I’m trying something new this week — though it’s certainly not new to the rest of the internet. Search for ‘scroll’ on Substack, and you never may reach the end of posts. Since I found no ‘stationery scroll’ as far as I can tell, and I’ve long wanted to share shorter tidbits in addition to my usual coverage, I’m trying out this new-to-me format.
First up, we have all read about, experienced, dissected (and of course catastrophized) AI ad nauseum. As a welcome and colorful counterpoint, Leuchtturm1917 dubs its latest color release ‘Human Intelligence.’
Like the most of our best ideas, the color palette of Burgundy, Bubblegum, Moss and Dove is frothy and fun, but grounded too. Bubblegum is a little silly (but more refined than Barbie Pink), while Moss and Dove allude to the natural world. Together they provide a clean space for inspiration, reminding us that thankfully, thinking can STILL be more complex and open-ended than a computational process. After all, our potential has NOT been pre-written in code; rather, that next spark of brilliance is waiting to be drafted, perhaps on one of these gorgeous gems.
As you can see from Leuchttrum1917’s catalog, they will literally dress clients’ store windows. Every stationery shop in this great nation should be equipped (at the very least) with a smart, oversized styrofoam pen. To get a sense of the scale, here’s me in their Shoppe Object booth this past February! See (and shop) more here.
Next up, the tantalizing Spill the Tea Monthly Mail Club from Stacey O’Nary! I had a brief getting-to-know-you chat with Stacey a while back, and to thank me, she sent me her October mailing. I was not expecting to receive a big fat pink envelope covered in stickers, so I was appropriately intrigued, then floored!
There is such a natural, slow-living intersection between tea and stationery. Seasoned correspondents know the best prose is often stirred by stimulating the senses. The scent and glow of a fragrant candle is my personal go-to, but a steeping cup of tea of Hibiscus Rose will work wonders too!
Other than receiving actual mail, the joy of snail mail clubs is that they are so open-ended. The potential is only limited by envelope size and weight. (Anyone else who wants to share theirs with me, I’m all eyes, ears and open mailbox!) Stacey’s is super clever, and she can go in endless directions with her basic template.
Thank you so much Stacey for this unexpected package! Sign up here to take advantage of a $10/month rate; that will jump to $12 November 1. You can skip or cancel anytime. Meanwhile, if there is a way to integrate actual stationery shops into snail mail clubs, both Stacey and I are all ears!
Finally, literally a week does not go by without a new stationery fest! Like snail mail clubs, these can go in a lot of directions.
First, The Japan Society of Boston is expecting nearly 3,500 attendees to walk its inaugural Boston Stationery Fest over two days, but I’m thinking a lot more than 3,500 paper nerds will want tickets! The festival will blend Japanese and local stationery brands including Esterbrook, ICHIKUDO, KASHIKO, Calliope Paperie, Kinokuniya Bookstore, and Copper & Print.
Can I just say, any event with swag from both Calliope Paperie (owned by Kristina Burkey, founder of Stationery Store Day) AND Kinokuniya Bookstore (which I am utterly obsessed with forever) promises to be a wonderful (and possibly wonderfully expensive) event! General tickets for the October 2027 event go on sale in February.
I crossed paths with Joseph Smith of Glyph Stationers at Shoppe Object this past February, and he told me about plans for the inaugural Chesapeake Stationery & Pen Fest, also happening next October a few weeks after Boston. (New England road trip, anyone?)
The two-day event will be held at the STAR Centre in Havre de Grace, Maryland, with approximately 50 exhibitors. The show floor is being planned wide aisles and designated space for attendees to browse products, test writing instruments and interact with exhibitors. This southpaw always appreciates stationery elbow room, so bravo Joseph and team!
That’s all I’ve got this week. However, next weekend I’m hitting The Aurora Stationery Fest, and can barely wait to take in a big beautiful dose of Midwest stationery culture. As always, if you have any thoughts, feedback and especially something you would like me to feature here, please give me a shout!
Burgundy, Bubblegum, Moss and Dove unite to remind us that thinking is far more than a computational process — our potential is not controlled by code. These finds spark those brain cells working is
