Words Plus Paper, to get yours.

Parker on Beauty

Parker on Money

Parker on Sexuality

Two New Famous Writer T-shirts

2009-03-30T15:35:00.009-05:00

It's been awhile but we've finally come up with two new designs featuring famous writers. And we think you'll like them.

First up is Jane Austen. This author of 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Mansfield Park' and many more fine novels is well-loved throughout the western world. Who can forget their first encounter with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy? Janeites will go gaga for our Jane Austen t-shirt, now available on colored t-shirts. Get a matching mug or button at our Zazzle store.

The second design features the likeness of Anton Chekhov, and what a handsome fellow he was. Chekhov considered himself first to be a doctor although he earned little money from the profession and often treated poor people without charge, including paying for their drugs. Times have certainly changed, haven't they? We hope you like our Anton Chekhov t-shirt as much as we do.

More famous writer t-shirts are schuduled during the upcoming weeks including George Bernard Shaw, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson and Ambrose Bierce. Let us know if there is someone you would like to see.

Fun Warning T-shirt for Writers

2009-03-28T15:06:00.008-05:00

Have you ever been out with friends and someone gets a bit tipsy and starts spouting poetry? We have, and while it can be fun at first, too much drunken poetry may become an annoyance at some point.

That's why we here at Words Plus Paper created this new design for the writer gear section of our store. This is a spoof on the classic warning sign that reads 'prone to spout poetry when drunk'. Maybe you'll want to get a shirt or mug for yourself, or maybe you know someone for whom this would make the perfect gift.

We feel you really can't go wrong with this design. Have fun!

Two New Chinese Character Shirts

2009-03-25T17:51:00.009-05:00

Can anybody really have enough Chinese character t-shirts? We here at Words Plus Paper don't think so. So we've released a couple of new designs that we think are quite timely. Caution: You probably shouldn't wear these if you visit Mainland China.

The first shirt is for all of you folks who read Paul Krugman's column at the New York Times and are looking for a new New Deal. Usually, we don't like to be so political, but what the hey? It's fun! The shirt says in simplified Chinese characters: Keynesian economics makes sense to me. This makes a great gift for economists and history buffs alike.

Next up is a shirt with the phrase "Nobody knows I'm a communist". As an added touch, we put a couple of gold stars on this one, just like you might find on China's flag. We think that makes it extra classy.

And the great news is that both of these designs are also available on kid's clothes, totes bags and mugs. Visit our Zazzle store, Beijing Central, to get yours today.

Two Quotes by Henry Miller

2009-03-18T17:57:00.009-05:00

What better way to complement the quotes by Anais Nin than with a couple of quotes from Henry Miller! Not only did Nin finance the publication of his first novel, Tropic of Cancer, but she had a torrid affair with him as well.

These two quotes discuss chaos and peace, and though they were written some time ago, they shine a light on current conditions as all good writing does. Get your Henry Miller shirts at our Zazzle store, Words Plus Paper.

Miller on Chaos

Miller on Peace

Two Quotes by Anais Nin

2009-03-02T13:06:00.008-06:00

We here at Words Plus Paper apologize for the long delay in new designs. Suffice it to say that other projects have kept us busy, but now we're back on track with two new literary quotes by that famous diarist, Anais Nin.

Born in France of Cuban parents back in 1903, Anais Nin not only led an exciting life, but she wrote it all down and published it as well. Her writings chronicled her relationships with famous artists and writers that she knew. She also was one of the first women to write erotica.

The quotes that we are featuring talk about Nin's views on love and courage. We think they are powerful. Check them out our Zazzle store.

Nin on Abnormality

Nin on Courage

Lower Prices and New Science Design

2008-12-15T10:02:00.009-06:00

Greetings all! We've been too busy to post any blog entries lately, but we have redesigned our store to make navigation easier, and we've lowered all of our prices. We think this news is worth celebrating.

