Have Pen, Will Write

NOVEMBER 22, 1963

2011-12-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

I was nine years old when John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The principal of my school walked into my fourth grade classroom and made the announcement. Although I was young, I was devastated by the news.
Kennedy's death has haunted me all of my life. Before that time television was a great source of entertainment and fun for me, but the news reports throughout the evening and the following days presented me with a new reality. Everyone seemed to be in mourning, suddenly TV became a source of gloom. You see, I've never watched a reality TV program; no American Idol or Dancing with the stars or any of that nonsense.

On the Sunday following JFK's assassination, my brother George woke me up to watch Lee Harvey Oswald being transferred to a Dallas jailhouse. I watched in horror as Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald live on television. I believe it was the first murder to be captured on live TV it was also my first and last experience of "reality television." Currently I'm reading a book entitled: BROTHERS: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot. I've waited 48 years for this book as I have sought to understand the events that led to the assassination of Kennedy. The book is meticulously researched and well written. There are comments from political figures, reporters, Cuban exiles and others who have broken their silence and who speak freely about the events surrounding the death of JFK and later the death of his brother Bobby. Talbot's book is a searing document about American politics, each turn of the page is a revelation. BROTHERS tells an amazing story of the confluence of organized criminals, Cuban exiles, CIA operatives and disgruntled Joint Chiefs of Staff from the perspective of Bobby Kennedy who had a unique perspective of the dark forces surrounding the Kennedy administration.

When I learned of Kennedy's death I became very fearful, I thought: if the President of the United States can be murdered, how safe were my parents and my aunts and uncles? Yes, as a nine year old I knew about Lincoln's assassination but that was a long time ago, that was history. But Kennedy's assassination was here and now. Some years before Kennedy was murdered I was riding in the back of my uncle's car and we passed JFK's motorcade on the highway or rather they passed us. I don't think he was President yet, but was on the campaign trail.

In 1991 when Oliver Stone released his film JFK he was castigated in the press for distorting the facts. On reading BROTHERS: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years it turns out that Oliver Stone was more accurate in the depiction of the events that took place, BROTHERS confirms this. However, the book goes much further than Stone ever could in a three hour film. Nor can the evening news or the daily newspaper, that so many of us rely on for our information, reveal the entire story. One must dig deeper to get at some semblance of the truth.

I believe that John Kennedy was truly the last American President whose policies and decisions were not made by a committee of advisors. He had some unique ideas about the future of America and, together with his brother Bobby, tied to implement them. But the sins of the father is often visited upon their sons.

If you have an interest in this period of American history, you have an obligation to read this book.

"What is past is prologue." Shakespeare, The Tempest

Clifford Jacobs
Have Pen, Will Write
Scribo Ergo Sum

IN SEARCH OF HERMAN

2011-11-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

On my second visit to Woodlawn Cemetery I was in search of Herman, no not the Republican hopeful but the author of Moby Dick. Finding Mr. Melville was as difficult as finding that leviathan that haunted Captain Ahab. I was expecting a burial site that was befitting Melville's stature as an author. Along the way I met a family from England and I asked had they seen Mr. Melville, they told me that they too were looking for him. Finally the daughter of the couple from England shouted, "here he is." Though his grave was difficult to find, the many pebbles and small stones atop his headstone was an indication that many had passed this way. Small stones, instead of flowers, are often left on headstones to indicate that the deceased is still remembered.

While searching for Mr. Melville I saw a large memorial in the distance that drew my attention. This type of memorial is known as an exedra, a monument carved in the shape of a rectangular or circular bench. The two photos below are of the memorial of newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer whose name was given to that much coveted prize for journalism. A majestic tribute: a solitary figure sits in quiet contemplation.

I was eager to read a history of Woodlawn Cemetery but found there's little that's available in print. I contacted a publishing company that specializes in books on local history and I've pitched the idea of writing a book about Woodlawn Cemetery. I'll start writing over the course of winter and will wait until spring to do more extensive photography.

I was also delighted that there are numerous organizations for people who share an interest in this unique aspect of art, history and architecture. I also went to the theatre to see a new documentary entitled: In Heaven Underground: The Jewish Cemetery in Berlin-Weissensee which is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Germany, a fascinating film.

Clifford Jacobs
Have Pen, Will Write

Scribo Ergo Sum

FROZEN MUSIC: THE GARDENS OF ELYSIA

2011-11-21T20:44:00.000-08:00

Funerary design is often overlooked as a form of architecture just as obituaries are an overlooked form of literary writing (See my blog entitled Memento Mori.) Rarely does the design of a mausoleum draw our attention unless it was designed by a famous artist like Michelangelo who designed the tombs of Giuliano de Medici and Pope Julius II (with its magnificent central figure of Moses.)

Tomb of Pope Julius II

Tomb of Giuliano De Medici

Today I visited Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx primarily because I wanted to see where Miles Davis was buried and pay my respects to my favorite musician. My visit far exceeded my expectations.

Woodlawn Cemetery is 148 years old and has been declared a National Treasure largely due to the number of historic and notable figures who are buried there. (more on that later).
Woodlawn is considered a garden or rural type of cemetery that came into existence during the early 19th Century.

The mausoleum of Victor Herbert was of particular interest to me. As a young man I remember someone in my family having first edition envelopes issued by the U.S. Postal service commemorating Victor Herbert. My mother's maiden name is Herbert, and I used to wonder if there was a family connection. Probably not but he remains, in the back of my mind, as a constant thought.

Walking along the avenues of the cemetery is peaceful, it's like walking through a city in miniature filled with wonderful architecture. The mausoleums are what attracts one's attention initially. Most of the mausoleums appear to be Romanesque; there's nothing here that would appear to be Gothic in form. Probably because Gothic architecture is difficult to execute in miniature; it demands the majesty and grandeur of a large scale execution.

