It May Have Been Good, But Shouldn't It Have Been Great? (via Pendomness). Dan's thoughts on the D.C. show mirror my own. I'm glad that everything turned out ok for the vendors and they all ended up making money at this crowded and well-attended show, but what about the attendees' experience? Things need to improve.
Reflections on the D.C. Pen Show (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana offers her thoughts on the D.C. Pen Show, which as you all may have heard, had its highs and lows. Regardless, it was great to spend time with everyone in the community.
DC Pen Show Recap (via SBRE Brown). I enjoyed visiting with Stephen and Azizah. Stephen has a comprehensive video recap on his YouTube channel.
DC Pen Show 2017 Recap (via Ink Journal). A recap of the 2017 DC Pen Show from a vendor's perspective.
Bloggers Weigh In: Collecting Fountain Pens vs. Using Fountain Pens (via Ed Jelley). I was happy to be a part of Ed's project, which makes for a very interesting read.
Koala Tools The Bear Claw 2B Pencil (via Comfortable Shoes Studio). I love dark pencils, and I love triangular/mini jumbo pencils, so I was disappointed to read that they apparently have QC issues.
Summer 2017 Wonder Pens International Correspondence Match-Up (via Wonder Pens). Great idea. Maybe this is what I need to jump-start my dive into letter writing.
Robert Oster Ng Special '16 (via Alt.Haven). One of the colors of Robert Oster Inks that I've been eyeing for some time. I always wondered what the origin story was behind the name. This one's still on the list, though I wasn't able to locate it at the D.C. Pen Show.
Aurora 88 Anniversario (via Gourmet Pens). Azizah gets her hands on the yellow version of the Aurora 88 with the "flex" nib (and had the same opinion of the nib as most everyone else). If I was going to pick up one of these limited edition Aurora 88s, it would be this yellow version.
Review of Write Notepads Pencil Pouch (via Pencil Revolution). Johnny takes a look at the new Write Notepads Pencil Pouch, which apparently is large enough to hold most unsharpened pencils (including Blackwings).

Please Visit My Sponsors and Affiliates!

Please take a moment to visit these fine folks who help keep this blog going! It's next to impossible to keep up a steady stream of fresh review content without some form of blog sponsorship. I'm grateful to everyone who's helped me out along the way.

Pen Chalet. Pen Chalet has a wide variety of available pens and offers unbeatable value on pens, inks, pen cases, etc.
Anderson Pens. In addition to having the largest offering of bottled ink in the world, Anderson Pens is an authorized retailer of a wide range of brands, including Aurora and Faber-Castell. Check out the sponsor profile I published here.
Appelboom. Appelboom recently joined as a sponsor of this blog! Please check out their extensive selection and excellent pricing, including Montblanc pens such as this Classique 145 I recently reviewed.
V anness Pens and Kenro Industries. Vanness Pens carries rare and hard-to-find inks from all over the world, including special editions made by Sailor for Bung Box and Kobe Nagasawa in Japan. Also, Vanness carries a wide array of pens, including standard and special edition offerings from Aurora, as well as the ystudio line of pens from Taiwan.
Say Nice Things Stationery. SNT is a new UK-based notebook company that makes some really nice, reasonably priced journals and notebooks. Check out my review of some of their offerings here, as well as their recently released Flip/Flop Pocket Notebooks!
Tom Barrington Leather Goods. Tom Barrington manufactures high-quality leather goods, including pen cases in stingray and ostrich leather. (Review of their leather two-pen sleeve here.)
Pokka Pens. Pokka Pens makes high quality, portable ballpoints that make for a great EDC option. Check out my review here, and don't forget to use the code GENTSTA to get 10% off your purchase!

In Case You Missed It ....

I tried to get back on track this week after my trip to the D.C. Show. If you missed my D.C. Show Recaps, check out my Thursday/Friday recap here, and my Saturday recap here. Sunday was relatively uneventful since most vendors had limited inventory remaining after a huge Saturday.

This week I offered my initial thoughts on Amethyste de l'Ourale, the first ink from the new J. Herbin 1798 Collection. I also took a look at the Taccia Spectrum, a new pen that's received a lot of attention recently. Finally, if you missed this week's Deals and Drops, they feature some items that I had the opportunity to check out at the DC Show.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.