About

When I was in elementary school, I had mastered printing. My block and D'Nealian letters were perfect, as far as my first grade eyes could tell. When it came to writing in cursive, however, I was horrible. I resisted learning how to write because my young perfectionist self simply wasn't good at it. That's when my grandfather came to the rescue. He had a plastic pocket protector (a free giveaway from a plumbing company, I think) in his desk drawer that held his special pens- an old Parker, a couple of fancy mechanical pencils, and a Cross ballpoint and pencil set. I was a young girl and was instantly drawn to the Cross set because they were -gasp- gold, and real gold at that. I had never seen a pen that opened by twisting the cap, and he used that to his advantage. Holding the pen in his hand and closing it while I was focused on his words, he explained that the gold pen was magical and would only write in cursive. To prove it, he handed it to me with a pad of paper and told me to try writing in print. It didn't work; I couldn't write a thing. Taking it back, he whispered an incantation and gave it back to me opened, instructing me to try writing in cursive. When it worked, I was utterly convinced. From then on, I completed my cursive practice homework with my grandfather's magic gold pen- often running through not only my practice pads but his notepads as well, just so I could continue using something that was so special.

My grandfather is gone now, but his pens (still in their plastic pocket protector) rest in my pen case alongside a moderate collection that I've been working on since I got my first A+ in elementary school handwriting and was gifted the gold Cross ballpoint and pencil as a reward. I'm especially fond of fountain pens, but I'll never turn down a fine ballpoint or rollerball. I know now that my grandfather's pen wasn't really magical, but I know equally well that a handwritten thank you note, holiday greeting, or letter just to say hello can seem magical to the recipient -and the sender- in this digital age.

In this blog, I’ll be reviewing the pens that I already have, dream on about the pens that I want or want to try, share my struggles with certain pens, inks, and papers, and possibly wax philosophical about pens and writing in general. If you’re reading any of this, I’d love to hear your comments!