The word mausoleum comes to us from King Mausolus of Halicarnassus whose burial chamber was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. There is much here that would catch the eye of a Freemason: twin pillars,broken columns, sphinxes and weeping virgins abound. There are also cenotaphs, monuments to the dead who have been interred elsewhere.

I traveled to Woodlawn to pay homage to my favorite musician: Miles Davis, but I was surprised at how many more musicians were buried here: Celia Cruz, Max Roach, Jackie McLean and Lionel Hampton.

I didn't get to see the tombs of Herman Melville, Ralph Bunche or Felix Pappalardi of the rock band Mountain, so I'll have to plan a return visit.

When I was a student at Brown I use to ride my bike through one of the cemeteries located in Providence. I would pull over sit on the grass and read for an hour or two. The cemetery dated back to colonial times and often I would see Anthropology students doing rubbings of the head stones. For some reason I have found myself in cemeteries in most of the cities that I have visited: New Orleans, Rome, Paris and London to name but a few. Cemeteries are the only place that I know of where time truly stands still.

Suddenly I am reminded of the first sentence to Dan Brown's novel, The Lost Symbol which begins: "The secret is how to die." How can you truly live if you have not conquered the fear of death.

So Mote it Be!

Clifford Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

Something About Alice: For My Niece Saran

2011-07-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

As a child growing up in the sixties I heard a lot of the new jazz music that was emerging at that time. My parents were born near the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in 1921. The Savoy was the Mecca for lindy hoppers. Early on I was weaned on the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Jimmy Lunceford and Dinah Washington. In the mid sixties my brother George, who's seven years older than me, started to bring home jazz albums of a different sort. The music was becoming more experimental allowing the musicians room to solo extensively; searching, reaching and improvising their way into nether regions of spontaneous improvisation.

Perhaps no two artists pushed the envelope to the extreme than did John Coltrane and Miles Davis. My brother was a big fan of Coltrane's and I too found Coltrane's music to be both challenging and satisfying. (Miles, on the other hand, is my own personal deity and I pray at his altar every day!) As I was coming of age I discovered, for myself, the music of Alice Coltrane, wife of John.

What John Coltrane was searching for, Alice found. The first tune I heard Alice play was Gospel Trane from the album, A Monastic Trio. Later I purchased a copy of Ptah, The El Daoud which featured Joe Henderson and Pharoah Sanders on saxophones and the great Ben Riley on drums, Ron Carter bass and Alice on harp and piano. The album is a classic and it swings. She later released such titles as Journey to Satchindananda, Universal Consciousness and Transcendence.

She also collaborated with Carlos Santana on the 1974 album Illuminations which is a marvelous meeting of enlightened spirits where rock & jazz join in a meditative embrace. Alice also plays on Santana's "white album" Welcome that features Leon Thomas and Flora Purim as guest vocalists. Alice and Carlos set the album off by playing Anton Dvorak's "Going Home" (Anton hung in the hood before he wrote his Symphony No.9 "From the New World") At that time Carlos was a devotee of Sri Chinmoy and Alice became a devotee of Sai Baba so it's no surprise that they would play & record together.

This morning as I'm traveling to work I listened to Spiritual Eternal from the album Eternity. Alice plays the blues on what sounds like a Farfisa Organ and the string orchestra plays the blues. (I can't recall hearing a full orchestra play the blues unless, once again, you include Dvorak's Symphony No.9)

Mrs. Coltrane loved Igor Stravinsky and she arranged and recorded segments from Le Sacre du Printemps and L'oiseau de Feu.

http://youtu.be/HHvlJVm1twI

Alice Coltrane was a truly beautiful spirit and musician.

For my niece Saran who desires to play the harp.

Cliff Jacobs
Have Pen, Will Write

A Paean to Spring (& Charlie "Bird" Parker)

2011-04-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring

The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:

The Bird of Time has but a little way

To fly -- and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.

from

THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM

ABSINTHE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER: Dedicated to Margie & Muggs

2011-02-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

MERDE! This is not good. Sipping Absinthe, reading Sartre and Camus while Satie plays in the background. Merde! Are there no sugar cubes in Jackson Heights? This is not good, don't they know that I must pay homage to La Fee Verte. Alas! Even the Thugge had their sugar cubes consecrated to Kali but they knew nothing of the Green Fairy.
Finally! Scored some cubes of sugar, this is good. Absinthe glass - check! Perforated spoon - check! Sugar cube - check! Pour Absinthe over sugar cube into glass, ignite sugar cube - flambé. Douse sugar with very cold water, the louche effect. The snake bites its tail - Alchemy! Sip. This is good, this is very good.

When Margie and I took one of our first vacations together in 1988 we found ourselves in New Orleans where we searched for an Absinthe bar. We sampled their offering but it was disappointing merely green colored anisette. We first learned about Absinthe while watching Madame X with Lana Turner, the story of a homeless woman who drowns her despair in Absinthe.

Twelve years later Margie, Maggie (Muggs) and me were vacationing in Spain. We took a fantastic road trip from Barcelona to Galicia and back. An unforgettable journey. We heard that you could get real Absinthe in Spain since it was never banned there. On our last night in Spain we headed for an Absinthe bar that we had heard about, but it was in a seedy part of town. Foutre! I remember walking down a dark street populated with characters you wouldn't want to meet in day light much less after night fall. Two tourist were walking ahead of us and decided to turn back - too risky. I suggested we do the same but Margie, trooper that she is, said let's keep on going. Finally we found ourselves standing in front of the bar from hell, a dive that was dark and foreboding. The exterior was designed in a way that you could not discern a door to enter through; there were no knobs or handles to grasp. Finally Margie pushed on the flat surface and a door did indeed swing open. (How she figured that out I'll never know). The bar was dark and musky: cigarettes and booze, but the atmosphere was lively. Mostly young Americans eager for a taste of the magic elixir.We ordered Absinthe and I bought a pack of Camels. Margie, Muggs and me waxed poetically about the beauty of Spain. We talked about Santiago de Compostela, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and Monserrat. Were we drinking the real Absinthe? I was never quite sure it was the real deal, but it really didn't matter as I was with the best of friends.

