We're back with episode 5, Pen Friends! If you've been tuning in to the last 4 episodes, you might now be wondering about what to do with all the gear you just acquired. Of course, we don't #PENable for nothing, so we're here to talk about PLANNING as a regular means of maximizing pen-ink-and-paper usage, and as a means to get ourselves and our days in order. As usual, here are the links to what we talk about in this episode: "Sailor's Sailor Ink Review" by Mountain of Ink:...

Welcome back, Pen Friends!   This is a bit of a long one but we promise that it's good and meaty. In this episode, we discuss the last two components of a great writing experience: Paper and Inks (PINKS, for short). We get into different paper and ink qualities and quirks, our preferences, and maybe some that could be yours.    Do note that we make a mistake regarding ink capacities in this episode so here are some **corrective links** that could help clear that up: TWSBI Ink Capacity...

Hello again, Pen Friends! Due to some demand, we dedicate this entire episode to starter pens--the pens that you, well, start with, whether they choose you or you choose them (Yes. We do lean into the Pokemon analogy very strongly in this one). We go into our own starter pens, and make recommendations about other entry-level options. We also go into the various things to consider in choosing that starter pen because, as we always like to say, everyone's pen journey is different after...

Hello PenFriends!    We're back this time to discuss nibs and the endless promise of their use. Being the ever-dependable noobs that we are, we talk non-exhaustively about our nib preferences, some nib-related phenomena, the differences between Japanese and Western nibs, and the differences between nib materials.    If you're interested to hear our take on these OR want to inform, correct, or clear some things up for us, then we're glad you're here to tune in! Here are a few **nib-related...

Hello PenFriends!   We're Jika and Ryan, your pen noobs trying to reclaim the term noob while also doing our best to lift the curtain off some of our favorite things: fountain pens and stationery.   We're by no means experts on either, thus meriting our noob-ish title, and hope that this podcast PENlightens and PENables not just ourselves but also our viewers/listeners. We hope to cover other related topics (nibs, inks, cases, and planners, for example) and catch-up with the scene through the...