Pen Show Seminars
2025 Seminars and Workshops
Friday - Sunday - test 300 inks at our ink testing table
Kids Scavenger Hunt Friday - Sunday (NEW)
Friday
11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Are You Pelikan Curious? with Rick Propas, Danny Aarons and Janet Wright of the penguin, York Room, FREE
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm - A Taste of Copperplate with Brush Pens with Laurie Paolinetti. FREE, Limit of 20. Ogden Room, Register here
2:00 pm -3:30 pm Journaling with Imaginary Friends with Tom Forsythe, $55, Limit of 20, Windsor Room Register here
3:00 pm 4:00 pm - Sparking A Journaling Practice with KC, Ogden Room, FREE
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm - Elevate the Everyday: Improve your Handwriting with Kimberly Lau, $30, Limit of 50, York Room, Register here
8 - 10 pm - PEN AUCTION - Location - Kent Room
Saturday
10:00am - 11:00 am - Pen Repair 101 with Trevis Young, York Room, FREE
10:00 am - 11:00 am - Sparking A Journaling Practice with KC, Windsor Room, FREE
10:00 am - 12:00pm - Spencerian Penmanship with Michael Sull, $50 , Ogden Room, limit 20. To register for this class, contact Michael Sull by email (penmanmichaelsull@gmail.com) prior to the Pen Show to reserve their place in class. Payment for the class can be made in class at the show.
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Explore Creative Journaling with Tom Forsythe, $55, limit of 20, Windsor Room, Register here
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Vintage Pens for the Modern User, Hosted by The Pen Collectors of America, Kent Room, FREE
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Vintage Pen "Tasting", presented by The Pen Collectors of America, Kent Room, FREE
3:00 pm 4:00 pm - Sparking A Journaling Practice with KC, Windsor Room, FREE
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Self-Portraits Will Save Your Life with Tom Forsythe, $55, limit of 20, Windsor Room, Register here
6:00 pm - 10: 00 pm - Fountain Pen Social Saturday (NEW) - with KC
8:30 pm - Whisk(e)y Tasting Event, "The Ladder", extra cost, 21 and over. Kent Room,
Sunday
9:00 am - 10:30 am - Get Lost! (In Your Creative Journal) with Tom Forsythe, $55, limit of 20, Ogden Room, Register Here
10:00 am - 11:00 am - Pens For Kids, Hosted by The Pen Collectors of America, Kent Room, FREE
10:30am - 12 pm - Pop Up Cards Workshop with Roses Without Thorns, Windsor Room, $30, class size 20, Register here
Learn more info about each Seminar/workshop below
Friday 11:00 am - 12:00pm - Are You Pelikan Curious? York Room, FREE Join Rick Propas, Danny Aarons and Janet Wright of the penguin, in a conversation that will explore the history and product development of Pelikan from the firm’s current offerings to the origins in 1929 We’ll present a quick summary of the pens and the company’s development, but we’ll spend most of the hour in discussion—so come prepared with questions and feel free to bring along any odd or interesting Pelikans for show and tell.
Friday 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm - A Taste of Copperplate with Brush Pens with Laurie Paolinetti. FREE, Limit of 20. Ogden Room Have you ever wanted to try calligraphy, but didn’t know where to start? Well, you can start here with Laurie! This beginner friendly intro to Copperplate script will begin with a lesson in basic strokes & continue to the lowercase alphabet. A Tombow Fundenosuke brush pen & handout will be provided & yours to take home. Although a brief study of the script, you will see how strokes connect & letters are formed. Don’t forget to practice at home & tag me @lauriepaolinetti with your writing & new found love of letters!
Friday 2:00 pm -3:30 pm Journaling with Imaginary Friends with Tom Forsythe, $55, Limit of 20, Windsor Room Join Tom of Sugar Turtle Studio as we create our own comic characters to populate the pages of our journal. We will use these new friends to tell our stories in new ways and to see the events of our day through a new lens. Journaling is often a solitary activity, but it certainly doesn't need to be a lonely one! Attendees will receive a kit with all the supplies they need to participate in the class.
Friday 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 am - 11:00 am & 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm (all classes are the same), By KC, Windsor Room, FREE Forming a journaling practice supports mental well-being as well as being a great way to keep memories and document events, not to mention it's a great excuse to use our favorite pens and papers! Bring something to write with and write on while we explore some different writing prompts and journal methods. KC is @dimenovelraven on Instagram and has a pen/paper blog at dimenovelraven.com.