My mind never wandered back to Absinthe in the years following our trip to Barcelona. Then in 2001 a friend gave me a copy of Alan Moore and Eddy Campbell's FROM HELL. Months later the feature film of the same name was released starring Johnny Depp as Inspector Abberline, an opium and Absinthe addicted Inspector with the Yard hot on the trail of the Ripper. In one particular scene he draws a bath and settles back to drink a laudanum laced Absinthe complete with flambé

Although it originated in Switzerland, Absinthe usually conjours up images of Fin de Siecle Paris populated by bohemians, artists and poets both bourgeois and vagabound alike. Verlaine, Rimbaud, Van Gogh, Lautrec, Degas, Wilde and Zola. Baudelaire, Modigliani, Hemingway, Poe and the dubious Mr. Crowley - Absinthe drinkers all; devotees of La Fee Verte which I have dubbed the Green Dragon (not to be confused with chasing the dragon.)

Absinthe is a true spirit of high proofage (110 to 140). The basic ingredients are wormwood, anise, fennell and alcohol. Absinthe is like Sambuca on steroids with a green hue. The active agent in wormwood is thujone which comes "alive" when combined with the alcohol. It is the thujone that was considered to be harmful causing seizures, convulsions and hallucinations. Much of the dangers associated with Absinthe were really over exaggerated. Absinthe is really no worse than any other spirit taken in moderation. During the First World War it was issued as a panacea for a plethora of ailments. Soldiers returning home to France had developed a real taste for Absinthe which, by that time, had been universally banned in most countries. In 2007 the ban was lifted and you can now purchase real Absinthe with wormwood in the United States for the first time since 1914.

Absinthe was never banned in Spain and the Czech Republic where it could be purchased openly. More paeans, poems and paintings have been devoted to Absinthe than any other beverage on the face of the Earth. It would seem to be a fitting beverage for The Green Hornet or the Green Lantern yet, somehow, the creators of those two superheros missed a cool opportunity. Perhaps they didn't want to corrupt young readers. Never has the road to perdition been more beautifully paved.

Glass of Absinthe with traditional spoon

Beautifully ornate Absinthe Spoon

Picasso's Woman Drinking Absinthe

Vintage Absinthe label

It's not possible for me to do justice to the history of Absinthe in so small a space. I highly recommend Barnaby Conrad's Absinthe: History In A Bottle a wonderful read about a legendary spirit.

The title of this little essay is borrowed from the Deluxe Edition DVD of the Hughes Brothers' film version of From Hell, which contains a featurette under the same title.

Gone now is Erik Satie

I'm now listening to Walking in Space [Abridged] from HAIR: An American Tribal Love-Rock Musical:

Doors locked (doors locked)

Blinds pulled (blinds pulled)

Lights low (lights low)

Flames high (flames high)

All the clouds are cumuloft

Walking in space

Oh my God your skin is soft

I love your face

How dare they try to end this beauty?

In this dive

We rediscover sensation

In this dive

We rediscover sensation

Walking in space

We find the purpose of peace

The beauty of life

You can no longer hide

Our eyes are open

Wide wide wide!

Have Pen, Will Write
Scribo Ergo Sum

Clifford Jake Jacobs

ps
Drink Responsibly

Black Swan in Australian Roses

2011-02-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a new bottle of ink made by Nathan Tardiff founder and chief mixologist of Noodler's Ink.

The color is called, Black Swan in Australian Roses. (I assure you the name of the ink has nothing to do with the recent Hollywood film, Black Swan.)

The Ink takes its name from the unusual way the ink reacts to paper. The shading element of the ink runs from rose on the edges to burgundy to black in the center: hence the Black Swan in the midst of the Rose.

An ink that's pleasing to the eye is second only to a writing instrument that glides effortlessly across the page.

If you're a fountain pen user and you use bottled ink, as I do, I urge you to purchase a bottle of BSIAR. It's good for everyday use or for writing a special letter to a special someone.

Clifford Jake Jacobs
Have Pen, Will Write
Scribo Ergo Sum

The Moving Finger Writes

2011-02-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I visited the Morgan Library and Museum. I knew very little about its collection but was delighted to learn that Morgan specialized in collecting "works on paper." I am very devoted to the art of hand written letters, calligraphy and keeping a journal, so I visit the Morgan Museum often.

Here you will find musical manuscripts of Mozart, Beethoven and Stravinsky; lyrics written by Bob Dylan on a napkin, Guttenberg Bibles, diaries, liturgical books and a wide variety of incunabula.

Their current exhibition, The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives features the personal journals of some of the world's greatest thinkers and writers.

On display are the original diaries of Hemingway, Charlotte Bronte, Thoreau, Anais Nin, Samuel Pepys, John Steinbeck, William S. Burroughs and Lt. Steven Mona's 9/11 journal. Albert Einstein's diary is part memoir and part textbook as he searched for a general theory of relativity; mathematical formulae meets memoir.

Text messages and email have their benefits, to be sure, but I assure you a hundred years from now a bundle of email written by Barack Obama will not be nearly as interesting as reading his personal hand written journal.

Memoir is very different from autobiography which is written with the intention of publishing for a reading audience. Autobiography allows one to edit scenes from one's life: to paint a self portrait of how we wish to be viewed or remembered. Memoir is less self conscious of its own existence - it has no idea that others will eventually be reading its pages. The diarist's life, loves, dreams, hopes and desires are laid bare on the page giving the reader a rare opportunity to commune privately with the author.

The Morgan Library & Museum is located on Madison Avenue at 36th Street. While there, visit their wonderful gift shop.

The Moving Finger writes, and having writ,

Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,

Nor all your tears wash out a Word of it.

Quattrain 12 from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

Scribo Ergo Sum

Clifford Jacobs
HPWW

The Global Village in Upheaval

2011-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

With the arrival of Facebook and other social networks, I'm surprised that no one has cited Marshall McLuhan who clearly saw that emerging technologies was transforming the world into a Global Village. At the present our village is in turmoil.

Recent events in Tunisia and Egypt have caused me to revisit McLuhan's writings on media as well as Albert Camus' The Rebel which examines rebellion from both a historical and metaphysical viewpoint.

The world is changing, but then again, was there ever a time when it wasn't? Jordan, North Korea, South Korea, Haiti, Cuba - who will be next? One thing I do know: you can never suppress the human spirit yearning to be free. Southern Sudan is poised to become the world's newest nation as it declares its independence from Northern Sudan. Remember your Bob Dylan: The Times They Are a-Changin'.

If forces hostile to Israel gain a foothold in Cairo, there will be a major shift in the balance of power in the Middle East. There are some who feel that President Obama should stand by Mubarak if only for the sake of Israel, who has few friends in the region. However, if Obama supports Mubarak what message would he be sending to the Egyptians who have suffered under the weight of oppression and repression for three decades? Damned if you do - damned if you don't.

Hear the words of Fred Hampton, "You can kill a revolutionary - but you can't kill the revolution. You can arrest a freedom fighter - but you can't arrest freedom fighting."

A Luta Continua,

Jake

HPWW

MEMENTO MORI

2011-01-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

The writing of eulogies, obituaries and letters of sympathy, is a literary art form that's often overlooked or neglected. No college or university offers a creative eulogy writing program, yet this important form of writing must often be executed on short notice with a learned hand and a sensitive heart while in the midst of one's grief. Very often, we do not have the time to prepare or practice this form of writing; it is thrust upon us when we least expect it. Alas! Death is never convenient.

Over the past few years I've been called upon to write obituaries for QPTV producers and employees who have passed away: Ms. Aliye Ak, Nancy Littlefield, Bernard Sydnor, Claire Vogel, Carl Angeleri, Carole Auletta and recently, Walter Sysak. Sadly, I've become quite adept at writing obituaries and letters of condolence whereby one of my co-workers said to me recently, "Cliff when I die I want you to write my memorial."

My first such tribute was written for my dad, George Louis Jacobs, Sr. who transitioned in August of 1984. Usually, the first eulogy is the hardest to write, yet four years later when I wrote one for my mom, Dorothy Jacobs, I found it to be more difficult than the first. Moms will do that to you. This past week I had to write a eulogy for Walter Sysak a fellow co-worker, who died the Sunday after New Year's Day. I thought about the Walter that I knew and the words flowed effortlessly from my pen. The tribute was written primarily for the benefit of the staff, producers and directors of QPTV. Yesterday I attended Walter's wake and to my surprise, the tribute that I wrote was framed and placed in the receiving room where Walter lay in eternal rest. I was humbled by the fact that my words had been framed by his family and was given a prominent place in the funeral home. This filled me with both sadness and joy: joy because I was honored that they used my tribute; sad because I'm getting too good at writing these things. Most families prefer to write their own tribute to their loved one, so I was honored that mine was used. I never mentioned to the family that it was I who wrote the tribute to Walter, but the word eventually got around and the Sysak's thanked me for my kind words.

This past Summer I visited the Rubin Museum in Manhattan where on display was an exhibit entitled: Remember You Must Die (Memento Mori). The exhibit viewed death from the ethos of both Eastern and Western culture, particularly as depicted in representational art. There was a book on display titled: The Book of Eulogies. It is an anthology devoted to memorial tributes, eulogies, poetry and letters of condolence. The book is not an exercise in morbidity, as you may think, but a celebration of life. It contains eulogies for Socrates, George Washington, Beethoven, Malcolm X, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Emily Dickinson, Eleanor Roosevelt and many, many more. A wonderful collection of elegies to the departed.

Notes of solemnity are usually heard or experienced in musical form by listeners of classical music. Composers like Mozart, Gyorgy Ligeti, Verdi, and Benjamin Britten have all written requiems, a requiem being a Mass for the Dead. Even Andrew Lloyd Weber, whose work I seldom enjoy, has written a Requiem that is classical in form and is also quite good. But we as individuals are usually called upon to write simpler notes; notes to be read or spoken - not sung.

Perhaps no letter ever written expresses sympathy so well as the letter to Mrs. Bixby from Abraham Lincoln on the the loss of her five sons on the field of battle during America's Civil War:

November 21, 1864

Executive Mansion, Washington

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the

consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

The authorship of the letter has been a point of debate for many years, some attribute the letter to John Hay, Lincoln's private secretary. And there was always a lingering question as to whether Mrs. Bixby's five sons actually died in the war. While two may, indeed, have died on the field of battle, the other two may have deserted with the fifth son receiving an honorable discharge. Be that as it may, the sentiments expressed in the letter have transcended time and have become immortal.

In our youth death is foreign to us; it's something that happens to older people. Rarely, as children, do our peers pass away. But as we continue to advance into higher age brackets we find that death is always at arm's length. Don Juan, the Yaqui brujo, introduced to us by the anthropologist Carlos Castaneda, says that death is a constant companion lurking just over our left shoulder, he (death) is an old friend who comes, from time to time, to collect our family and friends and who will one day arrive to collect each one of us.

