I attended my first Pelikan Hub!

The passion for fine writing instruments often begins in solitude—a quiet ritual of pen, ink, and paper. But the annual Pelikan Hubs event reminds us that this singular obsession is, in fact, a thriving, global community. For this week, fountain pen enthusiasts all over the world met up in a gathering called Pelikan Hubs to share about their unified love for writing, journaling, and everything in between.

A Global Nexus for the Niche Passion

To set the stage, the Pelikan Hubs are essentially a worldwide synchronicity. As defined by the brand, a “Hub” is a focal point, a center of activity where fans meet, network, and exchange experiences globally. Held once a year, this gathering is organized locally by volunteers for their peers, providing a much-needed platform to showcase collections, test inks, and discuss the finer points of handwriting and design. It’s an affirmation that the art of analog writing is far from obsolete (Pelikan Hubs, n.d.). The nice thing about this yearly event is that each participant who signed up gets a box of Pelikan ink of the year, notepad, and post card from the company and you don’t even need to own a Pelikan fountain pen to sign up! It’s that democratized.

The Muntinlupa Hub: A Day of Service and Serendipity

Today marked my first attendance, and immersion, at the Muntinlupa Hub, held at the Coffee Syndicate in Commerce Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. I arrived well before 10 AM, having volunteered my time to the organizing committee wearing my peach-orange top to match the color of the Pelikan ink of the year which is Achat.

The pre-event work was a surprisingly enjoyable hustle: setting up the registration area, picking up the extra food trays from Festival Mall, settling my son with his own breakfast, and arranging the room. It gave me a unique vantage point on the dedication that goes into hosting a community event of this scale.

The hub officially kicked off with introductions, where attendees articulated their chosen obsession—discussing grail pens, favorite inks, and trusted notebooks, alongside a brief mention of their professional lives. It was fascinating to see the intellectual weight and varied professions behind the hands that choose to write with a fountain pen. It was also heartwarming to see cheers and shrieks of joy when old friends reunite or when they win an item in the raffle draw, all prizes donated by the members themselves. I for one donated 10 fountain pen-friendly intermediate paper pads and 1 Majohn Wancai fountain pen (one of my favorite pens!).

The Spoils from the Muntinlupa Hub

The official freebies alone are a testament to Pelikan’s commitment to the community. Each participant received the standard kit, the Ink of the Year, Achat (a soft peach-orange shade), along with a notepad, and postcard. Prior to the event, the Hubmaster mentioned that Pelikan was also generous enough to include other inks from their past releases. Since I find the Achat too light for me (although I like peach color in general), I decided to go for the Topaz (a light blue). Other options include Mandarin and Rose Quartz.

Pelikan Topaz was my instant choice as a huge fan of blue inks.

Our local Hub Master, however, ensured the Muntinlupa crowd received more than the standard kit to make the day extra special. Also included in the freebies are Muntinlupa group-exclusives such as notepads, stickers, cute pens, meal stubs, and raffle tickets. This is where the event shifted from a pleasant gathering to a financial curiosity.

My luck was really good. I won a beautiful Moonman glass dip pen in the morning raffle and a Pelikan student fountain pen in the afternoon. With the participation fee of Php 700 I contributed for the meal and venue, the value of the prizes I received was easily over Php 3,000. Joining the Pelikan Hub had a great Return on Investment (ROI).

The success of the day, however, was in the collective experience—everyone walked away a winner, having shared excellent food and conversation with kindred spirits.

New Learnings and Ink Bar

After lunch, we had the privilege of learning from Mr. J.P. Pentangeli, a nibmeister, about how to maintain our beloved pens and fix minor issues like misaligned nib tines, nib polishing, and cleaning using a syringe. I volunteered my Kasama Una ultem pen for him to demonstrate fixing misaligned tines to the trepidation of those in the crowd (my pen writes better now, thanks to J.P.). Following this, Mindy Alberto from Bolo Philippines discussed the different types of leather used for journal covers and fountain pen sleeves, explaining why vegetable tan leather is more expensive than chrome tan leather. He also showed me how to apply gold foil on leather and paper with a special heat pen. Seemed fun that’s why I’m contemplating getting one for myself! 😀

My fountain pen hobby update – and current grail pen!

A few members set up an ink bar with inks donated by the community (FP-enthusiasts can be so generous). Participants could swatch the inks and take home three samplers of their favorites. I used my ink muddler and swatch cards to test the inks and chose three samplers: Diamine Grape, Trouble Maker Pawikan (Tortoise), and Diamine Kensington Blue, which were the most vibrant colors I tested.

The Uncalculated Connection

Yet, the true highlight—the one that transcended fountain pen statistics and financial gains was the sheer serendipity of a chance encounter. During a lengthy and engaging chat, I discovered that one of the attendees, a professional psychologist, not only shared my surname but, based on a detailed comparison of family histories, is likely my second-degree cousin.

It’s a peculiar comfort to realize that in seeking out an international community based on a shared, quiet passion, you may just stumble upon a branch of your own family tree. It seems the world shrinks when you least expect it.

Below are some of the photos shot by the participants as shared in our group chat: