(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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