The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 670 - L

The latest Pilot Timeline - a sneaky favorite of mine. (via @pilot_corporation on Instagram.)

Why do I let Myke pick the titles? Not, it’s not a typo, and ok yes, it’s kind of funny. Who wouldn’t want to see the names of pen refills simplified like this?

It was a refill heavy stream, with my full thoughts on the uniball Zento, plus the Benu Pixie fountain pen. I also enjoy Pilot’s marbles.

Show Notes & Download Links

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Rambles from the Road, Pens of StokerCon Edition

(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!)

Another StokerCon has come and gone, and I'm navigating the rough reentry into the real world. StokerCon is always fun, but it was something extra special this year.

For some context, StokerCon is an annual convention put on by the Horror Writers Association, where spooky story folks gather and celebrate the genre. It's a blend of authors, editors, agents, publishers, reviewers, librarians, filmmakers, and fans.

This year, the convention was held in Stamford, Connecticut, which allows me to check another state off of my travel list. I didn't see much of the town--just the stretch between the train station and the hotel. I did take the train again this year, and while it was exhausting, I still consider it the best way to travel. It costs less than flying, and it's more comfortable and less stressful. It takes the same amount of time as driving, but you can nap and read and knit. But I digress.

By all measures, this shouldn't have been the most awesome con ever. The logistics were fraught, the hotel was.... decrepit and understaffed. There was nothing in walking distance, and the hotel was clearly not prepared for 900 Halloween People to descend upon it. But it was still one of the best, because this year we need our communities more than ever.

I didn't get to go to the Chicago Pen Show this year, and it's the first time I've missed it in almost a decade. So this excursion to StokerCon was my first adventure of 2025, and I NEEDED it. Being with my people has refilled my soul buckets.

And there was stationery there. Of course. Writers like writing and they like writing with writey things. And nowhere was that more abundant than at the Mass Author Signing, where hundreds of authors sat with pens in hand. I made a tour of the room, and I'm reporting my findings back like a good Pen Addict.

The most popular choice by far was the trusty Sharpie, which is in line with my findings of last year. It's just the perfect book signing pen. Most of the Sharpies used were plain black, which I feel was a missed opportunity. I've been using purple or the metallic brass in my books, and it's fancee.

There were, of course, also a lot of plain ballpoint pens. But there were two new trends that delighted me.

One, lots of stamps! From custom Hanko Chop stamps to fun and whimsical rubber stamps, my book was full of fun images.

Two, fountain pens! I used to be the solo pen geek, but this year there were THREE authors signing with fountain pens. And all three of them were black TWSBI Ecos. They looked elegant and were perfectly practical for their purpose. One new friend even drew me a dinosaur with their TWSBI.

None of this is pictured because my books are in the mail making their way across the country to me. You'll have to take my word for it. It's a very good dinosaur.

I guess the point of this post is that you should surround yourself in your community in these troubled times. Stay close to your people, meet your challenges, ride trains, and draw dinosaurs.

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Life Stationery Stenographers' Notebook Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The stenographers' pad or steno book has long been a favorite of mine. It's a ubiquitous format that you can find in almost any store in the US that sells any sort of stationery or office supplies. Quality varies greatly, and most of these notebooks use cheap, thin paper that is unpleasant to use. But there a few brands that provide an excellent steno book, and I love them for it. A new option that quickly skyrocketed to the top of my "great steno books" list is the Life Stationery Stenographers' Notebook.

The Life Stationery take on the steno book is similar to all the other variants, but it excels in the area of paper quality. Most steno books are sized roughly in the realm of 8x6 inches, and the Life version sticks to the tried-and-true A5 spec at 8.2" x 5.8". According to Wikipedia, Gregg ruling is normally found in North America, and it is described as such: "Paper should be smooth and lined, dull in finish, with three lines to the inch and a line down the center." Life's version of the steno book stays true to this definition, with wide line ruling and a line down the middle of the page. The ruling and center line are repeated on both sides of the page.

Steno books normally aren't very thick, and this variant is no different. With just 50 pages, it won't last long unless you're using both sides of the pages. With cheap steno books, I've only used the front side of the page for convenience (going to the next page is a simple page turn away, as opposed to turning the page and flipping the notebook around), but I'll be using both sides of the pages in this steno book for two reasons: it isn't exactly cheap, and the paper can actually handle writing on both sides.

It feels a little odd to use a steno book that has such nice paper since these types of books usually resort to pretty cheap paper that you use and throw away. With Life's notebook, the paper is really good. It's thick, smooth, and you can hardly see any show-through on the back side of the page. It's so good — just like the paper in their other notebooks. Using the back side of the page is easy in this case. It feels smooth when writing, but isn't slippery. All the inks and pen combos I've tried have done remarkably well. I can't see any feathering or bleeding anywhere. The only ink that I've found to somewhat show through to the back side of the page is the Schmidt P812x rollerball ink, and even then it's minimal. In short, the paper is phenomenal.

When it comes to ruling, I'm a fan of dot grid, then grid, then either lined (narrow or college rule) or blank depending on my mood or what I'm using the paper for. Wide rule is one of my least favorite rulings, but I don't mind it in this case because it's part of the specification for a stenographer notebook. Something about the line going down the middle of the page makes a little easier for me to use. I don't feel bad splitting my notes or scribbles into two sections across the page. It doesn't really make sense, but it's how my brain works in this case.

I didn't realize this at the time, but Life also offers a grid ruling version of their Stenographers' Notebook. Where the Gregg Ruled version has a green cover, the grid version has a beige cover and also costs $2 more.

The green cover on the notebook I have is a very close shade to light brown in the right light, but does a great job of looking retro and clean. It's thick enough to provide plenty of protection for the paper inside, and is thicker than most steno books. The back cover is completely blank, a lighter color, and equal in thickness and rigidity. The top-bound spiral ring is robust and just the right size for easy page turning. The wire is coated in a nice off-white finish that goes well with the cream paper and green/brown covers. Aside from the front, there is zero markings on the inside front and back covers. The corners are square, and I've noticed that the beginning and ending pages have already started curling a little bit from use. Not a big deal, but something that could easily be avoided by rounding off the corners.

For me, the steno book is equal parts utilitarian and nostalgic. It's fun to see a product from Life that nails both of these traits while also delivering a vastly superior product. Sure, you pay for that quality, but it's amazing. The Gregg ruled version of this notebook is $13, while the grid ruled version is $15. Not the cheapest options, but I'd argue it's correct pricing due to the quality of the materials used. If you just want a cheap steno book that you can use as a scratchpad, this isn't the product for you. But, if you like the aesthetic and form factor of a top-bound A5 notebook with creamy, excellent paper, and retro-branded covers, then this is a great notebook for the money.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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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!