Your pen, an expression of you...

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Welcome to Glenn's Pens

Your pen, an expression of you.

As a fountain pen user for over 50 years, I have seen the "use and toss" approach to pens from my early days when schools moved from fountain pens to ball point pens. Living in an era where so many things are replaceable, your fountain pen will be that important exception. You will have a passion for your pen. That is the passion that I found many of the leaders of pen companies have talked about, and I have emjoyed my opportunity to meet with a number of them. So I say, your fountain pen is a personal possession, and it holds a higher level of permanency than many of your other possesion, some you won't even have a year from now.

I think we are, in part, more possessive of our fountain pens as there are so many personal decisions in having a fountain pen. The initial selection involves a choice of overall look but also of the type of nib and the feel in the hand. That goes even further with the selection of ink to use. Writing with a fountain pen allows you to make decisions as to how the nib will respond to create your own distinctive writing style.

I am an avid user of fountain pens, and through Glenn's Pens I am pleased to share information and my views on fountain pens, inks, stores, pen companies and the pleasure of owning and using a personally selected fountain pen.

I hope you find the information useful.

Your writing experience

Your writing experience is formed from a combination of the pen, the ink and the paper you use. Fountain pens bring together these elements. The size and shape of the pen impacts how you hold the penn. How you hold the impact changes how the nib flows across the paper. The positioning of the nib to the paper impacts the stroke or look of your writing. You get the idea.

After selecting your pen, you have to select an ink. Fountain pen inks come in a wide rnage of colours. Some inks provide shading with variation in the colour, others others a more consistent result.

Paper has its own characteristics and is an important part of the writing experience.

Pen Stores

In my earlier travels, when I would arrive in a city, I would look in phone books, yes we are talking many years ago, or ask at the hotel front desk about the location of pen stores. I collected addresses and published a listing - Directory of Stores. The first list was created some 20 years ago.

On my travels I visited pen stores and some I find to be "great" stores. I have created a list of Great Pen Stores/Stores of Note.The stores are recommended because of the selection, service, product lines and overall atmosphere.

I thank those who visit the site and provide recommendations of pen stores they have come across. Send me a note with your thoughts on stores, pens or inks.

Things change, in terms of store locations, and sadly, stores that close. If you come across a store no longer in operation, please send me a note so I can update the listings.

Pen Clubs

Is there a pen club in your city?

In addition to pen stores, which are a great source of information, you may be lucky and live in a city that has a pen club. For example, in Vancouver we are fortunate to have an active pen club. See the Vancouver Pen Club's website for information on the club. The links take you to the Vancouver Club Site.

Vancouver Pen Club Website
Vancouver Pen Club Email - Contact the Club for an invitation to the next meeting.

Vancouver Pen Shop

Long-time retail store, Vancouver Pen, has relocated from their former West Hastings address to 555 Howe Street, in the downtown core of Vancouver, BC Canada

» Store Information

Charals

Long-time retailer, Charals, located at 171 Robson Street, in the downtown core of Vancouver, BC Canada
» Store Information

Buchann's Stationery

Buchan's Stationery has been in operation since 1957. Good selection of fountain pens supported by what every fountain pen user needs: ink and paper. Located on the west side, in the Kerrisdale area.

» Stores of Note in Vancouver

Novelli Pen, Rome

Karen and I have been visiting Novelli Pen for as long as we have been travelling to Rome. A visit to Novelli is always in the plan when in Rome. Marco has a deep knowledge of the pen industry and his selection of pens and nibs make this worth a trip!

» Novelli Pen

Plume et Bille, Paris

We travel to Paris on a regular basis, and a visit to Plume et Bille is always on the agenda. This is an excellent pen store and a store that I always visit when in Paris.

» Plume et Bille

Stilograph Corsani, Rome

Another store that has become a regular stop when in Rome is Stilograph Corsani. My first visist was back in the 1990s.

» Corsani Pen

About Pens

Fountain pens are actually complicated to a degree. Ink flow requries a resevoir to hold the ink and then a feed mechanism that will be part of the "controlled drip" as the ink leaves the resevoir and then to the nib. No control, the ink would just gush out creating as messs. In this section of the site there is information about fountain pens.

I also include photos and reviews of my Pens of Note - pens that I particularly enjoy in terms of a writing experience.

Inks

The selection of ink for your fountain pen is an important and enjoyable part of owning and writing with a fountain pen. Your pen is an expression of you, and your ink you choose makes a big visual statement. I provide Ink Reviews to try to help. Over the past years there has been an explosion of inks with what seems to be endless colour options.