Sunday Reading for September 6, 2026

1. 2026 San Francisco Pen Show - The Funnest Pen Show Gets Funner (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The SF Pen Show is indeed one of the most fun shows on the circuit, both for the vendors and classes as well as the for the after-hours opportunities to socialize.

2. Rickshaw x Nock Brasstown Pen Case (via Inky.Rocks). The Brasstown is back! I’m excited to see Rickshaw’s take on this case+pen roll combo.

3. Q&A #18 (via Figboot on Pens). I love listening to other creators’ Q&A questions.

4. Atelier Lusso Taurus Ragazzone (via Rachel’s Reflections). Rachel has some gems in her collection of independent maker pens. I’ve long wanted to add an Atelier Lusso pen to my own collection.

5. Comparative Overview: Pilot Custom 823 and Pilot Custom 74 (via Scrively). Two of my overall favorite fountain pens, compared side by side.

6. The Way an Art Material Is Stored Matters (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). On the pen side, paper storage conditions are probably what matters most, but if you’re into art supplies pay attention to how and where you keep them.

7. Using What You Have (via Well-Appointed Desk). I’ve not bought that many notebooks this year, as I’ve been trying to churn through my own personal collection as much as possible.

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Did you get your bottle of the Vanness x Nagasawa exclusive? Now available online after debuting at the San Francisco Pen Show.

In Case You Missed It….

This week we released two pieces of San Francisco Pen Show content: Episode 15 of On the Paper Trail, and my own 2026 San Francisco Pen Show Haul Recap in which I talk about the three dip pens I bought. Yes, that’s right, no fountain pens this year! What’s going on!?! Read more on why I’ve developed an interest in glass pens.

In addition to Roterfaden, we have OnionBrand Leather A5 Notebook covers available, with fresh stock arriving this weekend.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - Plus a Special Announcement!

The big news from this week is that we restocked on many Roterfaden standard size Taschenbegleiters, including A5, B6, B5, and the largest - the A4! All Roterfadens are handmade in small batches, so if you’ve had your eye on one, be sure to jump during our periodic restocks. We also have fresh stock of the TWSBI ECO Fluorite + Bronze, a hugely popular release from earlier in the summer that sold out nearly immediately but is now available and hopefully will be for the foreseeable future. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of all new arrivals and restocks.

The Nashville Shop will be open normal hours this coming week, from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday and 10am-5pm on Saturday. Please come by and see these and more in-person, and we are open online 24-7!

TWSBI

ProFolio

Carl

Desk Accessories

Visit Us on Patreon - Curated Box and Sunderland Pre-order Access

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released. This week, all Patreon Members (including free ones), have access to our periodic curated boxes plus a pre-order opportunity for the upcoming re-release of our Sunderland mk1 exclusive edition.

Sunday Reading for August 30, 2026

1. The Best Thing About Pen Shows (and My DC Haul!) (via Inky.Rocks). Totally agree that interacting with the community is the best part of attending the pen shows!

2. Analog Defaults 2026 Updates (via Pen Addict). Do you have “default” analog products that you reset to? An interesting concept that I think we all consider, consciously or subconsciously.

3. $.25 to $100!? Mechanical Pencil Roundup (via Inkdependence). You can have a lot of fun with the mechanical pencil stationery segment, across a wide range of price points.

4. How to Create a Handwriting Style That’s Actually Yours (via Doodlebud). Do you have your own unique handwriting style? I bet you do - even if you start with a traditional script, it will eventually be yours.

5. Summer Reading (via Philofaxy). Do you track your summer reading in analog or digital format? This post contains links to more printable.

6. Update: On Falling Sick, a Holiday and the Tools I Brought With Me (via Incredible Colours). Sometimes plans have to change, and you adapt your travel kit to your circumstances.

7. Mark’s Edit: My Big Book of Lists (via Well-Appointed Desk). Does anyone else take notes in list format? This is one of my own core note taking techniques.

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In Case You Missed It….

We’re attending the San Francisco Pen Show this weekend! I will be teaching my notebook systems class for one more day on Sunday, and helping out at the Vanness Pens table. Be sure to check out this quick post on flying with fountain pens, which is a topic that I update every year when I hit the pen show busy season.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Things have not let up despite extensive travel, with new papers from NOLTY, new Uni Kuru Toga mechanical pencils, Colorverse Colorvent Calendars, and more all pouring into the shop while we are away. We’ve also added Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Series gel pens, most Uni Zento Standard pens, and Uni Zento Flow pens. These are all being added and updated as we go. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for a full list of new arrivals and restocks.

The Nashville Shop will be open normal hours this coming week. Note that online orders placed Wednesday through Friday of last week have a 3-5 business day fulfillment time as opposed to our typical 2-3 business days due to pen show travel. As always, orders placed while we are away get a little something “extra” in them. Many thanks for your support!

NOLTY

TRAVELER'S Company

OnionBrand

Pilot

How YOu Can Support us further: Visit Us on Patreon

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.

Sunday Reading for August 16, 2026

1. Five Years with TPA (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Congratulations on five years of pen blogging! Many people don’t understand how big of a commitment it is to put words on paper regularly for this length of time.

2. Everything I Bought at the 2026 DC Pen Show (via dwrdnet). Or should it be “I Bought Everything at the 2026 DC Pen Show”? :)

3. 2026 DC Pen Show (via Rachel’s Reflections). An excellent recap of the DC Pen Show. On the hangout issue - the current DC Pen Show hotel is not set up well at all for after-hours hangouts. There is a market lack of comfortable seating, and the bar has jacked up the price of drinks astronomically, in my opinion, all of which I suspect depresses turnout.

4. Leonardo Dolcevita (via Figboot on Pens). I loved the original Dolcevita color scheme, and am glad to see both Leonardo and the new Delta brand bringing it back.

5. Filofax Inserts (Reproduced). I’m enjoying this trend of long-out-of-print planner inserts being resurrected by community enthusiasts.

6. Swirling with the Kaweco Sport Marble Ocean (via Well-Appointed Desk). In my opinion the only problem with this Kaweco Collection Sport is that we could not get enough of them.

7. Dromgoole’s Pilot Custom 823 “The Sixty-Five” (via Inddependence). I really hope Pilot continues to do more of these collaborations in the U.S., similar to how prevalent they are in Japan.

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These Inkii Cannoli Wipes were a find at the 2026 DC Pen Show! Check out the recap for details.

In Case You Missed It….

This week seems like a continuation of last week, mainly because I’ve been going nonstop post-DC and am looking forward to a couple days off! This week I posted my DC Pen Show 2026 Recap, in which I talked about everything I saw at one of the largest pen shows in the U.S. (Yes, I did get to roam a bit.) I also posted another “Ask TGS Installment, in which I talk about the differences between leather and fabric pen cases.

Yes, we finally have more Uni Kuru Toga Safari Mechanical Pencils.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

Take a deep breath, because we have a ton of new stuff arriving every day! This week we received a giant shipment of Japanese stationery that I ordered upon my return from Tokyo in May, including four new colors of Pilot S20 Mechanical Pencils and Pilot 4+1 Multi Pens, Pilot ILMILY Nuance Black Gel Pens and Refills, and more Graphilo A5 notebooks in all rulings. Finally, by popular request, we have the Lamy Safari “Kuru Toga Inside” mechanical pencils, as well as more Kuru Toga Wood and Kuru Toga Metal mechanical pencils direct from Japan!

We are back from the DC Pen Show, and our Nashville shop will be open from 1pm-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday (back to normal hours).

Pilot

Uni Pencils

Leuchtturm1917

Soolla

How YOu Can Support us further: Visit Us on Patreon

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.

Sunday Reading for August 9, 2026

1. Pen Shows 101 (and Stationery Festivals Too) (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). If you’re attending a pen show this summer/fall, and especially if you’re attending one of the big ones, Kimberly just released this comprehensive post on pen show prep and attendance etiquette.

2. Live from the 2026 Fountain Pen Supershow, Part I and Part II (via Inkdependence). Check out Mike’s 2-part livestream from the show floor.

3. BENU Tessera Black Amber Fountain Pen (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Benu’s latest releases are more … subdued. For Benu, at least.

4. Yoseka Stationery Fest 2026 and Haul (via Inky.Rocks). A comprehensive video from a huge event in New York City. I love a good haul video.

5. Florida Stationery Fest 2026 - First Year! Amazing Turnout! (via Feed Your Creativity). Toni walks the floor at the inaugural Florida Stationery Fest. If you’re curious about the differences between a stationery fest and a pen show, these videos are incredibly helpful to give you a visual demonstration.

6. Drillog Kodachi (via Figboot on Pens). Yes, Drillog is still around, and they’ve released even more nib variants including a “Kodachi” bent nib.

7. Pen Review: Drillog Classical2 Material AL Nib Holder & Kodachi Machined Dip Nib (via Well-Appointed Desk). I have this same Drillog nib holder and love it. Plus another review of the Drillog Kodachi.

8. William Hannah Inserts (via Philofaxy). Wow - William Hannah unfortunately has closed shop, but have made their inserts and layouts available as a download for those who want to be able to print them for future years.

9. Comparative Overview: Pilot Custom 823 & Pilot Custom 74 (via Scrively). Two of my favorite pens, side by side.

10. 5 Pen I’d Purchase if I Started Again (via UK Fountain Pens). An interesting thought experiment. What pens would you buy if you had the ability to start from scratch? There are many that I “missed” and are no longer available.

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Come see us on Sunday! You have one more day of DC!

In Case You Missed It…

You didn’t miss much! We’re at the DC Pen Show. I did do a post earlier this week on what to expect at pen shows - specifically the DC Pen Show and other pen events. It’s been incredibly busy here and hopefully today I will get to step out from behind the table and roam for a while! Thanks to everyone who came by to support us, and especially those who stopped by my notebook systems class in the Vanness Pen Lounge. It was great to see you!

Lots of people discovered Logical T-Line Paper this weekend!

This Week in the TGS Curated Shop

The restocks didn’t stop this week while we are out! We have the new Blackwing Volume 458 Birding Pencil, more Lamy Meteorite and Meteora fountain pens, and restocked Nakabayashi paper that includes the T-line Multilined paper. Be sure to check out this week’s Drops Post for a full listing of all new arrivals and restocks.

Our Nashville shop will be open from 1pm-6pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-5pm on Saturday (back to normal hours). Please note that we are currently at the DC Pen Show until tomorrow. Online orders placed last week will have a 3-5 business day shipping window, instead of our normal 2-3 business day ship time. We appreciate your support!

Lamy

Blackwing

Field Notes

Nahvalur

How YOu Can Support us further: Visit Us on Patreon

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.

Sunday Reading for August 2, 2026 (Stationery Store Day Edition)

1. Wanna Go to a Show? Pen Show Calendar Updated! (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana and here team maintain one of the most comprehensive pen show calendars available. Guess what was added for mid-October?

2. 10 Pens, But Inks (via Dime Novel Raven). I’ve also wondered about the ink counterpart to the 10 pens challenge. What 10 inks would I keep?

3. Maruman Mnemosyne Journal A6 Slim Notebook Review (via Pen Addict). I’ve been using a Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Journal - the larger version of what’s being reviewed - and have been impressed with the quality.

4. New Crena Papers from Soe and Soe (via dwrdnet). I’ve yet to try these Crena papers out of China, but have heard good things in terms of how they respond to ink.

5. Sheaffer Legacy Review: They Did The Brand Justice (via Doodlebud). I’ve been seeing reviews of the new Sheaffer Legacy - an old favorite - and find myself somewhat intrigued about the re-released version.

6. Pen Show Prep, Differently (via Rachel’s Reflections). Are you getting ready for the D.C. Pen Show? It’s upon us, starting Thursday!

7. Conway Stewart Detection Club (via Figboot on Pens). Special editions from Conway Stewart often have a great story behind them, this one is no exception. Don’t overlook this brand.

In Case You Missed It…

This week, we released Episode 13 of On The Paper Trail, in which Lisa Vanness and I discuss fountain pen inks in our first dedicated ink episode. This one focuses on permanent fountain pen inks, which seem to be having a bit of a moment judging from the volume of questions we are getting about this topic. I also published a short piece on choosing a notebook system, as well as friendly reminder of our site resources and our upcoming class/seminar at next week’s D.C. Pen Show.

I’ve been super impressed with the Nahvalur Nautilus: Ti version.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - Stationery Store Day Promotion Through The Weekend!

Yesterday was Stationery Store Day, and it was a joy to see so many people come through our doors to celebrate brick-and-mortar stationery businesses! Anyone who purchased a fountain pen in-store received a complimentary ink sample, and we’re extending this promotion to any online fountain pen orders placed on Saturday and Sunday. No coupon code is necessary - a complimentary sample will be automatically added to your order. (Limit one sample per person.)

This week was a big one for new arrivals, with new Kaweco Sports from both the Kaweco Collection and standard lineups, as well as the return of Nahvalur fountain pens! We also have Lochby Mini Pocket Journals, and new Rhodia “Colors” writing pads. Be sure to check each week’s Thursday Drops e-mail for new arrivals and restocks.

Starting Wednesday (8/5), hours and shipping schedule will be slightly modified due to the D.C. Pen Show. All online orders placed between Weds-Friday (8/5-8/7) will ship in a 3-5 business day time frame. The Nashville Shop will remain open, but hours may be slightly reduced and updates posted this week.

Roterfaden

Kaweco

Nahvalur

Rhodia

How YOu Can Support us further: Visit Us on Patreon

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. In addition to exclusive content, Discord access, and online meetups, Patreon supporters have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.