And if that wasn't enough, we've also created a new science-themed design. It features a picture of Charles Darwin and the phrase "Natural selection made me what I am today". Looks great on t-shirts and mugs. It's just in time for holiday gift-giving. So if you have a biologist or science-lover on your list, be sure to get them one.

This design and more are available at our Zazzle-powered sister store, Rising Tide Tees. Shop early!

Thrifty Holiday Shopping Guides

2008-10-27T20:45:00.009-05:00

Community-minded as we are, Words Plus Paper has recently put together several holiday shopping guides with the focus on thriftiness. This is not affiliate marketing but a public service that we are providing in the spirit of the holiday season with good will to all and malice toward none.

The guides are set up on Squidoo as lenses. Each one focuses on a particular type of person that you may need to shop for this year. And given the tough economic times we currently find ourselves in, we've kept most of the gifts in the $20 and under range. After all, you really can't buy happiness, but it's still nice to give something.

We've spent hours searching the web to compile these lists. So without futher ado, we present our Thrifty Holiday Shopping Guides. Be well and have fun!

Holiday Shopping Guide for Cynics

Holiday Shopping Guide for Monkey Lovers

Holiday Shopping Guide for Robot Lovers

Holiday Shopping Guide for Hippies

Holiday Shopping Guide for Dog Lovers

Note: In case anyone is wondering, that typical cynic/hippie is one of our favorite writers - George Bernard Shaw. We love that picture.

Chinese Character Comrade T-Shirt

2008-10-10T19:23:00.010-05:00

We conceived of our new Chinese character t-shirt a couple of weeks ago, but recent events have made it more timely than ever. While America has allowed it's manufacturing base to erode, turning itself into the largest debtor nation in the world, China has built up foreign currency reserves of $1.8 trillion. Now we're preparing for a "communistic" buy-up of bank equity. It may not be long before we're all calling each other "comrade".

And that's exactly what our new shirt says: "May I Call You Comrade?" Don't let the authentic, simplified Chinese characters fool you. This shirt was conceived and will be printed in the good ol' US of A. Go to our Zazzle-powered sister shop, Beijing Central, to get yours today!

May I Call You Comrade?

George Orwell T-shirts: New Quotes

2008-10-04T11:43:00.014-05:00

If we were forced at gunpoint to choose our very favorite writer of all-time, George Orwell might very well be it. We can't count the number of times we have read "1984", and we've also read just about everything else by him such as "Down and Out in Paris and London" and "The Road to Wigan Pier".

A little Orwell trivia: Did you know that George Orwell originally wanted "1984" to be titled "The Last Man in Europe"? Also, the year he had in mind was "1980". It took him four years to write that novel, so the date was changed to 1982 and then, finally, 1984. He died of tuberculosis in 1950, a year after it's publication.

George Orwell traveled widely in India and Europe. He fought in the Spanish Civil War and worked as a war correspondent during World War II. His politics changed during the course of his life. He was a communist early on, but with the rise of Stalin, he became a democratic socialist. He saw the best and the worst of humanity, and he was not afraid to write about it.

One of Orwell's characters in "1984" said: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever." We thought that was a little too depressing to put on a t-shirt, but we did find three other great quotes. These t-shirts make great gifts for writers, journalists and even anti-war activists. Head on over to our store, Words Plus Paper, at Zazzle, and get yours today!

Orwell on War

Orwell on Progress

Orwell on Political Language

New Peanuts T-Shirt for Writers!

2008-09-26T17:46:00.007-05:00

If you're like most writers, if you get paid for your writing at all, it isn't much. Writers are among the most notoriously underpaid workers in the world. That's why when all of those Hollywood writers went on strike, we cheered them on, even if they do make more money than us. We figured that what was good for one group of writers was good for all writers. Plus, how often do you get to see writers in the news?

Now we've come up with a design that should prove an inspiration for all poorly paid writers. It features a drawing of a couple of ground nuts with the words "Will Write for Peanuts". It's sure to get a laugh from people who know how broke you are.