Certainly, Freemasonry has helped me to cope with and understand the mystery of death. The central motif of our time honored mythology & philosophy focuses on the final hours of the Fraternity's heroic Patriarch: H.A. Millions of Freemasons around the world re-enact the story of the Master Builder who was slain because he would not abandon his integrity. We learn that the body is dross matter, that is to say: it is nothing without the indwelling spirit. It is the spirit that animates matter and that, which we place in the ground after death, is the seed of a new life, and our spirit returns to that place from whence it came.

As we say in Freemasonry (borrowing from Shakespeare's Hamlet) we are told to remember that "..we are travelling on the level of time to that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns."

Et In Arcadia Ego

Clifford Jake Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

Scribo Ergo Sum

Next on: Have Pen, Will Write

2010-11-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE Part 1 - 2010
THURSDAY - DECEMBER 9TH at 9:30PM on CHANNEL 35
MONDAY - DECEMBER 20TH at 2:30PM on CHANNEL 34

HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE Part 2 - 2010
TUESDAY - DECEMBER 14TH at 7:00PM on CHANNEL 56
THURSDAY - DECEMBER 30TH at 4:30PM on CHANNEL 34

With Guest : Garlien Jenkins - Pen Collector

Fountain Pen Photos

2010-11-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

Conklin Endura fountain pen with compasses, Rosicrucian Cross & Masonic coin.

Masonic fountain pen with Rose Croix & 33rd Degree Jewels.

Rose Croix & 33rd Degree jewels with a Libelle Nature mother-of-pearl FP.

33rd Degree Jewel with Fleur-de-lis bookend, Scottish Rite coin and Montblanc Le Grande (146) FP.

33rd Degree & Rose Croix jewels with Rosicrucian Cross & Montblanc Le Grande (146) FP.

Waterford Kilbarry guilloche (right) and Stipula Duetto (left)

Scribo Ergo Sum

Have Pen, Will Write

Jake

Twsbi Diamond 530 Demonstrator Fountain Pen

2010-10-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

At the recent New York City Fountain Pen Show I purchased a TWSBI Diamond 530 Demonstrator fountain pen. A demonstrator is a transparent pen where you can see the internal mechanism. Demonstrators are highly sought after and most pen manufacturers have one in their offerings. I'm not a big fan of demonstrators but, I could not leave the pen show without at least one purchase. At a cost of $40.00 this pen is a wonderful investment. In size it is akin to the 800 series of the Pelikan line.

The ink line was a tad to thin for my taste so I flexed the tines of the nib and increased the ink flow and now the pen writes like a charm. I do wish that the internal chamber held a little more ink but that is a minor criticisim.

The price of a pen can increase or decrease according to the materials of which it is made or the method of filling. Some pens use only ink cartridges, not my favorites. Others use cartridge converters which gives you the option of filling from a bottle, which is my preference. Still others are piston fill which means only bottled ink can be used. The TWSBI is a piston fill and at t$40 it is, indeed, a bargain.

The pen comes with a tool to disassemble the piston and with a small vial of silicone grease to coat the piston to prevent leakage which was, initially, a problem. The fact that the pen can be completely disassembled should be a joy to pen collectors who like to dabble in pen tweaking.

All in all the TWSBI demonstrator is a great investment and will deliver many hours of writing pleasure.

Scribo Ergo Sum

Clifford "Jake" Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

OMAS ARTE ITALIANA: The Paragon

2010-10-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I traded a Montblanc 149 Diplomat for an OMAS Arte Italiana Paragon (pictured above). Some may think that it was crazy for me to do so; I think not. Although the 149 is an iconic pen, the signature pen of the Montblanc line, I wasn't using mine that often. In addition I have a Montblanc 146 Le Grande, which is slightly smaller than the Diplomat, that I use regularly. The Paragon and the Diplomat are of comparable value and I felt good about doing the trade.

About the Paragon: this pen rocks! It is a faceted pen which is a hallmark of the OMAS line. The Paragon is as much a signature pen as is the Diplomat. The Paragon is a hefty pen and some may find it a bit heavy - which suits me fine. It is a piston fill with an 18k gold nib. It's a no nonsense pen that lays down a fat wet line of ink. My pen is currently filled with Diamine's Presidential Blue ink - beautiful, simply beautiful!

Some owners have complained that they do not like the metal gripping section which is cold to the touch; this is not a problem for me - in fact I like how the gripping section contrasts with the rest of the pen.

OMAS Arte Italiana The Paragon

Montblanc 149 Diplomat

Montblanc is to pens what Louis Vuitton has become to purses and luggage - it's become a household name and even more, it has become a status symbol. The Montblanc line is still well respected and their writer series is great with homages to Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, Proust and Hemingway to name but a few. I believe that the older the Montblanc pen the better the quality. I find that their newer output suffers from poor quality control and the pens are more fragile than they were twenty to thirty years ago. Visit John Mottishaw's site http://www.nibs.com/PreOwnedMontBlanc.htm for great deals on vintage Montblancs.

The Arte Italiana also comes in a smaller size known as the Milford. Both pens are available with gold or silver accents and different colors of celluloid. http://www.nibs.com/PreOwnedOmasContemporaryPens.html
The Paragon retails for $695 but is available from nibs.com for $536. The Montblanc 149 retails for $760 but there are a few available from nibs.com for under $500.

Scribo Ergo Sum

Clifford "Jake" Jacobs
Have Pen, Will Write

EMERSON & SARTRE

2010-10-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance, that imitation is suicide, that he must take himself for better or for worse as is his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till.

Every man is personally responsible for what he is and what he does. When we say that a man is responsible for himself we do not only mean that that he is responsible for his own individuality but that he is responsible for all men.

The power which resides in him is new in nature and none but he knows what it is he can do, nor does he know until he has tried. But God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. A man is relieved and filled with joy when he has put his heart into his work and has done his best, but what he has said or done otherwise shall give him no peace.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson & Jean Paul Sartre 

AND DID THOSE FEET IN ANCIENT TIME

2010-10-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon England's mountains green?

