This year, I went to the 2026 Dallas Pen Show with a friend who knew almost nothing about pen shows, but she was curious enough to come along with me.
We drove to Detroit Metro Airport, parked the car, and took the shuttle to the terminal. This may sound like such an ordinary thing, but it was a whole new experience for me. I had become so accustomed to having someone drop me off at the airport and pick me up when I returned.
Somewhere between parking the car, getting on that shuttle, flying to Dallas, picking up our rental car, and driving away from the airport, I had a funny little realization:
I felt like an adult who could do many things by myself.
It made me smile.
Our first destination in Dallas was, naturally, a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch. Despite having lived in the United States for quite a while, Vietnamese food still holds a very special place in my heart. There is something comforting about sitting down to familiar flavors, especially after traveling.
Then it was time for the pen show.
The 2026 Dallas Pen Show was very well organized, and I noticed many thoughtful details throughout the weekend. Vendors and weekend-pass holders were offered complimentary breakfast, parking was free, and the organizers even brought lunch to the vendors, so they did not have to leave their tables. Small acts of consideration like these can make a show weekend much easier.
But what makes a pen show special to me has always been the people.
I had a chance to see old pen friends again, meet new ones, talk about pens and writing, and spend a few days surrounded by people who understand why a beautiful nib, an interesting ink, or a few handwritten words can make us so happy.
Back to Teaching
When the show organizers first asked me to teach more than one workshop, I hesitated.
It had been a while since I had taught several classes at a pen show, and I wondered whether I might have forgotten something. I have always wanted to come to my workshops well prepared. If people are giving me their time and trusting me to teach them, I want to give them something worthwhile in return.
Eventually, I said yes.
And I am glad I did.
I taught Spencerian Penmanship and American Cursive Handwriting, and both workshops were fun. Once I was in the classroom again, working with students and talking about letterforms, movement, rhythm, and writing, much of that old familiarity came back.
But I think I had the most fun during my Novelty Writing seminar.
Perhaps it was because I didn’t feel the same pressure to teach. Instead, I was simply sharing something I enjoy — the playfulness, beauty, and creativity that can be found in writing.
We explored eight different forms of Novelty Writing, from changing the direction of our writing to experimenting with the way words could move across the page. There was no need for perfection. We could experiment, laugh, turn the paper around, and discover that handwriting can be useful and beautiful, but it can also simply be fun.
That hour reminded me of something important: the joy of writing does not always come from making something perfect. Sometimes it comes from curiosity and from seeing what our hands can do with a pen and a piece of paper.
A Grateful Heart
To everyone who joined my workshops and seminar, thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your time, for learning with me, for asking questions, for trying something new, and especially for bringing your own enthusiasm into the room. A teacher may prepare the lesson, but the people in the room are what give a class its life.
And to the Dallas Pen Show organizers, thank you for inviting me back into a world I hadn’t realized how much I had missed.
I came home with new memories, new friendships, and a renewed appreciation for old ones.
A pen show lasts only a few days. We arrive from different places, gather around tables filled with pens and ink, share stories and meals, learn from one another — and then, almost too quickly, everyone goes home again.
So perhaps goodbye is not quite the right thing to say.