Wear one of these goober t-shirts and people will know how much you love to write. Wear it to an interview for a job that involves writing and beat out the competition with your low rates. It is equally suitable for casual weekend wear and formal parties with Hollywood executives.

Get your "Will Write for Peanuts" shirt at our Zazzle store, Words Plus Paper, and let everyone know just how cheap you are!

Gertrude Stein T-Shirt

2008-09-22T09:44:00.008-05:00

Has there ever been a writer as cool as Gertrude Stein? We doubt it. That's why we decided to put her on a t-shirt. Not only was she friends with people like Picasso and Hemingway, but she also wrote her own "gay" stream-of-consciousness fiction before it was popular to do so. Actually, stream-of-consciousness fiction has never been "popular", but we're going to ignore that fact.

If you want to know more about Gertrude Stein, you can go to our Gertrude Stein Squidoo lens where we talk about her life and accomplishments. For instance, did you know that she and Alice B. Toklas volunteered during World War I to drive supplies to hospitals in France? Also, she attended Johns Hopkins medical school for 3 and half years and almost became a doctor.

No, we can't think of anyone more deserving of being on a t-shirt. Stop by our Zazzle store and you'll also find totebags, mugs, postcards and more Gertrude Stein products. They make great gifts for the writer in your life.

Gertrude Stein

Edgar Allan Poe T-shirt Now Available

2008-09-17T15:54:00.014-05:00

Edgar Allan Poe has always been our favorite writer when it comes to horror fiction. He was born in Boston in 1809. Tragically, his father abandoned him and his two siblings shortly before his mother died. This all happened before Poe had reached the age of two.

Young Edgar was taken in by John Allan, a tobacco merchant, who bestowed his middle name on him. Poe had a stormy relationship with his foster father. He attended the University of Virginia for a year and made good grades, but when his foster father did not send enough money to cover tuition and fees, Poe accumulated gambling debts and was soon forced to drop out.

Poe signed up for the army when he was 18 because it was the only way he could support himself. Two years later, he went to West Point, but not finding military life to his liking, he purposely had himself court-martialed for "gross neglect of duty" and ended his career early.

Shortly after leaving the military in 1831, Poe published his third book of poems. None of them sold very well. He took a position as an editor, a job which he was to continue throughout his life, although mostly in short stints for different magazines.

Throughout his career, Poe was better known for his literary criticism than his own creative efforts, although he did achieve some fame when his poem "The Raven" was published in 1845. Unfortunately, this success was followed by death of his wife and the failure of the magazine he was currently editing.

Poe died in 1849 of unknown causes. He was found unconscious in the streets of Baltimore and taken to the hospital, but he never recovered. It is said that the smallest amounts of alcohol could change his personality and lead to erratic behaviour. After his wife's death, he may have turned to alcohol more than would be thought prudent. We will never know.

The good news is we finished our Edgar Allan Poe t-shirt just in time for Halloween. Now you can wear your favorite writer of the macabre.

New Oscar Wilde T-Shirt

2008-09-14T14:06:00.010-05:00

We first became acquainted with Oscar Wilde in high school when the theater department put on a production of "The Importance of Being Earnest". This is a very witty play that commented on the hypocritical morality of the Victorian era. It premiered in London in 1895 and proved to be the beginning of the end for Oscar Wilde. Although it was a huge hit with audiences, it only ran for 83 performances because Wilde was soon involved in a public scandal concerning his homosexuality. He was convicted on charges of "gross indecency" and sentenced to two years of hard labor.

Oscar Wilde didn't write anymore plays although he did write "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" about his prison experience. After he was released in 1897, he moved to Paris where he spent his last few years before dying of cerebral meningitis in 1900.

We think of Oscar Wilde as a real non-conformist. He was not afraid to be true to himself in a time which had very oppressive views on behavior. And for that, we salute him.

Below is the design for our Oscar Wilde t-shirt. Head over to our Zazzle store, and you will also find a couple of humorous quotes by Oscar Wilde in our Literary Quotes section. Enjoy!