And was the Holy Lamb of God

On England's pleasant pastures seen?

And did the Countenance Divine

Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

And was Jerusalem builded here

Among those dark Satanic mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:

Bring me my Arrows of desire:

Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!

Bring me my Chariot of fire.

I will not cease from Mental Fight,

Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand

Till we have built Jerusalem

In England's green & pleasant Land.

William Blake

This is my favorite poem by William Blake to which Sir Charles Hubert Parry added music and retitled "Jerusalem".

A Vanishing Profession: A New York Times Reprint

2010-06-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Ink Fades on a Profession as India Modernizes

By ANAND GIRIDHARADAS
International Herald Tribune
Published: December 26, 2007

G.P. Sawant, 61, estimates that he has written more than 10,000 letters for people who were unable to do so.

MBAI, India G. P. Sawant never charged the prostitutes for his letter-writing services.
Not long after the women would descend on this swarming, chaotic city, they would find him at his stall near the post office, this letter writer for the unlettered. They often came hungry, battered and lonely, needing someone to convert their spoken words into handwritten letters to mail back to their home villages.

The letters ferried false reassurances. The women claimed they had steady jobs as shopkeepers and Bollywood stagehands. Saying nothing of the brothels, beatings and rapes they endured, they enclosed money orders to remit rupees agonizingly acquired. Many called Mr. Sawant "brother" and tied a string on his wrist each year in the Hindu tradition.

Sometimes, suspicious parents boarded a train to Mumbai and turned up at Mr. Sawant's stall, which a daughter had listed as her address. Mr. Sawant greeted them kindly but disclosed nothing about the woman's work or whereabouts.

Such is the letter writer's honor code: When you live by writing other people's letters, you die with their secrets.

But now the professional letter writer is confronting the fate of middlemen everywhere: to be cut out. In India, the world's fastest-growing market for cellphones, calling the village or sending a text message has all but supplanted the practice of dictating intimacies to someone else.

And so Mr. Sawant, 61, and by his own guess the author of more than 10,000 letters of others, was sitting idly at his stall on a recent Monday, having earned just 12 cents from an afternoon spent filling out forms, submitting money orders, wrapping parcels & the postal trivialities that have survived the evaporation of his letter-writing trade.

But this is not the familiar story of the artisan flattened by the new economy, because, it turns out, his family has gained more from that economy than it has lost.

Three of Mr. Sawant's four children are riding the Indian economic boom, including a daughter, Suchitra, who works at Infosys, the Indian technology giant. In the very years that a telecommunications revolution was squashing her father's business, it was plugging India into the global networks that would allow her industry to explode. Suchitra now earns $9,000 a year, three times as much as her father did at his peak.

Globalization is said to create winners and losers. For the Sawants, it created both. And that duality reflects the furious pace at which entire professions are being invented and entire professions destroyed in the rush to modernize India.

There is, on one hand, a national quest under way to excise inefficiencies to cut out middlemen. As go the letter writers, so go bank tellers as India adopts ATM's, phone-booth operators as cellphones spread, and rural moneylenders as new Western-style supermarket chains start trading directly with farmers.

But for every occupation that vanishes, another is born. There are now mall attendants in a nation that until lately had no malls, McDonald's cashiers in a country where cows are sacred, and Porsche sales executives in a land where most people still walk. It used to be hard to obtain a computer or telephone line in India; the country now has more software engineers and call-center operators than just about anywhere else.

G. P. Sawant entered the letter-writing trade in 1982 when he won a government contract for a coveted stall inside the post office headquarters. Before long, he earned a reputation among illiterate migrants as a gifted writer of letters.

Many of the letters were instructions from urban breadwinners on how to spend the money they were remitting to the countryside. They included expressions of affection for family members for whom they toiled in Mumbai but whom they rarely saw. They warned relatives not to squander money. They asked about the health of the aged and the infirm.

There were some letters Mr. Sawant would not write. He refused, for example, to trade in romantic love. Love is fickle and dangerous, he said. Lovers lie; they cheat; they offer their love and rescind it. He refused to engage in chicanery on other people's behalf.

Posted by Clifford T. Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

The Tao of Cool

2010-02-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

As a youth I spent a great deal of time at the movies and I often tell people that the movies saved my life. Growing up on the mean streets of New York in the 60's, the movie theater was a place of refuge where I could escape for a few hours.

Some movies I saw, in my youth, have left an indelible mark on my psyche. There were three characters in particular that were very influencial: Lucas Jackson played by Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, Frank Bullitt played by Steve McQueen in Bullitt and Randle Patrick McMurphy played by Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

I was taught in high school that literary works fall in one or more of the following categories:

1. Man against God
2. Man against Nature
3. Man against Society
4. Man against Man
5. Man against Himself

To this list I would add Man against Machine as can be seen in, Colossus: The Forbin Project and the unforgettable 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Cool Hand Luke, Bullitt and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest all fall within the category of Man against Society. There is some overlapping as the protagonists of these three films also struggle with themselves and other "men". I place men in quotations because in Cuckoo's Nest McMurphy struggles against Nurse Ratched who rules the psychiatric ward with an iron fist. But she represents the larger society that stands in opposition to all that McMurphy represents.

In Cool Hand Luke Paul Newman is a man of independent spirit that is sentenced to two years in prison, a chain gang to be exact, for cutting the heads off of parking meters. At first castigated by his fellow prisoners, he soon becomes a Christ-like figure as he gives them the strength and inspiration that they both lack and need. At the end of the famous egg eating scene Luke lies sprawled with arms outstretched on the mess hall table. Here the Christ-like image is most apparent. His prison number is 37 and his name is Luke. If we read Luke Chapter 1 verse 37 it says: "For with God nothing is impossible." Luke stuggles against a society that he went to war to defend but that has little use for him on his return home. He is Camus's alienated existentialist searching for meaning in a world that seems totally devoid of meaning. And like all good existentialists his demise is tragic yet heroic. "What we've got here is failure to communicate."

