FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When are meetings? The Seattle Pen Club (SPC) offers two meetings per month: on the third Saturday of the month from 11am to 1pm and on the last Sunday of the month from 12pm to 2pm. Some people attend just one meeting and some people attend both. You are welcome at either or both! Very occasionally members will plan additional meetings in other locations. Those meetings will be posted here, in our private Facebook group, and in our email newsletter. Learn more.
Where are meetings? The West Side meeting (on the third Saturday of the month) is held in the Stadler Room at the Lake Forest Towne Center.
The East Side meeting (on the last Sunday of the month) is usually held in a public meeting room at either the Redmond Public Library OR the Kingsgate Library. The location will vary depending on venue availability. Meeting locations are posted on our website, on our Facebook group, and in our email newsletter. Please check for the location each month.
Do I need to sign up ahead of time to attend a meeting? There is no need to sign up or register! Meetings are very informal. We’d love to meet you. Learn more about what happens at meetings.
Does membership in the Seattle Pen Club cost anything? Membership is totally free. Once a year, we put out a request for donations to pay for the few expenses that the club incurs, but that is completely optional.
How does one become a member of the Seattle Pen Club? If you feel like you’re a member, then you are a member! We don’t have a formal roster, and we don’t take attendance at meetings. Do you want to be in the club? Congratulations! You’re in the club! Yay!
Where can I get a pen repaired? We have a small list of recommendations. (If you have a recommendation to add to the list, please share!) You can also ask advice from your fellow club members at meetings or via our very active Facebook group.
I’m not into fountain pens; I’m into [this other type of pen or this type of stationery or another thing that writes or literally anything that has to do with making marks on a flat surface]... That’s great! Bring it to a meeting! It’s likely someone else will be curious about it and happy to chat with you about it. We’re “pen club” not “fountain pen club.” Some of our members love rollerballs and others love mechanical pencils. Many of us have very strong opinions about paper. There was a meeting where some attendees spent a long time discussing the different smells of ink. The pen world is vast; you are welcome to explore it with us.
Can I sell you my pens? We’re not specifically a forum for selling, but the West Side meetings (in Lake Forest Park) do feature a sell/swap table in addition to a free table. Members often sell to and trade directly with one another. And there’s always eBay and Reddit’s very active Pen_Swap forum. (SPC is not affiliated with either website.)
