Pens & The Post

Last month the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., held a workshop titled Pens & the Post.

A according to a entry on the museum's newly named Pushing the Envelope blog, "When Tadas Osmolskis, a Postal Museum volunteer, brought a handful of World War II era pens to a Postal Museum museum program, something magical happened.

"Kids, parents, and grandparents at the letter writing table were thrilled to write their letters with authentic pens from the era. Grandparents shared stories of their school days while kids marveled at the way the pens felt in their hands. 'Everything I write seems more important,' one young visitor said as he worked on his letter, enjoying that distinctive scratching sound that today’s pens just don’t make." 

Some of the workshop activities that took place included...

• Calligraphy demonstrations
• A “Pen Petting Zoo” where children could try out different types of pens. 
• Exploration of the many different types of papers available to letter writers. 
• Writing letters to U.S. military members and learning about World War II era correspondence
• Meeting members of Pen Collectors of America and learning about their hobby.

To learn more, click here.