As Frank Bullitt, Steve McQueen is a detective who sometimes work cases according to his own rules. Not because he's a rebel but because those in power whom he works for have been co-opted by the system and have sacrificed their integrity on the altar of social and political advancement. But it is only by working outside the system that justice can be achieved because the sytem has become corrupt. This is key in understanding these characters, they are forced to an existence beyond the fringe because the fabric has been tainted by those who abuse their positions of power. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, Frank Bullitt is hired by the powers that be to provide society with a blanket of protection and is then lambasted for the manner in which he provides that protection.

As R.P. McMurphy, Jack Nicholson manipulates the system to get transferred to a psychiatric ward from prison by pretending that he's looney. Initially his plan works and he finds himself in a ward of individuals that society has labeled as mental cases. But he soon finds that the inmates are not as crazy as they seem and it is the hospital administrators who are truly crazy. This is a simplistic synopsis of the film whose themes and ideas are far more complex. In the end McMurphy's outsider can not triumph over the system of Dante's Hell.

I'm also reminded of the titles of two novels, that were also made into films, that mirror this idea of nature versus nurture: Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Both "steps" and "clocks" are invetions of an idustrialized dare I say civilized society. wolfs and oranges are products of nature. Man yearns to be his true self in a world that constantly tries to bend him to its dictates. That process inevitably leads to conflict as the collective fails to create an environment where every man has the freedom to determine his destiny and the right to question the society that wants him to be a mere lemming.

I remember attending a double feature, back in the days when there was such a thing as double feature, of Bullitt and Cool Hand Luke. I sat in the theater and watched Cool Hand Luke twice and Bullitt once. It was a great afternoon of spending time with two of my favorite characters, characters who would not allow their spirits to be amputated for, as we know, there is no prosthesis for an amputated spirit.

Just some thoughts....

Jake

Have Pen, Will Write

Inner City Games

2010-02-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Eenie, meenie gypsaleenie

ooh ahh umbaleenie

hotcha kotcha Liberace

I love you!

- Play Ground Rhyme

Tag, Dodge Ball, Red Rover, Mother May I, street games and street rhymes. We were stylists of stickball, sultans of swing and paladins of the pavement, and when we prayed, we prayed at the altar of Mister Softee. Before Nintendo there was Skellies, before X-Box there was Hot Peas and Butter, before SONY Playstation, there was Ring-o-Leevio. Creative play, that’s what it was all about. We were young, inventive and energetic. A length of rope from the hardware store provided hours of Double Dutch fun. Playing fostered social activity and social interaction, we played with each other and not separately with an electronic device. Personal electronics have made young people idle and detached and, as a result, many young adults are suffering from illnesses and afflictions that were formerly in the province of the elderly. Years ago exercise was an inherent part of play time. Some games seemed to have no other reason for existing than to simply go outside and run like crazy e.g. Run, Catch and Kill (thanks Luigi.) Negotiating the rules for playing these games fostered both communication and negotiation skills. Playing outdoor games was warm and organic, imaginative and interesting.

Kick the Can, Steal the Bacon, Johnny on the Pony, Knucks. One of my favorites was Skellies, also known as Skullys or Caps. Skellies was played on a grid drawn on the ground with chalk numbered one to thirteen.

(Originally the number thirteen in the center was a skull with crossbones, hence the name skully.) Players would use bottle tops, or lids from jars, often filled with melted Crayola crayons or pennies in order to give the caps more heft. The game was played by making your way from one to thirteen and back again until you entered the dead zone (number 13) to become a Killer Diller. Now you could knock the other players out of the grid making it difficult for them to complete the game. (I especially favored a lid from a jar of Hellman’s Mayonnaise, filled with melted wax because no matter how hard you hit it, that baby wasn’t going anywhere!).

Then there are the two perennial New York favorites, Stickball and Handball. All you needed was a pink Spaldeen (Spalding), a wall or a broomstick a few manhole covers and the game was on! As a handball player you had a choice of styles, Chinese or American. The Chinese style of play required that the ball hit the ground first and then bounce upwards to hit the wall. In the American style of play, the ball is hit against the wall first, bounces once off the ground and then is hit again by the next player.

As for sneakers, forget Air Jordans and Pumas, Chuck Taylor’s were the haute couture of athletic footwear, giving birth to such poetry as, “You wear the sneakers that slip and slide you need the kind with the Star on the side – Converse All-Stars.” Cost for a pair of Converse All-Stars circa 1967 a whopping $8.00.

This is more than a nostalgic trip down memory lane. It is to say that what binds us together as friends and family is our ability to communicate and interact with each other. Playing games, even board games, allowed us to partake in the ceremony of companionship which is communication. So, if you’re a Mom or a Dad an Aunt or an Uncle find a young person and show them what it was like to play when you were young. “…She asked her mother for fifty cents to see the elephants jump the fence, they jumped so high they touched the sky, they never came back to the Fourth of July.”

Credits:

Handball Players, Erika Stone, Photographer
Fence Jump, Unknown courtesy of Streetplay.com
Skellies Board, courtesy of Streetplay.com

From Generation to Generation: The World of David Oscarson

2009-11-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

If you are of a certain age you may recall an advertising campaign from the 1960's by the Blackglama Fur Company. Their advertising slogan was: What Becomes a Legend Most? The ads featured celebrities like Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Maria Callas and Catherine Deneuve wearing Blackglama mink coats, photographed in luxurious black & white by the great Richard Avedon. Regardless of how you may feel about the wearing of fur, which I'm certainly not advocating, the advertising campaign was a huge success. It's the question that intrigues me: What Becomes a Legend Most?

