It has come to this: my obsession with pens requires its own page.

(pictured: Visconti Van Gogh Midi with PR Tanzanite)

I don’t quite know when it began. From a very early age, I was fascinated with “office supplies”, the generic category that encompassed paper products, pens, and the like. As a child, I learned calligraphy, so I must have owned my first fountain pen then. It didn’t turn into a full-blown obsession until 2003, and I’m still not sure why.

Currently I own a Pelikan M 400, a Visconti Van Gogh Midi, a Waterman Carène, a Faber-Castell Ambition Birnbaum, a Waterman Philéas, a Lamy Logo, a Recife Baby Press Constellation, a Retro 51 Tornado, a Monteverde Olympia, and a Rotring Core.

Despite all this, I am not a snob about writing instruments; I appreciate any pen that provides a compelling tactile experience. I love to talk pens with anyone, so ask me anything!

Wish List

• Namiki Vanishing Point (fine point, Raden finish)
• Levenger True Writer Stub Nib
• Jules

Useful Links

• The Fountain Pen Network: thorough, friendly forums
• Pen Collectors of America
• Pendemonium: storefront and reviews
• Penspotters: Rick Conner’s “field guide to fountain pens”

Inexpensive Fountain Pen Favorites

• Lamy Safari: recommended for beginners, both right- and left-handed
• Pelikan Future: cartridge only, steel nib
• Pilot Petit1: mini-sized, refillable, and only $5
• Pilot Varsity: disposable, both fine and medium nibs, purple is my favorite

Awesome (and Alphabetized) Ink

• Diamine Imperial Purple: vibrant violet
• Diamine Monaco Red: blood-red with a brown tinge
• Diamine Woodland Green: slightly darker than medium
• Noodler’s Air Corp Blue-Black: more of a teal-black, thick and wet
• Private Reserve American Blue: just like the blue in the flag
• Private Reserve Avocado: medium brownish green
• Private Reserve Burgundy Mist: syrah, really
• Private Reserve Tanzanite: deep bluish purple
• Rotring Ultramarine: bluish purple, brighter than PR Tanzanite
• Pelikan Blue-Black: blacker than blue
• Visconti Black: velvet and fast-drying
• Waterman Blue-Black: bluer than black

Non-Fountain Goodness

• Fisher Space Pen: the ballpoint that writes upside-down and through butter
• Pilot G-2 0.7mm: my favorite gel pen, now that the Papermate Gel-Writer is extinct
• Paperblanks journals: replaced Moleskines as my favorite journals, particularly the “old leather slim” versions