The fountain pen: will written words exist in the future?

In honour of America's National Handwriting Day, I penned this essay for the competition sponsored by Farhrney's Pens in Washington, DC.

As technology evolves and the digital era engulfs traditional forms of communication, handwritten letters, cards, and notes will carry greater weight in the eyes of the recipient. When was the last time you received a personal letter, written in cursive, with the ebb and flow that only a fountain pen can produce? I prefer such personal notes, as girlfriends, family, and clients understand you took the time to write a few words in your own hand.

On a recent snowy day in Washington, DC, I discovered Fahrney´s Pens for the first time and purchased a beautiful Pelikan fountain pen. I prefer fountain pens, as I feel a strong connection between idea and expression of that idea on the paper. As a student, I was unique in that I wrote in cursive. Few of my fellow students took handwritten notes and most typed on their laptops. The exercise of writing served to strength my memory of what the professor lectured about. Typing can be rather soporific, whereas writing requires a modicum of attentiveness.

Recently I rediscovered a weather journal kept by my great-great-great grandfather when he was living in New York in 1835. The pen strokes memorialized on several dozen pages instantly connected me to another era. As handwritten messages become rarer in our society, the letters that are saved will instantly have great sentimental value to future generations.

Fahrney’s will continue to play a vital role in sustaining quality pens to a new era of stylist aficionados. As we write less, the quality of our writing instrument becomes more important. Being in my 20s, it is rare to see colleagues write with fountain pens. I feel enlightened when I write and the ability to reflect on words that are truly mine is something only experienced by individuals with the sole of an artist.

The fountain pen will be a force as long as there are people who view letters as art. As the ink flows, creating sentences and paragraphs, one cannot help but see two beauties – visual and literary.