Does This Shirt Make Me Look Chinese?

2008-09-11T13:35:00.010-05:00

We're very proud of our new Chinese character t-shirt design. There's not a lot to it, really. It reads right to left in simplified Chinese: "Does This Shirt Make Me Look Chinese?" Well, sometimes less is more.

We think this a nice shirt to wear because people who can read Chinese will think it's funny, and people who can't read Chinese will just think it looks cool. Where ever you wear it, it's sure to get questions.

This Chinese character t-shirt is now available in our Zazzle shop, Beijing Central. We've already ordered several for ourselves.

Environmental T-Shirts: Cool It Down! and Scooters!

2008-09-09T13:11:00.012-05:00

We here at Words Plus Paper like to read novels and short stories, but sometimes we like to toss a little non-fiction into the mix as well. Just recently we finished reading "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson. It's been on our list for years.

We're sure many of you have heard of this book, even if you haven't read it yourselves. First published in 1962, it spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was serialized in The New Yorker magazine. This book called environmental issues to public attention and led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. Critics claim that Rachel Carson was a lunatic advocating the banning of pesticides, but this book's lasting influence is due to her calm and reasonable approach of using scientific technology responsibly. Per Carson, “man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself…”.

Rachel Carson did not specifically address global warming, but when we decided to design an environmental t-shirt, that was the first subject that popped into our minds. The second thing we thought of was a line from an old Velvet Underground song: cool it down. We doubt that Lou Reed was pondering the Gaia hypothesis while penning those lyrics, but we decided to use it anyway. You can see the result below.

Like everyone else, we've also been hit hard in the pocketbook by rising gas prices. More and more, we've been seeing people around town on scooters. They certainly look gas-efficient, so we thought we'd pay homage to these fun little machines. And thus, our second shirt: I Love My Scooter.

These designs and more are available at our Zazzle-powered sister store, Rising Tide Tees. Stop by today and say hello!

Lit Star T-shirt Now Available

2008-09-07T01:03:00.014-05:00

Well, I guess we just got tired of seeing that phrase "rockstar" everywhere. Or maybe we're just jealous because none of us can play guitar (or even drums) very well, although some of us do have experience with power chords.

Anyhoo, we were kind of wondering what it would be like if writers were as revered as rock stars. And okay, there's a few and one of them we actually admire. Yes, J.K. Rowling. We've read all the Potter books. But let's face it, most bestsellers are real trash. We don't want to name names, but James Patterson and Dan Brown come to mind.

Still, in the face of extreme adversity, we decided to go ahead and design a t-shirt that treats the budding writer like a rock star. We've called this new design "Lit Star" and we think that pretty much sums it up. This t-shirt design is particularly cool because it's done in faded colors with a distressed, vintage look. If you're not a writer yourself, then get one for the aspiring novelist in your life. We know that everybody knows someone who dreams of being an author.

Mark Twain T-shirt Just Added

2008-09-04T21:21:00.016-05:00

Our new Mark Twain t-shirt is now in our Zazzle store. Twain, the pseudonym for Samuel Clemens, was one of America's truly great writers. Born in Florida, Missouri in 1835 and raised in Hannibal, he worked as a typesetter and a printer while educating himself in public libraries in the evening. He also worked as a steamboat captain, a very lucrative job, for a couple of years before the Civil War broke out and he headed west.

Although he started out writing mostly travelogues and humor, his most famous work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, took a darker twist, commenting on the hypocrisies of American life. Huck is often faced with choices between doing what he thinks is right and what society thinks is right. When wondering if he should turn in his friend, Jim, a runaway slave, he thinks long and hard before deciding not to do it. "All right, then, I'll go to hell", he says to himself. This phrase is the basis of our Huck Finn shirt.

We hope you like them as much as we do.