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm - Elevate the Everyday: Improve your Handwriting with Kimberly Lau, York Room, $30 Do you get mistaken for a doctor with your chicken scratch? Has typing your life away taken its toll on your handwriting? Is your writing fine but you'd like it to look nicer? Join us for an interactive seminar on how to improve your everyday handwriting with Kimberly Lau (@allthehobbies on IG) who started her own handwriting journey in 2017 after discovering fountain pens. Kimberly will walk you through the different aspects of handwriting, providing tips and techniques to get you improving your handwriting in no time. You'll learn: How to break the process into individual and less daunting steps Steps to overcome your inner critic Practical methods for planning your practice Please bring any kind of pen (preferably with darker ink) to this 90 minute session and get ready to transform your everyday handwriting! About Kimberly: Kimberly Lau (she/her) has been working on her own handwriting since 2017 when she took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole. Examples of her writing (and pens and inks) can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies, and you can also find her articles on the Pen Addict blog.
Saturday 10am - 11am Pen Repair 101 with Trevis Young, York Room, FREEThis brief seminar will discuss the basics of pen repair. Tools and supplies needed (and where to get them), as well as some basic pitfalls and considerations folks need to be aware of if considering beginning vintage pen restoration / repair.
Saturday 10am - 12pm Spencerian Penmanship By Michael Sull, $50, Windsor Room, class limit of 20, registration link coming soon
Saturday 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Explore Creative Journaling with Tom Forsythe, $55, limit of 20, Windsor RoomExplore Creative Journaling Join Tom of Sugar Turtle Studio for a quirky, messy, informative journey into the world of Creative Journaling. Get over your fear of the blank page and get using those pens, notebooks, art supplies, stickers, and washi in fun and creative ways. Great for beginners and avid journalers looking for a new perspective. Attendees will receive a Creative Journal Starter Kit which will include a journal, washi tape, stickers, and other fun surprises!
Saturday 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Vintage Pens for the Modern User, Hosted by The Pen Collectors of America, Kent Room, FREE The world of vintage pens offers an incredible opportunity to add fascinating, beautiful, and functional pens to your collection for relatively low costs. But where to start? What should you look for? Is it all about flex? What if the nibs are scratchy? Is it hard to clean and polish the pens? Can they be fixed, and if so, what about parts? Where can I learn more if I am curious?
Saturday3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Self-Portraits Will Save Your Life with Tom Forsythe, $55, limit of 20, Windsor RoomSelf-Portraits Will Save Your Life Journaling is a fertile connection point between the act of creation and the act of self exploration. Join Tom of Sugar Turtle Studio as we combine art journaling techniques with traditional journaling techniques to search for ourselves. We will approach the practice from a low-stakes, light-hearted place, but don't let that fool you that there isn't a lot of depth to plumb with these exercises. "Art" skills are not required. You've already got everything you need to take this class. Except for the Self-Portrait starter kit, which will be included with your attendance.
Saturday 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Vintage Pen "Tasting", Hosted by The Pen Collectors of America, Kent Room, FREE Vintage Pen Tasting follows the Vintage Pens for the Modern User as a way to gain some hands-on experience with vintage pens like those discussed in the panel. Come and try a variety of vintage pens! We will supply the pens, ink, and paper, and we will be there to guide you and answer all questions. Beginner questions are welcomed and encouraged.
Sunday 9:00 am - 10:30 am - Get Lost! (In Your Creative Journal) with Tom Forsythe, $55, limit of 20, Ogden RoomGet Lost! (In Your Creative Journal) You’re beyond the basics with your creative journal, but there are still plenty of new ways to get lost inside its pages. Join Tom from Sugar Turtle Studio for a series of exercises to stretch your creative muscles, expand your repertoire of creative journaling tools, and become a journaling genius. Attendees will receive a Creative Journal Expansion pack, which will include a journal and a whole mess of other surprise goodies.
Sunday 10:00 am - 11:00am Pens for Kids, Hosted by The Pen Collectors of America, Kent Room, FREE Pens For Kids is a workshop that interactively teaches the origins of writing, and where pens fall within that history. Among other activities, participants will learn to write a thank you note. All supplies are provided and each child will leave with a pen!
Sunday 10:30am - 12 pm Pop Up Cards Workshop, $30, Windsor Room, class limit 20 "Everytime I open a pop-up book/card, I feel like a child again with great sense of wonder..." Do you share that same feeling? Ever curious about how those pop-up structures are made? Join this workshop with artisan Link Tong to learn about basic pop-up techniques. You will have chance to make your own 3 -4 pop up cards to decorate your home or to give to your loved one. Come to learn, have fun, and bring out your inner child :) Link Tong is a certified florist, paper artist, and founder of Roses Without Thorns - Toronto based craft business that specializes in pop up cards since 2014. Their unique cards (a.k.a works of art) have been adored at pen shows across North America and featured on Pen World Magazine.