Let's Declare A National Fountain Pen Day

[Marlow]

A few thoughts that occur to me as I consider exactly what an FP Day would signify for me: [these are, of course, just my opinions, even though they may at times take the form of assertions!]

 

In view of the return during the past few decades, at least in the western world, of a reverence for nostalgia as it pertains to housing, furniture, clothing, hairstyles, jewellery, etc., combined with a dramatically enhanced tolerance and even love for eclecticism, I believe the resurgence of love for fountain pens during the same period to be a natural and organically-occurring phenomenon.

 

As the various, recent TV and other media articles on FPs have either hinted at or opined outright, fountain pens are a vehicle by means of which people may access a gentler time. [function of the appeal of nostalgia]

 

Fountain pens come in a great many shapes and sizes, many diverse materials, a vast range of colours and designs, from ultra-bling to uber-conservative, and in a similarly diverse range of price brackets. FPs are also rather small individually, a factor that has assisted in the collectability of a wide range of other items: stamps, coins, miniatures of various kinds, watches, etc..

 

 

The ballpoint pen, whilst there are many fine examples that go beyond the merely utilitarian, is soulless in comparison to the fountain pen; its ease of use is part of the artificially and often unnecessarily hectic lives people have taken upon themselves in this age of unbridled commercialism and fast-paced living. Peaceful, happy living rarely occurs at speed!

 

 

In my mind, an annual celebration of fountain pens would tap into these and, doubtless, other phenomena of relevance to people wishing for a taste of the calm that befalls one when filling and writing with one's cherished writing instruments. The depth of the field (for it IS a field!) is attested to by the various sub-fora here on FPN: for both collectors and users there is an extraordinary range of papers, inks and ephemera, all of which can contribute to the enhancement of the nostalgic enjoyment of using FPs.

 

Then there is the fascinating historical development and the technical diversity and its evolution... (my personal favourite area!)...

 

And I haven't even yet mentioned the practice of fine writing skills! For the beginning FP user it may simply be enough to enjoy experimenting with the experience of a freely flowing ink (in some cases! lol!) that requires a bit more attention (meditative in nature) to write with than does a ballpoint or rollerball. As time passes, however, one sees the potential for creating ever more beautiful-looking writing - once again harkening back to the times when beautiful handwriting was a necessity for comprehension of the written word - yet another aspect of nostalgia! Whilst there are many acknowledged styles and systems of fine writing, each individual inevitably makes changes that are uniquely theirs: an almost infinitely variable interpretation is possible and the FP user is at once and quite easily able to access the joyful arena of creativity! Being and/or feeling creative is one of the great sources of joy and satisfaction / fulfillment available to humans. FPs allow anyone who can hold and use one to access this.

 

So, all things considered, I kinda think an FP Day is

 

a pretty good idea! <---- that was bathos, btw!

 

Edited August 7, 2012 by Marlow

[steviebee]

Great post Marlow ('and I mean that most sincerely'.....little Hughie Green gag for the oldies there.....er, meaning 'joke', not literally stuffing a rag down Auntie Mabel's.....oh never mind).....

 

But I fail to see the meaningful use of 'Days' for almost anything really. That I recall, I've never thought about quitting on one of those dreary non-smoking fests we're faced with annually, or handed over (more) wads of cash to the deserving poor or drunk more tea, read more books, petted more pets just because they had a Day of their own.....it's bad enough that we seem to be importing this idea that second cousins twice removed (or such) should have a Day, let alone Mater n Paters.

 

Now, maybe a 'Month' for serious social stuff/ awareness raising and all that...but pens? Pass.....

[Earthdawn]

OK... I think sometimes, especially in the beginning, keeping things simple is best. Adding later is always easier then changing or taking away.

That being said IMO, I think if we keep it just "Fountain Pen Day" it will be understood it is worldwide especially being we are an international board with members from most corners of the planet. I mean once we get it going here and spreading the word with help from not just us but whatever retailers we can get. I know Brian Goulet will help do what he can as we have spoken about it.

 

Also, since we are going to do this and many want to help, which is GREAT, I went ahead and did a couple things for no other reason but to make sure our idea stays ours. These are things we can all work on to help promote the new day.

 

Facebook page, which is blank.

Twitter

Wikipedia - blank

and the final piece so far is www.FountainPenDay.com

 

Art work and ideas are what we will need to fill this up! The more we do the more the vendors out there will want to be a part of it. Once they start getting on this the ball will roll on its own.

 

So the sooner we agree on a date like the first Friday in November , the sooner we can get the big push going!

 

Scrawler talked about doing a LinkedIn page as well... AWESOME... and i know there are other social networks we can get as well to help. Those things give not only information to everyone but also give vendors a great place to advertise there FPD specials !

 

PS I like what melissa59 said "For those who celebrate Halloween, it might make our Fountain Pen Day easier to remember, as it will always be the first Friday after Halloween, not just the first Friday in November." Very good point!

 

So lets get this going and nail that date!

[N2theBreach]

@steviebee: Likewise, I don't often do something on "Umptifratz Day", by myself.

 

However, if there is an event associated with it, I might attend if it seems interesting. I see these days as more for awareness-raising. So, while I might not sit down and write something just because it's IFPD, if there was a talk nearby on, say, the impact of fountainpens on early 20th century society, I might attend. If the nearest pen shop held an open house with sweets and drinks, I might find an excuse to drop by.

 

And, as Melissa said, I probably would buy a few Pilot Varsities for people I know to introduce them to FPs and attach little computer-generated tags highlighting the virtues of using FPs over computers as a way to communicate among friends! . Okay, I would handwrite the notes in my best Business Hand with an ink that shades well to help them see what you can do with an FP that you could never do with a Bic.

Edited August 8, 2012 by N2theBreach

[melissa59]

I see these days as more for awareness-raising.

 

Ditto! Awareness raising is, in my mind, the main goal of such a day for fountain pens. Before I stumbled onto FPN, I did not know that companies still made fountain pens, or that there were so many beautiful inks to use with them!

 

Besides ... it's always fun for people of like minds to find a reason to celebrate, hold a gathering (real life or virtual), etc.

 

Melissa <--- who enjoys spending paper, scissors, glue & chocolate time with her gal friends on National Scrapbook Day.

[N2theBreach]

OK... I think sometimes, especially in the beginning, keeping things simple is best. Adding later is always easier then changing or taking away.

That being said IMO, I think if we keep it just "Fountain Pen Day" it will be understood it is worldwide especially being we are an international board with members from most corners of the planet. I mean once we get it going here and spreading the word with help from not just us but whatever retailers we can get. I know Brian Goulet will help do what he can as we have spoken about it.

 

 

 

PS I like what melissa59 said "For those who celebrate Halloween, it might make our Fountain Pen Day easier to remember, as it will always be the first Friday after Halloween, not just the first Friday in November." Very good point!

 

So lets get this going and nail that date!

 

Thanks for establishing a web presence!

 

I wholeheartedly agree with "keeping it simple." It has to be achievable using whatever resources we have.

 

From my short time here, I think we have tremendous resources. There are artists who could do the artwork needed. Calligraphers to do the lettering. Writers to craft engaging message(s). People with experience in marketing. Not to mention, vendors & manufacturers and all of the support they can provide. And we now have a web presence!

 

We should end up with some of the classiest looking material avalailble.

 

However, we still need to decide what an FPD looks like. What are we hoping to accomplish? How will we know if we had an impact?

 

In short--What does success look like?

 

This could be the most difficult part of the whole activity. We can work on this now, developing a draft, in parallel with choosing the date. Once we get agreement, we can begin developing a plan to get us there. What needs to be done? Who's going to do it? By when? And so on.

[melissa59]

However, we still need to decide what an FPD looks like. What are we hoping to accomplish? How will we know if we had an impact?

 

In short--What does success look like?

 

This could be the most difficult part of the whole activity. We can work on this now, developing a draft, in parallel with choosing the date. Once we get agreement, we can begin developing a plan to get us there. What needs to be done? Who's going to do it? By when? And so on.

 

"What does success look like?"

 

I have to admit, I'm clueless on this one. I do not see any way to measure success, especially during our inaugural FPD. We can't measure it like a business, which would measure success by profit and/or sales numbers. We can't even measure it like a community event, where someone does a rough head count. It *might* be possible to see if there is a rise in the number of new FPN members. Success *might* be measured by an FPN member noticing that the person to whom he gave a black Varsity now has another one in blue. Some of our online vendors *might* see an increase, but I'm guessing that it won't be much of a blip on their radar during the inaugural event.

 

"What do we hope to accomplish?"

 

In my mind, we simply want to increase the awareness and use of fountain pens, especially among those who have never used one, or perhaps never even seen one in person.

 

Breaking that down, we want people to know:

There is still a viable market for old fountain pens.

There are places to get old fountain pens repaired.

There are places to buy brand new pens.

Fountain pens vary widely in style and price.

There are hundreds of different ink colors to choose from.

Not all inks are safe for fountain pens.

Not all paper works well with fountain pens.

Writing styles can be varied with different nibs.

 

I hope others will jump in with their comments.

 

Just as an FYI ...

I haven't received any other date suggestions. If I don't get any in the next 21 hours or so, we'll skip the voting and the date will be set as the 1st Friday in November.

[esaitchkay]

this is a great idea! would be a good excuse to buy pens and ink too!

[Marlow]

Great post Marlow ('and I mean that most sincerely'.....little Hughie Green gag for the oldies there.....er, meaning 'joke', not literally stuffing a rag down Auntie Mabel's.....oh never mind).....

 

But I fail to see the meaningful use of 'Days' for almost anything really. That I recall, I've never thought about quitting on one of those dreary non-smoking fests we're faced with annually, or handed over (more) wads of cash to the deserving poor or drunk more tea, read more books, petted more pets just because they had a Day of their own.....it's bad enough that we seem to be importing this idea that second cousins twice removed (or such) should have a Day, let alone Mater n Paters.

 

Now, maybe a 'Month' for serious social stuff/ awareness raising and all that...but pens? Pass.....

 

Thanks for the kind words, steviebee!

 

I kind of agree with your reticence regarding 'days' for 'things' although I believe in this case the 'Day' could serve a few useful functions:

 

it could affirm the significance that fine writing instruments have already in the eyes of a great many people from all walks of life: this has a pleasant flavour of universality about it;

 

it could increase the numbers of people that experiment with FPs, either 'again' or for the first time - I think this would be a good thing;

 

it could cause some great, rare pens to surface from people's private collections;

 

it could offer increased business opportunities to those servicing the needs of fountain pen users around the world;

 

it could help increase the value of vintage fountain pens (a mixed blessing!) as new enthusiasts develop a taste for a slice of the finite supply of quality vintage pens;

 

Just a few possibilities here. I'm sure others could come up with many more!

 

 

[steviebee]

Hmmm....very good points & I have to say, even the Grinch part of me is impressed by the enthusiasm, hard work and joie de encre shown by participants in this thread. Wouldn't a Handwriting Day be as good tho.....mind you, there's probably one of those already, lol. And if the price of Skylines goes stratospheric through all this publicity, I will be searching for you all with a sharpened pencil and an eternity to use it in.....

 

:D

Edited August 8, 2012 by steviebee

[pen2paper]

without any intent to intrude upon your process.. just wanted to share from a somewhat similar object.

There is a unofficial, but widely recognized National Button Month, (March), in which you, and your children, have likely observed library, historical museum, pre-school - university displays, and lectures, magazine, and news articles, and interviews. Being month-long gives ample opportunity for multiple activities, and does not bump up against worldly holidays..

 

might be along the lines of Writing Instrument history, and modern day relevance?

[melissa59]

without any intent to intrude upon your process..

Your thoughts are NEVER an intrusion! All comments, especially yours, are welcomed as we hash out this event.

 

Being month-long gives ample opportunity for multiple activities, and does not bump up against worldly holidays..

might be along the lines of Writing Instrument history, and modern day relevance?

 

Actually, this is an EXCELLENT point! A month would enable libraries to provide speakers, would extend shopping times, would give time for short penmanship classes, and would even give people the month of November to use a fountain pen to address their holiday cards.

 

The only downfall I see is that Earthdawn has already purchased a Fountain Pen Day domain name and I'm not sure if they'd let him change that to Fountain Pen Month.

 

Melissa <--- a former homeschool mom, who remembers seeing a small display of vintage buttons on display in our local library.

[sumgaikid]

We could make it February 29, then the pen craze would only happen once every four years. :-)

 

Oooh, careful, Melissa! You could get excommunicated for saying things like that! :ltcapd:

 

But it might help to keep prices down................

 

 

John

[N2theBreach]

without any intent to intrude upon your process.. just wanted to share from a somewhat similar object.

There is a unofficial, but widely recognized National Button Month, (March), in which you, and your children, have likely observed library, historical museum, pre-school - university displays, and lectures, magazine, and news articles, and interviews. Being month-long gives ample opportunity for multiple activities, and does not bump up against worldly holidays..

 

might be along the lines of Writing Instrument history, and modern day relevance?

 

I like the idea of a month. At first, we may not have a month's worth of activities, however that will grow with time once we get the foundation established. Another option is to have an FP month, and a special FP day within that month. Since its early in November, it could serve as a day to kick things off. If I'm not mistaken, I believe other events use this model, but I can't say for sure.

 

Oh, and to echo Melissa, you are not intruding, you bring a lot to the conversation. And, the more people who join in the conversation, the more diverse thinking we'll have. It can be very powerful.

[N2theBreach]

There seem to be bunch of people from here who are going to the DC Supershow this weekend. It might be a good chance to talk up the idea of a fountain pen day and spread the word. Just a thought.

[Earthdawn]

So maybe we start with a day and since it's the first Friday it will naturally lead the weekend and then push for the week of the holiday and then the month? I like the idea that we get a "day" established and the idea of having it be the first Friday in is so clubs can have weekend events if they want.

 

I think it's a great idea for a lot of reasons... One being that many people don't write letters any more. Everything is typed in an email or texted to someone. There is no beauty in an email. I have seen many people here use some stunning inks in a flex pen and had results that should be framed in a museum. I can't say I have ever seen an email with that effect. Maybe its a day you give someone a starter fountain pen or pass along and older one you don't use often. Maybe we actually write a hand written letter and mail it to someone. So many ideas besides buying a pen come to mind that make it a great day... A great day to remember what could very well be a dying art. Well, not art but you get my point. I brought up vendors and makers etc as those are people who can touch a lot of fountain pen users with ease. They make something special for the day and spread the word.

 

Just my thoughts

[melissa59]

I did not receive a single PM with a suggestion for a different date to vote on.

So, our fountain pen day will be held on the first Friday in November.

This year, Fountain Pen Day will be November 2.

 

What's next? We need to get this wagon train moving forward! <cracking the whip so the oxen won't lose momentum, hoping to trade them in for faster horses after we climb the mountain>

[melissa59]

There seem to be bunch of people from here who are going to the DC Supershow this weekend. It might be a good chance to talk up the idea of a fountain pen day and spread the word. Just a thought.

 

Good idea! Maybe we can get someone to quickly make up some sort of flier with the www.fountainpenday.com address on it and pass it around this weekend. Can someone get that done today (Thursday) so people can print out a few fliers and take them along over the weekend?

 

It doesn't need to be fancy, just something mentioning that we are getting ready to celebrate the inaugural Fountain Pen Day and would to have them be a part of it.

 

Include the event date (1st Friday in November), Fountain Pen Day website (www.fountainpenday.com) and the following contact email address: info@fountainpenday.com Also a little something about "Look for Fountain Pen Day" on Facebook, 'cause Earthdawn is working on that, too.

 

Anyone have webpage experience and want to man the site that Earthdawn has set up for us?

Edited August 9, 2012 by melissa59

[MrsGouletPens]

Facebook site is up now: https://www.facebook.com/FountainPenDay

 

We'll be at the DC show on Saturday afternoon if anyone wants to talk in person about this.

[Vulcan1066]

Saw this on facebook today

 

 

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/FountainPenDay