More Famous Writers and a Store

2008-09-01T20:01:00.020-05:00

This week has been very busy as we've been setting up our new store on Zazzle. The name of the store is, of course, Words Plus Paper. Now, we will no longer have to link to items individually. You can go into the store and browse all of our designs, including the ones that never make it on the blog.

We will also start updating the blog more frequently but with only 1 or 2 featured designs at a time. This will allow us to look more closely at the inspiration behind our favorite designs.

This week, however, we do have four new writer t-shirts. First is Henry David Thoreau, the bad boy of Walden. Have we mentioned before how much we love his essay "Civil Disobedience". Supposedly Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi were both inspired by his writing.

Next is Fyodor Dostoevsky. You must have known we were Crime and Punishment fans because we featured the Raskolnikov for President bumper sticker in a previous blog entry. Well, we still are. The Brothers Karamazov is on our reading list.

We also have a Charlotte Bronte t-shirt. She created the memorable character Jane Eyre, a strong, moral, and independent woman, in a time not known for independent women. This semi-autobiographical novel is still considered to be one of England's finest.

And finally, we've done a Jack London t-shirt. Sometimes he's passed off as too commercial, but his short stories are a fine example of the art. All of his works are available on the internet at jacklondons.net. Read "To Build a Fire" again, if you haven't already.

We hope you enjoy the new designs. Feel free to stop by the store. Thanks!

T-Shirt Designs with Famous Writers

2008-08-22T14:06:00.021-05:00

We'd like to begin this week's post by wishing a happy birthday to Dorothy Parker. This witty writer and poet was born on August 22nd, 1893. She's best remembered for such phrases as "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy" and "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force". Any writer who made the Hollywood black list is A-okay in our book. So happy birthday, Dorothy. We've designed a t-shirt in your honor.

We've also designed a new George Orwell t-shirt which we think is quite striking. It has clean simple lines and a bold typeface befitting the author of "1984". We hope you like it.

And no, we're not afraid of Virginia Woolf, but we are a little bit intimidated. Did you see Nicole Kidman playing her in "The Hours" with the putty on her nose? What a great performance. We're not sure that our t-shirt does Ms. Woolf justice, but we'll let you be the judge.

Lastly, we have a new Franz Kafka t-shirt. Franz worked hard at an insurance company by day and did his writing at night. Perhaps that is why it is so dark. Most of his work was published posthumously. We just wanted to let him know that he hasn't been forgotten.

As always, click on the picture to see a larger version. Click on the link to go directly to our Zazzle shop.

See Parker T-Shirt

See Orwell T-Shirt

See Woolf T-Shirt

See Kafka T-Shirt

Salute to Science

2008-08-09T00:31:00.018-05:00

We here at Words Plus Paper have always felt that science and art are more alike than they are different. Indeed, some of our favorite historical figures are scientists such as Darwin, Faraday, Einstein, Newton, Aristotle, Turing... we could go on and on.

We have a great respect for these pioneers who proposed new ideas about reality. It's not difficult to understand Bohr's theory of atomic structure, but we never would have thought of it ourselves. On the other hand, we read Brian Greene's "The Fabric of the Cosmos" and we're not sure that we want to delve any deeper into string theory because that stuff is just really weird.

Still, this week we have decided to salute these heroic figures with a series of science-themed t-shirts, great for geeks, nerds and the educated layman. In particular, we're paying homage to the fields of astronomy, archaeology, biochemistry and physics.

We hope you enjoy these designs. Click on the picture for a larger version. Click on the name to link directly to our Zazzle-powered sister shop, Rising Tide Tees.

See Milky Way Shirt

See Trilobites Rock Shirt

Funny Chinese Character Shirts

2008-08-03T23:58:00.020-05:00

After years of procrastinating, we finally learned how to type Chinese characters on our computer. We don't know why we didn't do it sooner, although, admittedly, it's a pretty simple process these days. Take a look at our Squidoo lens if you want to find out how to do it.

Below are a couple of our first efforts. These are some phrases that we thought would like good written in Chinese. They're a little offbeat which is the way we like it.

