Jan262009
Philadelphia Pen Show
Filed under Pens by Kim at 8:36 pm on Jan 26 2009
The Philadelphia pen show was all that I could have hoped for! In addition to the pens as far as the eye could see, I found that pen show folks are very friendly and colorful and most importantly welcoming to newbies.
After lunch at local watering hole Tir Na Nog (very tasty), my friends and I were fortified for a pleasant afternoon of pen browsing. Of course, my friends were done browsing after 20 minutes, while I had a long way to go. I am somewhat up to date on contemporary pens, but I am far from educated about vintage pens, and I was confronted with table after table of them! It was a little overwhelming and at first I didn’t know what to ask.
Amusingly, right when I walked in the door I saw a familiar face. Not someone I’ve ever met, but Kyle Cassidy whose blog I had recently begun following. I had forgotten his actual name, but that didn’t stop me from walking right up and saying “Hi! Are you that famous photographer with a livejournal?” I guess any claims I have at introversion are shot, eh? He was very gracious about it. You should check out his photography on his site or his book.
Anyhoo, pen show. Eventually I came around to a table where I noticed they had people seated and working with demonstrator pens. The pens on display were separated by nib type and I saw what I was looking for: flex nib pens I could try immediately. One of the folks manning the
booth saw me looking and invited me to sit down and handed me a pen immediately. I expressed my interest in Copperplate writing (an interest I gleaned from reading Leigh Reyes’ blog) and it took no time for Deborah to show me samples and get me started trying various pens. (You can see what she wrote at right, underneath her lovely script are my attempts.) In the end I bought the very first pen she handed me, so it felt a little like pen palm reading. It is an Eversharp Skyline with a retooled flex nib that is so very forgiving on me as a beginner. The booth was Susan Wirth’s, and at her page, in case this post got you excited, you can see a schedule of pen shows for 2009 all over the country.
My tattoos were a bigger hit than I expected, and I got several comments. The best comment was the one guy who told me a joke about how he always liked to tell girls he had a ladybug tattooed on his penis. He said, “Almost all of ’em asked to see it!” I did not ask to see it. He then told me (I can’t type this without giggling) that he wanted to really get this tattoo because “most of ’em had a bug up their ass before [he] even showed up” so, to paraphrase, it might as well be literal. You’d think I’d be creeped out that he said this but with a table full of pens between us, it was hilarious.
I also bought a mint green Esterbrook “purse pen” because hey, it was mint green, and also because I liked the nib. The gent who sold it to me works out of Baltimore. Heck, it seemed like everyone there I spoke to was from Maryland, so I have plenty of options if I want to pursue more pens. But I think – and everyone there was sure this was funny for some reason – I am done. Now I just need more ink colors!
Once we’d closed out the pen show, we rolled to south philly for my friend Angela’s Chili Cook Off!! Which was fantastic. Her friends are always so welcoming and fun to talk to. Plus, you know, brilliant chili. Thank you hostess and all chili cooks!
1 TAOon 26 Jan 2009 at 10:45 pm
Good luck with the calligraphy! The Philly pen show sounds like great fun. It’s been years since my last pen show. I’ve been thinking of going to the Raleigh show which I hear is small and friendly. I’m hoping southern manners won’t preclude me from getting a good story like the ladybug guy.
I mentioned to Leigh I saw her name in a blog again. If it’s calligraphy related I always see her mentioned it seems!
Do you have pen related tatoos? I’m too lazy to search and see if you mention them.
Take care!
[Reply]
Kim Reply:
January 26th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Gosh, I love the Raliegh-Durham-Chapel Hill area so much. I go down there every year for ProgDay and sometimes think I’d like to move down there. (except that there is a good long pro list for living up here.)
I hope you get a good story – but that it’s also um, not creepy in some undefinable way!
No pen related tattoos… yet. Only music so far.
By the way – you don’t link to a site – do you mind if I ask why no blog? Plenty of people just aren’t into that, so I understand if that’s the case, just curious!
[Reply]
TAO Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Wow, I’ve had trouble getting my comments up here. Ack! Oh well, here we go again. Let’s try and remember what I wrote, shall we?
The DC show is big! I was there some time ago and I’m sure it’s bigger now. Well worth going to.
I like the Triangle area too. Lot’s of stuff there to keep you busy. I’ve not heard of ProgDay (just looked it up. Thanks Google!) but out here we have FloydFest which is a nice smaller festival. Ani DiFranco was the biggest name so far to play there (and I missed it!)
I hope in Raleigh I won’t get to meet any lecherous old men with blue jokes to tell. However, such is what stories are made of! I’m a guy anyway and less prone to that sort of thing, LOL.
I’m planning to get some ink this year (my first one, however my wife’s got a couple) and was thinking it should be pen realated. I’m blanking out on what it should be and was seeking inspiration. Well, I’ll keep working on it and and idea will have to gell.
I’ve got no blog because I never thought I had anything worth putting into one and would hate to inflict my brand of boredom on anyone. I have been thinking of blogging about some pens I have and maybe I will. If I do I’ll let you know. First I need some decent pictures of them.
[Reply]
2 Angela @ Lost In Splendoron 26 Jan 2009 at 10:48 pm
I find it so fun that there is an entire show of pens. I love Philly. Is this yearly?
[Reply]
Kim Reply:
January 26th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Yup – it’s an annual dealie. I’ll probably go to the DC one in the fall, which is supposed to be hyooge.
[Reply]
3 TAOon 27 Jan 2009 at 3:00 pm
Test?
[Reply]
4 Prosaic Paradise » DC Pen Supershow: A Pen-Lover’s Paradise.on 19 Aug 2009 at 9:57 am
[…] had a little preparation for what I would witness based on my trip to the Philly show in January. That was sort of overwhelming for a novice, and this was like that show times ten. I […]
5 Prosaic Paradise » Kyle Cassidy Photo Workshop Reporton 25 Apr 2010 at 10:06 pm
[…] weekend Kyle Cassidy – you might remember him as the famous photographer I babbled through meeting at the 2009 Philadelphia Pen Show – made a special trip to VA to run a workshop for a bunch […]