Dear Cleveland fountain pen enthusiasts,

Thanks for a great meeting on April 26! We enjoyed attendance of over 20 and shared outstanding discussion on our pens, inks and paper. Interestingly, I noticed both modern and vintage pens in more or less equal numbers. I’ll outline some of the highlights of the meeting here, but that said, everyone’s presence and conversation and friendship made the meeting a real joy.

Joseph, a brand-new member, generously brought in a giveaway on his very first visit! He contributed a pen cleaning and tuning kit donated by Fountain Pen Revolution. Our thanks to Joseph and to Kevin from Fountain Pen Revolution for that gift, and congratulations to Jonathan on winning it! I bet everyone has Platinum pens and inks on their minds now. 😁 Also, David brought in an interesting display of Pilot nibs and shared information from nib expert Richard Binder on general nib design and function.

I hope and trust everyone enjoyed the afternoon. I’m interested in feedback from all attendees on our meetings. What works well? Where could we improve? Please let me know!

One topic of discussion was the Ohio Pen Show, typically scheduled for the last weekend in October in Columbus. It is unfortunately not in the works this year, although there are hopes that it may be rescheduled to another date. The show is one of the highlights of autumn for me, so if I get any news about it, I will certainly update you all. For what it’s worth, the show website is www.theohiopenshow.com. I did have a very happy dream last night that I was at the show and discovered Galen Leather’s table there, so I will take that as a good sign! Fingers crossed—I hope we get some good news. At the very least, we have our own pen club meetups, Fountain Pen Day on the first Friday of November, and the Pelikan Hub in the fall, date and time TBA.

The next meeting of the Cleveland Pen Club will be on July 26, 2026, at 1:30PM – 3:30PM at the Cuyahoga County Public Library, Independence Branch, 6361 Selig Dr, Independence, OH 44131. We meet quarterly on the fourth Sundays in January, April, July and October. Please join us if you can, and invite any locals you know who are interested in the fountain pen hobby.

Before I close, I’ll share a few useful resources.

Felted pen trays: https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKFXTRAY.html?button=product_image

Great learning for those new to the hobby: https://youtu.be/so_Uxrk71aA?si=X9SwkkjbrOkaQVcs

Lint-free, drama-free paper towels for cleaning or inking pens: https://a.co/d/0gOpIfEN

Last, a quote I found online, credited to Jamil Zaki: Artificial intelligence has already allowed us to become cognitively sedentary, and that will only increase over time. But just as we must be responsible for our bodies in an era of office work, we must now keep our minds active. Writing is a gymnasium for human thought we need now more than ever.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas to share in advance of the next meeting, please reach out. Otherwise, enjoy your pens, inks and paper, and spread the word about our club! I look forward to our next gathering.

–Michelle