Behind the Stationery Stack with Addy (via dwrdnet). Derek interviews Addy of Stationery Stack, creator of some excellent pen trays and pen cases, and who it was fun to meet in person at this year’s California Pen Show!
Four Grey Inks: Taccia Budounezu, Ka-Ku x Ink Mazeru Gray of Ash Haze, Ka-Ku Black Jade, and Arcus Artisan Raven’s Shadow (via A Gathering of Curiosities). These new Taccia inks have been slightly delayed stateside but I can’t wait to get my hands on them, both personally and for the shop!
On Maintaining Friendships in My Adult Life (via Urban Adventure League). A great post and a reminder of why I make efforts to attend several pen shows a year to keep in touch with friends in-person.
Does Your Handwriting Change with Different Fountain Pens? (via SBRE Brown). An interesting question, and for me the answer is definitely more about the nib than the pen. Certain nibs favor a certain style of handwriting, and sometimes I have to switch it up.
Keeping a Notebook vs. Keeping a Diary (via Notebook Stories). A distinction that merits some consideration, as many people conflate keeping a diary, keeping a journal, and keeping a notebook as the same thing when in reality the process is intensely personal and specific to how each of us records thoughts.
What’s in My Bag: Travel Edition (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ana walks us through her travel bag that she brought with her to Los Angeles. Charging cords and pens are a common theme among pen show vendors!
Analog Defaults Page Now Live (via Pen Addict). A constantly changing reference guide to products currently in use? Now that’s a good idea.
In Case You Missed It….
We attended the 2026 California Pen Show from Wednesday through Sunday! This week I will have a more fulsome recap of the experience, but it was great to meet so many new and longtime readers and customers in person. Check out our short recap of Friday, including a few pictures of our setup and my one new find!
This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop
The biggest news from this week in the shop was the arrival of a second shipment of Pilot Custom 74 Lavender Fog fountain pens, of which we have only a couple remaining, hopefully with more on the way. In recent weeks we’ve received shipments of the new Lamy AL-Star fountain pens in Pine and Flamingo, TWSBI ECO Black and Marble fountain pens, and many unique paper formats including Life Noble Note in 6-hole looseleaf and A4 Canopus paper! Be sure to check out this week’s Thursday Drops for a full list of new arrivals and restocks, as well as details of this week’s special promotion using the code “CAPENSHOW26” at checkout, which expires at 11:59pm tonight!
We will return to normal store hours this coming week, open from 1-6pm Thursday and Friday, and from 10am-6pm on Saturday. We’re bringing back a ton of new stuff from Los Angeles so be sure to stop into the shop and see it all!
How to Support T.G.S. and Our Various Projects
If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions, consider supporting us via Patreon. The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. As of this morning, ALL Patreon supporters (including non-paying free members) have access to one or more initial “practice” episodes of “On the Paper Trail” which have not been publicly released.