My fascination with exotic nibs, or nibs that were different from your regular ‘M’ that was and is marketed by most manufacturers began back in 1984 when I discovered the Rotring Artpen. These were offered individually as well as a set. I actually saw an ad for it somewhere and went over to my pen…

  1 There is no risk of lead poisoning if you stab yourself (or someone else) with a pencil because it contains no lead—just a mixture of clay and graphite. Still, pencil wounds carry a risk of infection for the stabees, lawsuits for stabbers. 2 And bad juju for anyone linked to Watergate: In his…

The United States of America celebrates National Handwriting Day today. It was originally established by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association in 1977. Not many people would have heard of this holiday since it wasn’t proclaimed as a national holiday by US Congress. Their objective is to promote the use of pens, pencils and writing paper. January…

Fountain pens are not a refuge for the enemies of progress. They are alive and well in the digital age; in fact, the market for fountain pens was a billion dollars in 2016. Aparita Bhandari explores the passion for pens in her documentary, “Down The Rabbit Hole.” More: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/sunday-edition/segment/15548258

Karen Trefzger writes in detail of the enjoyment of writing letters by hand. As she says: “A phone call is nice; email is OK too because it’s the way of the world and staying connected is the most important thing. But an old-fashioned letter can truly be a work of art and a voice for…

This is an old article by Josh Giesbrecht that I came across in my bookmarks and I thought it is still very relevant, informative and interesting.  Enjoy! Recently, Bic launched a campaign to “save handwriting.” Named “Fight for Your Write,” it includes a pledge to “encourage the act of handwriting” in the pledge-taker’s home and…