The Poor Penman

The Poor Penman was started out of need. Not a need of pen and stationery bloggers, there are plenty of those around. This was a personal need to write, to express, and to share in my own discoveries as I dove headfirst down the pen and stationery rabbit hole. Since then a lot has changed; my budget has changed, my tastes have evolved, my penmanship is… fine. The stationery landscape has changed as well, though not always for the better. Nevertheless now is as good a time as any to properly reintroduce myself. If you’re going to be reading my opinions about pens, you may as well know where they’re coming from.

Hi, I’m Paul.

I have been a very picky pen person for about as long as I have been capable of writing. I went from being the kid who loved back to school shopping to the guy in the office with the fancy pens. A bit of luck and a lot of help from a friend would eventually lead to a career change that landed me in the marketing department for a global pen brand, granting me an incredible look beneath the surface of the stationery industry. Although I value the knowledge and skills I gained from my time as an industry insider, I really lost a lot of desire to talk about pens in my off hours. Eventually I chose to leave that position, returning pens and paper to a hobby from my primary source of income. 

Although I started my public pen journey exploring the options available to budget-minded pen people, my opinions have broadened (and my personal price caps have increased). These days I try to get my hands on writing accessories from all over the spectrum, and provide my honest opinions to those considering a purchase.

When I get into a hobby or fandom, I tend to want to know everything about it. And the more I learn about a subject, the more I want to share that knowledge with others. This is a place I made for myself to talk about pens, inks, paper, and whatever else catches my interest. To share what knowledge I gather with anyone else who wants to know.