Click on the picture for a larger version. You can find these and other great designs at our Zazzle shop, Beijing Central.

See Drink More Green Tea Shirt

See I Can Fly Shirt

Happy Birthday, George Bernard Shaw!

2008-07-26T19:47:00.022-05:00

George Bernard Shaw, dramatist and ardent socialist, would be celebrating his birthday today, July 26th, except that he's no longer with us. That's probably for the best, because if he was still alive he'd be 152 years old. As it was he had a long, productive, and we'll assume, happy life, lasting 94 years which is longer than most of us can hope to live.

Nevertheless, we've decided to wish him a happy birthday anyway. Why? Is it because we're big fans of the musical My Fair Lady which was based on his play Pygmalion? Is it because one of us was once cast as Don Juan in a production of "Don Juan in Hell"? Is it because he is the only person ever to have won both a Nobel Prize and an Oscar? If you answered 'All of the Above', you would be correct.

To celebrate, we've designed four t-shirts featuring some of our favorite Shavian quotes. We thought these quotes would look good on the small set, too, so we've included sizes for kids, toddlers and infants. The bibs look particularly nice. Click on the picture to see a larger illustration. Click on the link to go directly to our Zazzle shop, Words Plus Paper. Happy birthday, George!

Addendum: we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to Mick Jagger.

See Shaw on Hatred Shirt

See Shaw on Cynicism Shirt

See Shaw on Intelligence Shirt

See Shaw on Art Shirt

Satirists on Politics

2008-07-13T23:38:00.028-05:00

During this election season, it's always fun to take a step back and reflect on what politics means to us. We have lots of thoughts on the subject, but they seem to be alternately bitter or depressing. So rather than use our own, we decided to raid the minds of political satirists and put their quotes on t-shirts.

Okay, so Robert McCloskey, author of Make Way for Ducklings, doesn't qualify as a political satirist. Still, we love the quote by him, first seen on a poster featuring one Richard M. Nixon.

Ambrose Bierce and Will Rogers both wrote newspaper columns. Bierce was the more biting of the two, often stirring up controversy. This definition of politics comes from "The Devil's Dictionary".

Will Rogers is best known for saying "I never met a man I didn't like." Obviously, he never met Dick Cheney, but judging by our quote, he might have met George W. Bush.

Voltaire needs no introduction, but we'll give him one anyway. He was very outspoken in his day, and spent time in prison for it. His ideas influenced leaders of the American revolution and perhaps helped bring about the modern nation-state, so that years later Mark Twain could say "We have the best government that money can buy." We didn't put Twain's quote on a shirt because it was too depressing, and Voltaire's quote isn't exactly funny, but we think it's true. Vive le truth!

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Click on the link to go directly to our Zazzle shop.

See McCloskey Shirt

See Bierce Shirt

See Rogers Shirt

See Voltaire Shirt

Witty T-Shirts for Writers

2008-06-30T10:57:00.050-05:00

Words Plus Paper is pleased to announce a new line of t-shirts and gifts featuring great writers, thinkers and artists from the past. We're starting with four designs but will be adding more continually so check back often.

These first three designs feature some of our all-time favorite authors: Oscar Wilde, Henry David Thoreau and George Orwell. If there's something you'd to like to see, let us know. As writers ourselves, we're well aware of the value of criticism. To see a larger image, just click on the pictures. To see the t-shirts, click on the link and it will take you to our Zazzle shop. Thanks for looking!

From the "Civil Disobedience" essay, here's the full quote: "The greater part of what my neighbors call good, I believe in my soul to be bad. And if I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?"
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George Orwell, the pen name for Eric Arthur Blair, was a great novelist and thinker. Isn't it time you reread 1984? First published in 1949, it's still relevant after all these years.
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Oscar Wilde was perhaps one of the wittiest people who ever lived. He was part of the Aesthetic Movement whose members strove to turn their lives into art.
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