(Caroline Foty's first fountain pen was a 1970s Sheaffer No Nonsense that still writes perfectly. Since she discovered pens by independent makers, she wants "one of each, please" and wants to meet all the makers. Maybe you do, too. She lives in Baltimore with pens, cats, and all kinds of fiber arts supplies.)
A thousand years ago, almost the only writing done in western Europe was done in the scriptoria housed at monasteries and religious communities. Nowadays, when we have access to more ways of recording words than ever before, it’s easy to forget that the ability to write was once not only rare, but in some places forbidden for some people.
When Renée Meeks needed a name for her pen making business, based in her home in Jackson, Mississippi, she drew upon things she was fascinated by – “literature, medieval calligraphy, forms of writing. The scriptorium was where the writing was done. They made their own pens and ink.”
When Meeks retired from teaching English in 2012, she received a retirement gift from her brother: a mini lathe. He knew she liked making things, and encouraged her to give it a try. Having always loved pens – “I always wanted to use my mother’s Lady Sheaffer and she wouldn’t let me … I have it now.” – making pens was the thing she instantly wanted to do. She watched Youtube videos and followed International Pen Maker’s Forum tutorials, and “I ordered too many materials!” Another retired English teacher helped her learn the craft, and she soon posted some pens on the makers’ forum on the Fountain Pen Network. They took off, and within a year she was receiving four or five orders a month, and added a metal lathe to her shop setup.
In 2013, Pendleton Brown, of Pendleton’s Pens in Georgia, asked her for some pens to sell in his shop on commission, and said she needed a website and a company name, and Scriptorium Pens was born. The names of her numerous models are almost all forms of writing and types of writers.
Having so many models necessitates keeping good records, and Meeks has a large looseleaf binder in her shop with the specifications and diagrams of all of them. About a third of them are based on specific designs customers requested, that she chose to continue making. She has both standard traditional shapes, and shapes that are subtly modified to make them original.
One striking and unique aspect of her work is the variety of clip and roll stop designs that are available, and she works with a metal artist who will cast whatever she asks for. “I like roll stops better than clips, they add a little flair without taking up the whole cap.” Constructing a pen order on her site is like choosing what to eat at a well-stocked buffet, and the fact that Mark Bacas tunes all Scriptorium nibs before they go out is the perfect dessert.
Meeks draws inspiration from the ever-growing range of available materials, and she herself contributes to that variety. If she sees colors on websites, in photographs, on the endpapers of old books, or around her in the world, she thinks, “That would make a nice pen,” and will often ask Bob Dupras or Jonathon Brooks to create a material based on the source of inspiration. With the ability to see her inspirations made into materials by premier artists, Meeks is not tempted to make her own. Beyond the simple issue of time, “I’d end up with alumilite in my hair!”
There have not been any pen shows on Meeks’ schedule, because it has been very difficult to build up a stash of stock pens. “I don’t work as fast as some, so I have to work every day.” However, after ten years of not attending shows, she plans to be at the Dallas pen show in September, and will spend the summer stocking up to fill her table.
Meeks’ favorite pen that she did not make is an Edison Huron from approximately 2010, which is a shape similar to the Glenmont and was her first custom maker pen. She also enjoys her celluloid Delta Dolce Vita with a big nib, but she has listed it for sale on her Instagram to raise some money to add some dogs to her life. She has two Australian shepherds who are fourteen and aging out of guard dog duty, so she would like to bring home a German shepherd or two. A committed pet lover, she bought a bigger desk a few years ago so that there would be room for her to work in addition to accommodating all three of her cats.
In her limited free time, Meeks loves to read. Work in the shop has pre-empted other activities like gardening, but while working she listens to podcasts about history or pens, as well as some ambient soundscape apps that promote focus.
The freedom of being a penmaker is her favorite aspect of her life, the independence of being able to plan her time to suit herself. “When you’re teaching, you get up before dawn and are going, going, going all day.” All the time in the shop presents no problem. “Penmaking is a delight. I never get bored, every pen is a little different.”
Renée Meeks’ work can be seen at @scriptoriumpens on Instagram, her website ScriptoriumPens.com, and at the Dallas Pen Show. A 2022 profile in Pen World magazine can be read here.
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