Fountain Pen Day 2020 – are you ready?

The Fountain Pen day – celebrated on the 1^st Friday of November is almost here. This year it is on the 6^th of November and we really do not have much time. As a matter of fact, fountain pen enthusiasts and brands alike are quietly charging up around the world for the event and this year, the fraternity is convinced that the celebrations will be the most talked about, ever!

And there are reasons for the optimism. For one, the pandemic and the lockdown that had forced most parts of the world indoors have had a very positive impact on the use of fountain pens as more and more people have picked it up as a potent tool against boredom, against loneliness, against depression. Many have touched base with their inner creativities thanks to the fountain pen; while to many others, the futility of a digitised lifestyle that was propelled by instant gratification and conspicuous consumption has dawned, urging them to rediscover the simple pleasures of putting the nib on paper. That none of us will be well if the world continues to rot due to our unsustainable ways has become amply clear, which has brought yet others into the fountain pen users club as it continues to be one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable writing implements, among many things, because of its ability to be reused, over and over again.

All these have, predictably, led to a rise in the demand for fountain pens, despite many economies around the globe going on a tailspin. And as any fountain pen lover will vouch, the hobby of using fountain pens is a hugely, deliciously, addictive one. God speed and God bless, fountain pen enthusiasts!

The Fountain Pen Day was started in 2012 by Cary Yaeger and is a celebratory day for fountain pen enthusiasts to embrace, promote and share the use of fountain pens. In 2012, only 69 vendors had backed the event which had about 600 participants joining in. By 2015, the fourth year of the event, the number of vendors had gone up to 108 while the number of participants had skyrocketed to 10,000 plus. While the numbers have increased with healthy accretions every year, market watchers are confident that the growth will be nothing less than exponential this year.

The unbridled optimism of the community stems from the way major brands have come forward to lend their weight to the event. Bryan Husler, of Esterbrook – established 1858, reborn 2018 – the iconic fountain pen brand that oozes Americana says, “to celebrate Fountain Pen Day 2020, we wanted to create something special. Our writing community loves stationery ephemera and stamping in journals, so we decided to create a collectible that people can enjoy.

To create the stamp, we combined a vintage Esterbrook logo with our Esterbrook Eternity symbol. The stamp is our way of expressing the past meeting the future, our dedication to the writing community and the diversity of Esterbrook enthusiasts across the globe. It can be used in your journals, planners and notebooks, for making ephemera, letter writing and any other way it sparks your creativity.

As a thank you for being a part of the writing community, our limited-edition Fountain Pen Day 2020 stamp is a gift with purchase with any Esterbrook pen while supplies last.”

Naturally with such enthusiasm and active participation of the legacy makers, that the average enthusiast will jump into the fray – pen, paper and ink bottle in hand – is a foregone conclusion. But how does one celebrate the Fountain Pen Day?

Well, for starters one can take one’s favourite fountain pen, fill it up with the ink of choice and write a letter to a near and a dear one. Believe me, a hand-written letter, apart from the pleasure it gives to the writer, normally brings forth joy beyond comprehension to the recipient. Want to take it further? Write to a lonely someone at an old age home? An ailing someone in a hospital? An orphan you can be friends with? The choices are endless. Have nothing to say? Write about your hobby – the fountain pen and ink you have used, urge them to join you by picking up their fountain pens. Join the crusade of ink and help spread the cheer.

For a change, instead of just updating your status in the social media, write a note with your fountain pen and ink and post the image. Enlighten the infidels about your pen and ink. Invite them to join you as you embrace eternity.

Take a fountain pen that you do not use and gift it to a friend with a handwritten note. If you would rather not part with your own pen (I will not, under any circumstances) buy a new one to gift.  It will be like a manna from the heavens for the receiver.

And if none of the above work for you, just switch off your mobile phone and laptop and tab and desktop and write. It is called digital detoxification.

For More information: https://www.esterbrookpens.com/