Ok. Pardon the dumb question but I really want to know . . .

[Lachryma]

What do you do at a pen club meeting?  

 

I got my beautiful, perfect pen about 10 yrs ago or more.  All I know about fountain pens was the one I had and the plain black ink I put in it. I visited here a few times over the yrs to ask questions or whatever but that's really it.  

 

When my lovely pen (tragically) broke a cpl of yrs ago, I started looking for a replacement. It was then that I realized there there was a whole hobby (dare I say subculture!) for fp/ink/paper enthusiasts. I don't know why, it just never really occurred to me.  Or if it did, I forgot.

 

Well, now looking for a pen, I now and then see mention of a pen club.  SBRE Brown and others sometimes mention such in their vids and I obviously see the forum here.

 

I remember someone once said that the sample she was reviewing had been given her at a club mtg.

 

But . . . Surely there's more.

 

What do you do at a fp club mtg?

 

 

[Paul-in-SF]

Comically, before I went to my first one I thought they would be some sort of semi-formal meeting with an agenda and maybe even the occasional presentation. That ain't it, at least not in the one I have been to.

 

There is a lot of free-flowing discussion among anywhere from two to several people at a time, so if there are more than a few people there will be more than one conversation. There is some circulating of individuals from one conversation to another. There are people who talk a lot, and people who mostly listen.  There is a lot of showing and telling about pens, new acquisitions or otherwise. There is a lot of story telling about events in the pen and ink world, questions about specific pens or inks or brands. The group I have attended had one guy (who also posts here) who would come in and set up a sort of trouble-shooting station where he would look at and sometimes work on problem pens that people brought in (I put that in the past tense because there has only been one in-person meeting post-Covid and he wasn't there; I assume he will be back though). There is a start and end time, but people come when they can, and leave early if they need or want to. 

 

I think that's a pretty fair descriptions of the meetups of the one pen group that I have been to. Other groups may be very different. 

[PAKMAN]

Our pen club meetings are a get together to eat and talk. We have a brief meeting talking about the next pen show we are putting on and how our finances look. We share our latest pen purchases and have ink swaps. Sometimes we get folks to give a report on other pen shows they have attended. 

[Misfit]

We meet (looking forward to doing this again) outside of The Pen Place inside Crown Center.  This lets people browse the store, maybe buy something. 
 

We talk in groups, like Paul-in-SF mentioned. Every once in awhile, there will be new members, and then we go around saying our names and whatever else you want go say. 
 

Someone might bring a collection, and talk about it a bit. Otherwise it’s trying each other’s pens, learn about a new notebook someone has. Someone might be giving away ink samples. Enjoying the camaraderie of people who like pens, inks and paper as much as you do. 

[inkstainedruth]

Yeah, that's pretty much like what my local club is like.  

At the Steel City Nibs meeting last week, there were several new people.  Someone had brought some samples and some notebooks to give away, and one of the new people, who was sitting next to me (we were in the back room of one of the local Panera Bread locations, with the tables all pushed together) had snagged a sample of Noodler's El Lawrence and was trying to figure out the color.  And I said "Oh, I have that in a pen at the moment -- here!"  

Another new guy has apparently been doing some pen turning and was showing off some of the stuff he's made, so the people who have been doing turning themselves were comparing experiences with various blanks I think (but that was at the other end of the table).  And someone else was letting people get samples of some of the Birmingham inks she had brought with her.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Sinistral1]

My local pen club does have an agenda and a new topic at each meeting.  They have been meeting monthly for over 35 years and we have several original members.  Someone brings finger foods and after the presentation we go around and see each others new pens, ink, notebooks, etc.  Right now one of our members is working on making those of us who want one a bespoke pen with a silver overlay.  Covid took one of our better members, Frank Cresconi.

[Parker51]

We have monthly meetings, typically the second Sunday of the month, unless it is a Holiday or when there is a Pen Show that someone might be attending. If this is the case we will move the meeting up or back depending on what the consensus is.

Currently we are meeting outside at a park that has shelters available. Typically we meet at libraries. The locations change based on a combination of balancing locations (I actually have taken a map to help plan this occasionally and did a poll once of people’s zip codes) and availability of preferred locations by consensus.

 

We do have topics for each meeting which vary a lot, first however we go over plans for the future that are in progress. This is important as we have in the past had a table and our local pen show that required planning, we have designed and commissioned four different limited edition inks from Straights Inks of Singapore which took several steps and meetings mixing inks and coming up with names. And we commissioned a limited edition fountain pen from Edison Pens of Milan, Ohio which also took several meetings to plan as we chose materials, pen designs and imprints.

 

After talking about anything in progress we talk about possible future ideas and figure out what we want to do. 
 

