Hello Cleveland Pen Club enthusiasts,

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the holiday season. Thank you to all those who responded to the Google form about our first pen club meeting. Based on the responses I got, I selected a central location and reserved it. Our inaugural Cleveland Pen Club meeting will take place on Sunday, January 26, 2025 in the meeting room at the Independence Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library from 1:15 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. (On Sundays the library doesn’t open until 1:00 p.m., so 1:15 p.m. was the first slot they offered.) The library, which I visited, is located at 6361 Selig Drive in Independence. There is plenty of parking and the meeting room is spacious. The lighting is probably fine, but I will bring my rechargeable desk lamps just in case and I encourage everyone who owns one to do the same. There are electrical outlets along the walls—if you want to bring lamps that need to be plugged in, extension cords may prove very helpful.

If this meeting time and venue seem convenient going forward, I will reserve the room again in the same time slot on the fourth Sundays in April, July, and October so that we are meeting quarterly. Attendance or a commitment to attend will not be mandatory.

I have gathered quite a few different ideas we can consider for meeting activities down the road, but the first one will be very low-key. Bring pens and inks you want to show off. If you wish, bring ink to swatch, swap or give away. Bring your favorite writing paper. I look forward to sharing our love of fountain pens and getting to know everyone a little. By the way, please invite anyone else you talk with who is interested!

This is an excerpt from the Cuyahoga County Public Library system Rules for Use, just so everyone is aware: “Meeting Room attendees must follow the Library’s Code of Conduct. Meetings must be conducted so as not to disturb others. Young children accompanying adult users of the meeting room shall not be left unattended in the library. Advertising or selling products or services is strictly prohibited in library meeting rooms. Groups may serve refreshments. Each group is responsible for their own clean up. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted on Library premises.” Frankly, my takeaway from this is that we can bring food! Feel free to bring a snack to share if you wish.

Finally, in the last section of the Google form, in the “additional comments” section at the end, at least two kind souls offered help with planning and logistics. Google, however, failed to let me know who left those comments. If it was you, and you are still willing to help, please contact me directly—I would love to include you!

Feel free to get in touch with any questions. I hope everyone has wonderful holidays and a strong start to the new year, and I look forward to our meeting next month.

–Michelle