On Thursday July 30, 2015, I attended the NJ Pen Club hosted by Goldspot Pens at the Manalapan Library in New Jersey. It was my first time attending their club event–there have been others–so I was both nervous and excited to attend. When I arrived, there were already 7-9 folks gathered around a table littered with open pen cases, ink bottles, notebooks, and supplies. “Is this the NJ Pen Club?” I asked the group.
“Yes” replied a friendly face. It was Tom Oddo, Digital and Print Marketing Manager from Goldspot Pens. We shook hands and he invited me to join the rest of the group. After some introductions, I pulled out my pen case and pouch containing my tuning supplies and began tuning in to the conversations going on around me. Three gentlemen to my right were looking at and inking up pens from several bottles of Pilot Iroshizuku inks. “Oh, which colors of the Pilot Iroshizuku inks are those?” I asked. And then we were off!
For the rest of the evening we showcased pens from our individual collections, tried sample inks provided by GoldSpot Pens in our brand new silver and gold Jinhao pens compliments of GoldSpot Pens–thank you!, discussed our favorite brands, shared tips and tricks, practiced nib adjusting and smoothing techniques, and–best of all–got the opportunity to use a pen containing the infamous, even though it has yet to be released, J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor!!! Oh. My. God. This ink is GORGEOUS and it shades BEAUTIFULLY. It has that immediate ‘awe’ effect comparable to trying Noodler’s Apache Sunset for the first time. Can you say ‘SOLD’!!!
As the evening progressed, there were also non-fountain pen conversations, we had coffee and donuts, all in all a great time. Prior to the start of the event, a library employee warned us that we would be ‘kicked out’ at 8:30 pm so as we neared the ‘time of exile’ we packed up, exchanged final pleasantries, and said goodbye. No fountain pen session would be complete without visible casualties so, yes, I had ink all over my hands. As I walked back to my car, I smiled thinking about all the fun I had and how much I’m looking forward to doing it again. Thank you, NJ Pen Club, for all the fond memories. Until we meet again!
