The Joy of Community
I’ve said in previous posts that the fountain pen community is amazing. The DC Pen Show was an excellent reminder of this. For both Jim and I, the focus — and highlight — of the show was socializing with pen friends.
It’s been easy, for the past few years, to forget what a great community the pen world is. In general, members are welcoming and helpful. The experienced members tend to be generous in sharing their knowledge, and sometimes inks or even pens for testing.
I’ve heard several stories from the DC Show of pen newbies being directed to specific vendors to get problems fixed. I overheard some frank discussion about the pros and cons of certain pen models. I even had the distinct pleasure of helping a pen-curious friend find her first fountain pen!
I love being part of the kind, welcoming, helpful pen world. I’m happy that I landed in a community where the jerk-to-friendly ratio is so low.
Thank you to all of my pen friends who made the DC Show this year so very special! Despite how many of us caught con crud, I hope you all had as much fun at the show as I did!
How is your local pen community? Is it equally friendly? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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