Happy Pride 2026!

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

June marks the start of Pride Month, a time to celebrate love, diversity, and the ongoing fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. While I’m not a member of that community, I try to be an ally by learning, being supportive, encouraging, and donating when I can. As Danielle Radclifee (who was amazing in the movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) said, “You don’t have to be gay to be a supporter - you just have to be a human. In that spirit of love and celebration, I’m sharing some quotes that really spoke to me. It was hard to pick from the many wonderful quotes out there, and yes, some of them happened to be from last year too, because I liked them so much.

“What I liked about the rainbow is that it fits all of us. It’s all the colors. It represents all of the genders. It represents all of the races. It’s the rainbow of humanity.” - Gilbert Baker

“When you put love out there in the world, it travels and it can touch people and reach people in ways that we never even expected.” - Laverne Cox “Walk out the door and put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquert the world because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it.” - Lena Waithe

“We deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame, and without compromise.” - Elliot Page

“Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” - Harvey Fierstein

“Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start.” - Jason Collins

“We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference, and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity." - George Takei

“Do not allow people to dim your shine before they are blinded. Tell them to put on some sunglasses, because we were born this way.” - Lady Gaga

As you know, I’m primarily a fountain pen user, but I specifically picked a variety of writing implements because it is a small example of how we are all different, enjoy different things, have different styles, and there isn’t a right or wrong (not even for pencils 🙂).

Top to bottom:

• Pilot G-2 07, Red (other G-2s were used to make some of the rainbow text)
• Leonardo Momento Zero, Stilo e Stile Kintsugi Blue, Fine; Pennonia x Scriptus Niagara Peach
• Kaweco Clutch Pencil with Kakimori steel dip nib, Dominant Industry October Leaves
• Lamy 2000, BB Architect by Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio, Anderillium Chicago River Green
• BlueDew fountain pen with flex nib; Robert Oster Blue Water Ice
• Lamy Safari, Blue, Medium; Diamine Blue Velvet
• Spoke Design Spoke Pen, Purple, Muji 05 purple gel refill
• Pilot Custom 823, Clear, FA nib, Robert Oster x Fire on Fire on Fire
• Aurora Optima Nebulosa, BB; Birmingham Pen Co Waterfront Dusk
• Pencil: Rainbow wood pencil (unknown brand)
• Paper: Smooth onion skin 40.0 gsm from the Yamamoto Fountain Pen Friendly Paper Collection No. 7

Whether you use pens, pencils, crayons, or are using your stationery for activism or fun or taking some time off from stationery to celebrate Pride, I hope you have a safe and wonderful Pride month and all year long! Happy Pride! ♥️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

If you ever see this pin, know that it is a safe space. I see you and I’m so proud of you!

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 719 - The Parker Jotter Was an Explosive

Let’s all meet up! (via @lamy_global)

The things you can learn on a podcast about pens!

This week, I learned that LAMY really did have it in them, that the new Sailor Realo was hiding a white piston mechanism in their product shots, and that it is difficult to suggest a pen for a graduation gift. What did you learn?

Show Notes & Download Links

This episode of The Pen Addict is sponsored by:

Pen Chalet: Check out this week's special offer, and to get your code for 10% off.

Factor: Healthy, fully-prepared food delivered to your door. Use code penaddict50off

Wearingeul The Autumn Night After a Thousand Years Ink Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Wearingeul is quickly becoming my favorite ink brand, largely because their inks are fun and interesting, but also because they have the best ink names. The Autumn Night After a Thousand Years is part of their "The Color of Literature" line, in which all the colors are inspired by lines from Korean Literature. This color is inspired by Lee Yuk-sa's poem "Musa" which means "the dancer." The poem features starlight shining through tree leaves, and the ink invokes this imagery with its dark olive color and gold shimmer.

The color is subtle and stunning. Chromatography shows a charcoal grey base, with a slate blue tint, then sand brown, pine green, and a shock of teal. I want this chromatography strip as a tie-dye shirt immediately. The ink does have some water resistance, though not much. The grey base color stays put while the rest of it washes away. If you spilled your water on your writing, there's a chance you could still make out your words.

The ink has a reasonable dry time of just over 20 seconds, and while it does have a dry feel to it when writing, it flows very well. I had no issues with the shimmer causing any clogging. It does show some shading where the ink pools, but the real star here (pun intended) is the gold shimmer. It's not obtrusive, but it does show up in the written lines. It's very difficult to photograph the effect, but when the light hits the writing, it glistens. It's more pronounced, of course, in larger pools of ink. It's a serious ink with a bit of lovely whimsy, and I think it's fantastic.

This line comes in cube-shaped blown glass bottles with plastic lids and nice labels. The bottle's opening is wide enough for most pens and the bottle is sturdy. The 30 ml bottle costs $27 at Vanness Pen Shop, which puts it at the pricier end of inks in general. I would judge the quality of this ink as worth the cost. All the swatch images I've seen of it do not do it justice, and I found it almost impossible to accurately photograph. I highly recommend seeing this one in person, and using it to write some beautiful nature poetry.

---

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!