Then it’s on to the meeting’s topic. Topics have included people presenting some of their collections, what they got at pen shows, special interests such as pen making, nib adjustment, calligraphy, journal making, self publishing, inks, paper, carry bags and of course pens. Sometimes a meetings topic is organized around a theme such as a color, a country, a style, a season, or whatever we think of. We then typically come up with a theme for the next meeting unless we already have something planned. Also, we have visited Edison Pens where we had a wonderful tour and a pen was made which one of our members purchased. And we made pens at one members workshop as a service project to give some pens (hand made ballpoints) to some deserving people.

 

We also share pens, paper and ink, talk about them and allow other members to see and try what they don’t have and which they otherwise can’t without obtaining it themselves. 
 

As example, our last meeting was at a Metro Park, on a Sunday early afternoon. We shared “hot pens”, with each person interpreting what that meant to them. I brought what I got at the Triangle Pen Show. Others brought pens that were hot to them, some based on color, some based on other characteristics. We talked about the upcoming Ohio Pen Show and our plans for it. We also reviewed progress on getting a Bank Account as we have recently gotten a bit more formal with chairs and a written charter which we all signed off on. 
 

Typically we don’t have food or drink. Meetings are two hours or so. Times change from mid afternoon to early depending on need. We have no dues. We are open to all who are in Central Ohio and are interested in writing instruments as a hobby (primarily fountain pens, but some dip pens, some pencils and yes an occasional roller ball or ballpoint are discussed).
 

Our members vary by age. Typically there are some children in attendance, but not since the pandemic. Few are teenagers, but we have a good representation of most other ages. Other characteristics are also highly varied, typical of Central Ohio. 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Quote

Pardon the dumb question . . .

As my high school woodshop teacher put it, the only dumb question is the one that doesn't get asked.

[Carguy]

On 7/26/2021 at 12:53 AM, PAKMAN said:

Our pen club meetings are a get together to eat and talk. We have a brief meeting talking about the next pen show we are putting on and how our finances look. We share our latest pen purchases and have ink swaps. Sometimes we get folks to give a report on other pen shows they have attended. 

I miss pen club meetings immensely and the Little Rock one was my first and absolute best experience with a pen club. I don’t have one where I live now, and in my previous city, they had one, but no one was interested in vintage pens - all modern and handwriting, which bored me to tears!

[hbquikcomjamesl]

17 hours ago, Carguy said:

but no one was interested in vintage pens - all modern and handwriting, which bored me to tears!

I've been to a few Printing Museum presentations that had that effect on me.

[Shrimpkin1]

If you're ever in the NYC area, check out the Big Apple Pen Club! We've been virtual, but in "normal" times get together in person monthly the 2nd Thursday evening of each month. It's a great mix of people with widely different interests including modern, vintage, ink, etc. We've had pen makers, collectors, artists, YouTubers, newbies, not-so-newbies--you name it!

[Carguy]

Just now, Shrimpkin1 said:

If you're ever in the NYC area, check out the Big Apple Pen Club! We've been virtual, but in "normal" times get together in person monthly the 2nd Thursday evening of each month. It's a great mix of people with widely different interests including modern, vintage, ink, etc. We've had pen makers, collectors, artists, YouTubers, newbies, not-so-newbies--you name it!

I have every intention of making it back to NYC sooner or later. I’ll try to plan my trip around that date as it would be fun to join you.

[Lachryma]

On 7/25/2021 at 12:55 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

Comically, before I went to my first one I thought they would be some sort of semi-formal meeting with an agenda and maybe even the occasional presentation.

That's kind of what I was thinking . . . An agenda, et c.  Good to know.

[Lachryma]

.

[goodpens]

Lots of show and tell, of all sorts. Inks. Papers. Pens. Nibmeisters showing the types of grinds they do. People showing new purchases. People showing accessories—notebooks, cases, etc. 
 

Lots of generous sharing. Swapping ink samples. Sharing information about how to track down sales, particular items, etc. 

 

Planning and/or recap of local pen shows. 
 

Food and drink. 
 

Interesting connections. I recently overheard one engaged member of the group asking another member, a photographer, if he’d photograph the upcoming wedding. 
 

NOT politics or crankiness. In my experience, everyone there is excited to share their interest in a fun, creative, relaxing, stress-free hobby. All of that comes through at the meetings—and makes them really enjoyable. And people are super welcoming, eager to share and to see what interests you, whether you’re a newbie with your first Jinhao shark or a seasoned collector with big investments in your pens. 
 

 

[Parker51]

10 hours ago, Lachryma said:

That's kind of what I was thinking . . . An agenda, et c.  Good to know.

We have an agenda, but nothing printed up.

Most of the people in our club have school or work experience which lends itself to politeness, turn taking and staying on focus and our regional culture is fairly ordered and self controlled, so much so it has caused some from other places to question why certain aspects of this have manipulated themselves in the social and physical environment. This is visible is our street patterns as they fit together based on planning and cooperation.

 

[Shrimpkin1]

On 8/6/2021 at 5:18 PM, Carguy said:

I have every intention of making it back to NYC sooner or later. I’ll try to plan my trip around that date as it would be fun to join you.

That would be fantastic--it's a great group!