"Fountain pens teach mindfulness and appreciation for things that endure, a reaction to today’s throwaway culture."
"Fountain pens teach mindfulness and appreciation for things that endure, a reaction to today’s throwaway culture."
I suppose it’s because I am a writer that I am enamored of writing instruments, particularly fountain pens and ink, and the older, the better.
My favorite vintage pen is the Sheaffer Balance from the 1930s, with the gold nib and round and smooth barrel made of celluloid. The lever fill sacs are a pain to maintain, but that was state-of-the-art back then. It is an extension of my hand, and fits perfectly in it.
Ink is another sweet indulgence, because nowadays it comes in so many colors and effects—sheening, shimmering (they mean different things in ink lingo). Unlike conventional ballpoints or signpens, fountain pens can be filled with the ink color of your choice.
In the long run, they are better for the environment because they are used again and again. With care, a good fountain pen can last a lifetime.
For these and other reasons, there has been a resurgence of interest in fountain pens and ink and there are a great many to choose from nowadays, both vintage and new, even in this time when digital rules. Some say the interest in pens is a reaction to our high tech environments.
Pens are ‘slow’ writers—one must pause before using them to check the nib and ink level, perhaps take some minutes to refill, a few seconds to test-write and get them going again. Like slow food, they invite an engagement of the senses, a deliberate interaction between brain, hand, and pen.
They teach mindfulness and appreciation for things that endure, a reaction to today’s throwaway culture, and provide the sheer enjoyment of using an artifact that’s decades old and perhaps pre-loved, or one that owes its design to the past.
Ten years ago I obeyed the call of novelist and retired University of the Philippines professor Jose ‘Butch’ Y. Dalisay Jr. to join a fountain pen group he set up to gather like-minded people together. That founding meeting was held at his home and there were just a handful of people there, perhaps less than 20.
Today that group, now called ‘Fountain Pen Network-Philippines,’ has over 8,700 members on its Facebook page while hundreds meet up regularly to discuss pens. The penmeets that used to fit around a restaurant table now take place in different cities with many different people. And to slake the thirst of the collector (which is practically all of us pen folk), businesses have sprung up to bring in the latest models and accouterments from here and abroad.
The first Manila Pen Show was a one-day event held last year to celebrate the group’s 10th anniversary. This year, it’s a two-day event, set for Nov. 16 to 17 at the Holiday Inn and Suites Makati, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Instead of an entrance fee, raffle tickets will be issued in exchange for donations to charity, the same as last year.
Pen shows—you can think of them as ‘cons’—are done annually in many cities around the world, the most prominent perhaps being the DC Supershow in Washington, DC. There are also pen shows in other U.S. cities, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
At the 2nd Manila Pen Show, expect to find vintage and modern pens for sale, as well as fountain pen inks, paper products, and accessories. The participating international retailers include Aesthetic Bay (Singapore), Atelier Musubi (Singapore), Newton Pens (USA), Pengallery (Malaysia), Pierre Cardin (Hong Kong), Regalia Writing Labs (USA), and Straits Pen (Singapore).
Local retailers and brands represented at the pen show include Calibre and Friends, Cross Pens, Everything Calligraphy, Faber-Castell, Gav ‘n Sav, Guia’s Vintage Pens, Inks by Vinta, Kasama Pens, Lamy, National Bookstore/Noteworthy, Pengrafik, Peter Bangayan, Scribe, Shibui, and Troublemaker Inks.
If you own old or non-functional fountain pens, you can have them repaired at the Manila Pen Show, where local nibmeisters John Raymond Lim and JP’s Pen Spa will be on hand to perform minor repairs and nib regrinds and tuning.
Workshops will also be conducted on both days of the event, on basic fountain pen maintenance, penmanship, journaling, and nib grinding. There will also be a talk on vintage pens by Butch Dalisay. You can sign up for workshops at the registration area, first come, first served. A portion of workshop fees will be donated to Manila Pen Show’s chosen charity.
On Instagram, follow @manilapenshow, and follow the official hashtags at #manilapenshow and #manilapenshow2019.
*** The pen is mightier than the sword, and here’s your chance to own a pen as fine and beautiful as a sword. /FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO