Snail Mail Writing List

[PaulS]

hi - I lack friends in the ordinary sense, probably because I'm too caught up in my unbelievably, engrossing and exciting interests and regret I won't see sixty again, but can promise you that boring I am not.

The few people from the pen world I do know, castigate me for owning many hundreds of f.ps., biros, p. pencils, and for being too lazy to use them, and since I should at least try some of my flexible nibs, am offering to share my inky thoughts in exchange for others of similar vein.

I no longer work, and live in the London area of the U.K.

As with some other folk here, I'm liberal in attitude, reasonably up to speed on current politics - regret unable completely to offer small talk and polite conversation - enjoy a dark sense of humour.

If you have an interest in art, antiques, history, poetry (I've a big passion for sharp and witty aphorisms - other peoples minds always seem more interesting than my own), old books (my current passion aside from f.ps. is bookbinding) ............…. and tales of boot sale adventures. My down sides are that I'm hopeless at languages, can't discuss cooking, have no wish to write about religion, and admit that I'm the world's biggest ignoramus when it comes to current fiction …………. I sometimes read the dust jackets and then tell people I've read the book.

 

Since I've never had pen pals, suspect I'll be on a big learning curve, but could give it a whirl and see if it works. cheers.

[yarnkitty]

I love corresponding! I used to have a friend I wrote letters to all the time back in ancient times before email. Actually I wrote to lots of people, but he was the only one who wrote back regularly. These days I have several email friends including one with whom I have corresponded for almost 20 years.

 

I am 51 years old and used to be a critical care nurse until I was sidelined by a heart condition. I am in the US. Married, no biological children. My husband's two teenagers live with their mother but visit regularly. We have three cats and I lost my dog companion of 12 years this summer.

 

I have an interest in fountain pens that resurfaces every few years. My first pen was a Shaeffer, the kind they sold in college bookstores with a few ink cartridges. I used it quite a bit in college and loved changing ink colors whenever the cartridge ran out. I went through at least two of those pens. I learned about the wider world of fountain pens 15 years or so ago. I've never bought any high dollar pens. Currently I have a Waterman Phileas I bought several years ago, a Kaweco Sport I got last fall at a neat pen store in Rochester, Minnesota, and my most recent acquisition a Noodler Ahab.

 

I'm quite crafty and lately have been working on handwriting improvement. I also do sewing, beading, knitting, crochet, and quilting. I've played with watercolor, but mostly do colorwashes. My drawing is abysmal!

 

I am Buddhist and would enjoy discussing the Dharma. I also enjoy comparative religion, but please no proselytizing!

 

I am liberal politically and appalled at the current state of the US government, but don't want to get into arguments about it.

 

Topics of discussion that interest me: sciences, medicine, nature, gardening, crafts, pets, religion (especially the commonalities between different traditions), sci fi (especially Star Trek).

 

Looking forward to making some new friends!

[Zephyr259]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and looking for excuses to use my pens more. Not had a pen pal before but sounds fun.

 

I'm (very nearly) 33, married, father of 2 young children and we recently added a puppy to the chaos. My hobbies are home brewing, mainly beer but I'm trying to get the hang of mead, role-playing games (like dungeons and dragons), reading, mostly fantasy at the moment and I've been toying with electric guitar for 15 years and still suck. I also like to cook and especially baking. Fountain pens are a recent addition from the past couple of months but I already have a few years supply of ink and 3 pens (not including the preppies).

 

I became a Christian 2 years ago and enjoy discussing faith, theology and apologetics, but religions in general interests me and welcome discussion without any evangelising (which I'm terrible at anyway).

 

I'm not overly political but my values are pretty socialist.

 

I work offshore, mostly on a rota, so my sending times would be affected by this. Would write at least every 6 weeks, more if I receive a reply before I go away again.

 

Did I make myself sound interesting?

[empathsoul1981]

Helloooo everyone I'm new to this forum (how wonderful to find that such a forum exists) but not new to letter writing and my love of both fountain pens and pens in general.

 

My name is Wendy-my dad initially got it out of Peter Pan I am from Ireland-or the Emerald Isle as we poetically call it here. For the most part I like living in Ireland, like everywhere else, it has its good and not so good points.

 

I'm 37 but have always found age pretty irrelevant when it comes to making friends. Some of my very best friends are ladies in their 80's who I spend time with at a knitting group sometimes. I can find something of interest and beauty in all ages.

 

I've loved writing letters pretty much since i was a child and my longest term penpal is my 92 year old grandaunt.

 

I have many interests and things I really like. Apart from writing I also love getting lost in a good book-im a big Stephen King fan and would love his imagination and ideas when it comes to writing. I also love being in nature, cloudy days, being creative, the paranormal and supernatural, old abandoned buildings, 80's music, justice issues and animal and human rights. I'm a big animal lover and love all animals but have a particular fondness for cats.

 

Im friendly yet shy, a bit of an old soul and I think I find it easier to express my thoughts through writing rather than saying them aloud which is another reason I would like to make some new friends.

 

So that's really me in a nutshell, so whoever you are and whatever your interests, if you are interested in anything I wrote, I'd be happy to hear from you

[CaramelNib]

I am throwing my Pen into the Box again... I used to have several penpals and even tried starting again a year ago unsuccessfully, but am trying once more!

 

I am a 34 year old female, no kids, living in Vienna, Virginia, USA with my husband. My interests are: pens and papers of all kinds; reading (mostly sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, horror, economics); watching a TON of movies; taking short hikes, and most importantly, traveling the world.

 

Recently I've had several discussions on philosophy and cultures and realized just how much more there is to learn about the world. I would love to exchange ideas and thoughts with someone(s) on the world today, politics aside, in a respectful and educational manner.

 

My promise to you is at least one letter per quarter, filled with super cheesy puns and randomness, and overall some solid conversation. I have PM'd some folks but please PM me if you are interested, and give me a reason to use my pens, inks and papers! (Bonus: the husband will be eternally grateful for your assistance in reducing papers in the office...)

[Heldin]

  On 1/4/2018 at 10:52 AM, Heldin said:

I guess posting here in January is going to become a tradition.

 

In my last post in this thread I indicated that I was about to start grad school to get a teaching degree. Currently I'm trying to graduate, I have only two assignments left to hand in.

 

I'm 28 and I like taking walks to clear my head (and to secretly play Pokemon Go), music, listening to podcasts, writing in my journal, fountain pens, inks and paper. Of course I also like writing letters. Reading is, next to fountain pens and writing, my main hobby. I mostly read fantasy books (big Robin Hobb fan) but I am open to everything. I'm an aunt to two nephews (4 and 6), which is loads of fun, and I love dogs.

 

If you're interested, free feel to PM me. If you want to know more about me, PM me .

 

(Am located in the Netherlands)

 

Still looking for a penpal or two, preferably female (I don't know what it is but somehow all my penpals are male).

 

What has changed: I am now 29, I've graduated and have found a teaching position that I like.

 

The rest is still the same .

[NotAWiz4rd]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm 20 years old, male, from Germany, and I'd love some pen pals to use my fountain pens more regularly and get to know people around the world.

I'm a computer science student and very interested in new technology, as well as more classic things (like dressing properly, vintage books, fountain pens, etc.).

In my free time, I watch a lot of Netflix, read a lot of books and work on programming projects sometimes. I also listen to music a loooot. I like to drink a good Scotch from time to time, as well as an Earl Grey tea with a bit of milk on a daily basis. I go shooting and play table tennis on a weekly basis and would describe myself as an avid Gamer (when I find the time for it).

 

I am looking for people with whome I may write regularly (once or twice a month maybe) and converse about all kinds of things. I'm open to learning about new people and cultures.

 

Please pm me if you are interested.

[TaylorJ]

Well, here goes...

 

I'm Taylor, a 29 year old female artist/3D modeler/VR-engineer-in-training. I was always an odd kid, shy and also fascinated by things like diaries and office supplies and planners and PENS. Now I am an odd grownup fascinated by the same things...I just have more of a budget for pens now.

 

My partner puts up with my pen hobby, but is not really interested in stationery. He's a sweetheart, though, my soulmate and a great partner in life. We're looking to buy our first home in the next couple years, but the area we live in (Northern VA) is rather expensive so it's going to take some searching to find something workable. I have no pets, but he has a fantastic orange tabby cat who is just incredibly awesome. Hoping the cat comes as part of the deal

 

I am pretty liberal but my friends represent a wide range of political views, so it's not usually a problem for me as long as people remain reasonably polite about it. Religiously, I consider myself sort of a "new age Christian mystic." I study tarot cards and such (not that that's religious, but it gives you an idea of my mindset). I am fascinated by all religions and find many, many, many of them and their traditions incredibly beautiful. I'm open to discussion, and in fact love hearing people's stories of spiritual experience.

 

I have studied art for several years and am quite happy to discuss watercolor painting, ink drawing, pencil drawing - really, whatever material you work in, I will gladly geek out with you about the latest art supplies. Bonus points if we can mail each other prints/photos of our art pieces!

 

My other interests include tarot/oracle/angel cards, paper planning/bullet journaling, comics (both Western and Eastern), bookbinding, creative writing (ie writing novels, books, etc), and of course stationery of all sorts. I run a small Etsy shop and a blog, and I make YouTube videos - a mix of Tarot/oracle card discussions, art videos, and paper planning/stationery reviews.

 

And I'm sober/in recovery (6 years) so if anyone needs a sober buddy as a penpal, I'm there.

 

I'm in the US but am willing to mail internationally, I'm at the post office for Etsy shipments all the time anyway.

 

-Taylor

[Ambien]

I've been in the hobby for quite a few years now and I'm looking for penpals. Currently, I'm semi-retired and focus on my hobbies like reading, writing, drawing, and collecting FP. I've lived in NY for my entire life with an exception of some trips to Asia. Although I don't have any pets I do like cats and dogs and always welcome photos of both.

 

Some of my other hobbies are games, tea, sherlock holmes, and looking up productivity articles. My favorite FP brand atm are Pelikans (someday m605) and Sailor inks. Next, my favorite notebooks would be Japanese stationery and I love to browse in art/hobby stores.

 

I used to draw a long time ago and I've been practicing gesture art using so you're always welcome to chat about art lessons or materials. Eventually, I want to branch out into color and pen/ink art.

 

btw: I'm not really interested in discussing politics or religion.

[valthon]

Anyone interested in corresponding about politics (and possibly religion)? I'd like to try expanding my perspectives and learn from people outside my usual comfort zone, to correspond with people that are honestly open to considering differing points of view (or can, at least, not take offense when I ask questions and dig into what makes them tick rather than reply with affirmation). Message me if you're interested, I'm sure we can find something we disagree on.

[bguigz]

Hello everyone,

 

I am looking for a couple of penpals. Spending a lot of time (too much) in front of a computer, I am looking forward to the blank page, less technology, more time to think...

 

I'm a 35-year-old male from France (Paris area) with Spanish origins. I am married with a Russian girl, we have a 6-month-old son. I work as an attorney in Paris.

 

Among my interests are reading (fiction, business books) and listening to interesting podcasts on the way to work. I am trying to dive into philosophy (stoicism as of now).

 

 

I am a lover of good things, wine, spirits (Scotch), cooking, cigars.

 

One the reason I am attracted to pens is the craftsmanship behind them, the beautiful object and not only its use. I love beautifully crafted objects in general, the smell of a leather case, the smoothness of a old wood box, beautiful shoes... The list goes on.

 

I could be interested in discussing politics and current affairs, particularly legal ones (justice systems for instance), but only with open-minded people who are interested in arguing, sharing views and idea. I am neither too liberal nor too conservative, I tend tovary depending on the issue at stake.

 

I don't want to make promises I can't hold, so I think one or two pals would be a good start.

 

Hope to hear from you soon !

 

 

Edit : to be clear, I don't necessarily look for someone that would share all those interests, and I'm open to discussing other matters

Edited December 2, 2018 by bguigz

[usk15]

Hi,

I have 3 postcards form a local artist, Stephen Davies, aeroplanes, pencil drawings.

1. Spitfire MkVIII

2. Typhoon F2

3. The Texan NA AT-6C

 

Let me know which one you want, send me your address and I will post it.

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/34ytf2r.jpg

[Redpanda]

Greetings

I am a 25 years old, female, and I live with my English/Danish girlfriend of 4 years and our crazy bunny in Denmark. I have in recent years lost contact with family and I don't have a network where I live so it would be fun with some pen pals and actually put those beautiful inks to good use

I am a student of a particular health science and I love anatomy. I have plenty of interests and hobbies. I am a very open minded person and I welcome correspondance with people of all ages (most of my friends are 40+) and I love having my knowledge expanded and my views challenged!

Some of my hobbies are crochet/knitting, cycling, being creative, working out, reading, learning (I am currently trying to learn french), cooking, gaming, exploring nature and a lot more!

 

Message me if you are interested! I am always up for a good debate, post cards or sharing of funny stories (living with a half Brit and a cage free bunny I have lots! )

 

I hope to hear from you if you are interested

[MrClegg]

Hello All,

Since arriving in Thailand I have formed some close links with one of the very remote hill tribe schools on a mountain called Suthep on the west of the city. See map...

The children at the school are aged between 4 and 12 years old, they learn to speak some basic English but are not proficient enough to write letters or emails without help from more abled English speakers.

The style of education in Thailand is quite different from the west, it's still considered something of a privilege to go to school and get an education, and the children are mostly very keen to learn new things. There is currently a lot of practical education, the school has started a project producing coffee, and teaching the children to plant, grow, harvest, roast, grind and make coffee, a practical skill set in a country that is one of the largest coffee producing nations in the world.

 

I was talking to one of the teachers and suggested that a project that might bring the world closer for the children would be to receive letters from around the world, and have a world map showing where people who sent the letters come from.

 

It's not practical, due to the language issues, to try and establish penfriends, but if you would like to send a letter, with perhaps a photo of your family (if you feel comfortable sending that), a few lines about what you do, where you live and perhaps a picture of something famous in your area, and if you have them, interesting stamps, anything really that pre teen children might find interesting that could form the basis of a geography project, but also to show that people around the world have a lot more in common than they have differences.

 

They have a Facebook page, but unsurprisingly it's in Thai, and the FB translation bot is woeful when trying to translate Thai into English, but if you're interested please take a look...

https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010505921545

 

I will provide my address rather than the schools, because they don't get mail too often due to the poor standard of the roads in the remote area of the mountain, I will get the letters translated before taking them to the school so they can run the project with minimal interference from me.

 

I know this is tedious, but I'm not getting anything for this, I won't be sending pictures of children should anyone ask for them, I have no vested interest in the school, my only aim is to show the children of a small group of villages, in a hopefully fun and interesting way, that have very little knowledge of the rest of Thailand let alone the rest of the world, that people are the same no matter where they live.

 

I will need to work out the details with the school of how to put updates of the project on the FB page, and if it would be possible to add English text, if it's possible to send "Thank you" emails (there's only one English teacher so it might not be possible) and other details I probably haven't considered.

 

One final point, if you want to send this to other letter writing related lists/forums, please do, I'd love to be able to pass on hundreds of letters and the project to really engage the children.

If you have any ideas or suggestions that might make things easier, please message them to me, I've never done anything like this so would be willing to read any helpful hints.

 

My address (in English and Thai) it's probably a good idea to print out the address in Thai to help ensure successful delivery...

 

Craig Newman

Unit 134, North 8 Tower A

T. Mae Hia,

A. Muang Chiangmai

Thailand 50100

 

 

 

 

 

New Picture (1).bmpFetching info...

[marhod5]

Hello, everyone! I'm new to this forum and new to fountain pens. I used to correspond with my uncle when I was a child. I would love to start writing to other people as an adult.

 

I'm a 43 yr old female in Virginia, USA. I've been a librarian for 13 years, but I think it's time for a career change. I have a pit bull mix named Gus, who is the best dog in the world. I love going to wineries and doing wine tastings. I've travelled extensively in America, but I haven't travelled outside of the country. I hope to some day! In the meantime, I love hearing about other countries. I'm a Christian but am interested in (and respectful of) other religions, especially Buddhism.

 

I love talking about books. I'm currently into science fiction and mysteries. I belong to a book club that chooses a wide variety of titles. I find the books challenging, which is a good thing. I love British television and quirky and/or indy movies.

 

Mostly, I love pens and writing. I'm looking forward to InCoWriMo. I know it's over a month away, but I'm excited already! And who says I have to wait? I would love to send you a letter, so please send me you address.

[dinolc]

Hi everyone. It's my first time to actually post here. I'm 38/M and would like to practice writing more with fountain pens. I'm not so much into journaling but I chanced upon doing snail mail as a recommendation. This interested me because I used to participate in Postcrossing. The idea of getting to know other cultures and personalities intrigues me. Postcards show those but are extremely limited. I'm in the healthcare industry and my interests include (but are not limited to) cats, gaming, fragrances, food and the occasional wine (trying to develop my palate). Please do email or PM me if you want to swap letters. It would be great to have friends from around the world. Oh and Happy New Year!

[RudraDev]

Ok, count me in!

I am a student and I've been into fountain pens for the last six months. I use them primarily for drawing, but also like to write with them. I started with the Jinhao X450 and now, the best pen I own is a Pilot Prera with a fine nib. So far my favorite fountain pen is the Pilot Metropolitan.

My interests include physics, everyday science, books, drawing and of course, fountain pens.

I've been looking for Pen pals all over the internet but so far, I haven't had any luck.

Anybody looking for a decent(I'm not condescending) pen pal can message me!

Edited January 6, 2019 by RudraDev

[Darcy1978]

Hello, I have been rather inactive on FPN but have picked up the hobby again and would welcome some new pen pals!

 

I am from the Netherlands, have just turned forty, and work for a national educational organisation. I used to teach English in secondary school, though that was over 10 years ago. I have a slightly unorthodox living situation: I live with my wife and her boyfriend - in what you may call a polyamorous set-up. We have two children (7 and 4), and since our house is big enough ithe arrangement gives me a lot of me-time in which to write letters, watch movies and read books.

 

I wonder if there are any other poly people on here, and would welcome correspondence with people who are upen to non-standard living arrangements and/or position themselves somewhere on the LGBTQIP+ spectrum.

 

I am an avid movie-watcher (also on Letterboxd), am liberal (duh), and also interested in art, politics and culture. Please message if you'd like to exchange a few letters.

Edited January 8, 2019 by Darcy1978

[wvbeetlebug]

  On 12/21/2018 at 3:10 PM, mrclegg said:

Hello All,

Since arriving in Thailand I have formed some close links with one of the very remote hill tribe schools on a mountain called Suthep on the west of the city. See map...

The children at the school are aged between 4 and 12 years old, they learn to speak some basic English but are not proficient enough to write letters or emails without help from more abled English speakers.

The style of education in Thailand is quite different from the west, it's still considered something of a privilege to go to school and get an education, and the children are mostly very keen to learn new things. There is currently a lot of practical education, the school has started a project producing coffee, and teaching the children to plant, grow, harvest, roast, grind and make coffee, a practical skill set in a country that is one of the largest coffee producing nations in the world.

 

I was talking to one of the teachers and suggested that a project that might bring the world closer for the children would be to receive letters from around the world, and have a world map showing where people who sent the letters come from.

 

It's not practical, due to the language issues, to try and establish penfriends, but if you would like to send a letter, with perhaps a photo of your family (if you feel comfortable sending that), a few lines about what you do, where you live and perhaps a picture of something famous in your area, and if you have them, interesting stamps, anything really that pre teen children might find interesting that could form the basis of a geography project, but also to show that people around the world have a lot more in common than they have differences.

 

They have a Facebook page, but unsurprisingly it's in Thai, and the FB translation bot is woeful when trying to translate Thai into English, but if you're interested please take a look...

https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010505921545

 

I will provide my address rather than the schools, because they don't get mail too often due to the poor standard of the roads in the remote area of the mountain, I will get the letters translated before taking them to the school so they can run the project with minimal interference from me.

 

I know this is tedious, but I'm not getting anything for this, I won't be sending pictures of children should anyone ask for them, I have no vested interest in the school, my only aim is to show the children of a small group of villages, in a hopefully fun and interesting way, that have very little knowledge of the rest of Thailand let alone the rest of the world, that people are the same no matter where they live.

 

I will need to work out the details with the school of how to put updates of the project on the FB page, and if it would be possible to add English text, if it's possible to send "Thank you" emails (there's only one English teacher so it might not be possible) and other details I probably haven't considered.

 

One final point, if you want to send this to other letter writing related lists/forums, please do, I'd love to be able to pass on hundreds of letters and the project to really engage the children.

If you have any ideas or suggestions that might make things easier, please message them to me, I've never done anything like this so would be willing to read any helpful hints.

 

My address (in English and Thai) it's probably a good idea to print out the address in Thai to help ensure successful delivery...

 

Craig Newman

Unit 134, North 8 Tower A

T. Mae Hia,

A. Muang Chiangmai

Thailand 50100

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is a fantastic idea! My Mom is from Thailand. She was there in the fall to visit her family. I will try to put something together to send.

[InkedFountainPenMama]

I would absolutely love to find a pen pal to exchange letters with...preferably female as not to create awkwardness with my home life. ;-)

 

I’m new to fountain pens, I just purchased a few Monteverde FP,s I found on closeout over the holidays with some ink. I have always written cursive...what I was taught from grade school...shame they don’t really teach it anymore. Anyhow, over the years it has morphed into a chicken scratch cursive hybrid and would love to get back to basics and start working on my handwriting.

 

I am just getting into sketching, I also practice classical guitar, enjoy hiking and camping, and am quite a book nerd.