In the world of writing instruments there are pens that have achieved the status of being true icons: the Montblanc 149 Diplomat, the Arte Italiana Paragon by Omas and the Pelikan Souveran Collection. These pens are cherished the world over and are among the most recognized pens in the world. But there exists a Pantheon for those writing instruments that have achieved a status beyond that of simply being an icon or legend. The only occupant of this Pantheon is David Oscarson a designer whose work transcends time.

David Oscarson's writing instruments are hand made from 18-karat gold and .925 Sterling Silver. Each pen passes through many levels of engraving which produces unique patterns known as guilloche. Guilloche is a time intensive process that brings to the fore the essence of the precious metal used in the manufacture of each pen. The pen is then overlaid with hard enamel which is comprised of a mixture of glass, water and metal oxides which is ground for hours yielding the most beautiful translucent finish that I've ever seen. David Oscarson's pens also offers a choice of filling system including: cartridge, converter or eyedropper fill. The nibs are made in Heidelberg, Germany in 18-karat gold with an ebonite feeder. Each nib is plated with rhodium and tipped with iridium to ensure the smootheness of writing for years to come. Nibs are available in fine, medium and broad sizes. A rollerball version of each pen is also available. All writing instruments made by Mr. Oscarson are Limited Editions which makes them highly sought after treasures.

Pictured above is a sample from the Harvest Collection, which was the first to incorporate three levels of Guilloche and two colors of hard enamel. The pen features a basket-weave background supporting wheat stalks, grass and kernel outlines. The pen was created in a limited edtion of 88 pens, including fountain pens and rollerballs and is available in five colors: bronze, blue, red, yellow and amber.

One of my favorite pens is the Celestial, pictured above. The barrel of the pen features the moon in each of its four phases (new, quarter, half and full) amid stars of various widths and depths. The barrel is midnight blue with the moon depicted in high relief, but its the Celestial cap that makes this pen a wonder to behold. The sun with its bold rays require multiple levels of engraving with the rays in high relief and the face of the sun rendered in three dimensional relief on the tapered surface of the cap. While the body of the pen is the same in this series, the caps are rendered in five colors: blue, white, red, orange and yellow. Truly a pen for which there exists no superlatives to describe.

Jacques de Molay was the last Grand Master of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, otherwise known as the Knights Templar. On Friday the 13th in the year 1307 Jacques de Molay and those members of the Order that were found were arrested by Philip IV "Le Bel" and Pope Clement V. Philip was heavily in debt to the Templars and his coffers were empty. Philip applied for membership in the Order, presumably to gain control of the Templar's assets, but was rejected. Broke and rejected Philip along with Pope Clement V devised a scheme to rid themselves of the Templars and confiscate their property. Jacques de Molay and his Knights were falsely accused of hersesy and were summarily tortured and burned at the stake. Initially de Molay confessed to the false charges but on the morning of March 14, 1314 he recanted saying that he was only guilty of having originally agreed to the false charges. He professed his innocence and that of his Fellow Knights before he was consummed by the flames.

In commemoration of that event, David Oscarson created the Jacques de Molay pen. Those of my readers who happen to be Freemasons will not fail to recognize features on the pen that evoke not only DeMolay but Freemasonry as well: the sprig of accacia, the Croix Patee, the Apprentice Pillar from Rosslyn Chapel, the Skull & Crossbones and the Mosaic Pavement. Appropriate to the theme of the pen is the clip which is rendered in the form of a Templar sword. On the cap is an engraving of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher while the bottom of the pen features the Templar insignia of two Knights riding on a horse symbolizing the Templar vow of Brotherhood and Poverty. To quote Ms. C.C. Reilly, MPS:

"By producing this breath-taking commemorative pen, David Oscarson has done a tremendous service for all those who honor de Molay. May it always serve to remind us not only of the martyrdom of de Molay but also of our Founding Fathers' prudence to include freedom of religion in our U.S. Constitution."

Like many of the writing instruments in Mr. Oscarson's collection, cuff links are also available with the pen's motifs carried-over.

The Valhalla Collection is another striking example of the genius of David Oscarson. In this collection we have a tribute to the Norse Gods: Thor (Blue Guilloche), Odin (Gray Guilloche) and Frey (Red Guilloche, pictured below). The cap features an Ourobouros-like serpent about to swallow its own tail covered in runic script. The barrel features the guilloche engraving of a Viking long ship with Mr. Oscarson's trademark hard enamel finish. The cap band bears an engraving of Mr. Oscarson's name rendered in the runic alphabet.

Before closing I return to my original question: What Becomes a Legend Most? The answer: David Oscarson. A designer of incredible writing instruments and accessories that are both treasured jewels and family heirlooms.

Mr. Oscarson's writing instruments are only available from fine pen boutiques three of which are listed below:

The Fountain Pen Hospital: http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/

Art Brown International Pen Shop: http://www.artbrown.com/

Joon Pens: http://www.joonpens.com/index.php

A Final Word:

In the community of pen enthusiasts there's a question that is often asked: What's your Holy Grail Pen? Which is to ask, What pen are you most seeking? The pen that represents, for its future owner, the ne plus ultra of imagination, design, collectibility and writing perfection. For me there has been only one answer: a David Oscarson.

Please visit David's site to view his entire collection: http://davidoscarson.com/

Clifford Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

Scribo Ergo Sum

The Pelikan Ductus

2009-10-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

No sooner had I written my review of the Laban Mento Terrazzo, I traded it away for the Pelikan Ductus pictured above. The Pelikan Ductus is a much villified pen and the Internet has no shortage of disgruntled purchasers. So why trade a pen that I loved, the Laban, for a pen that doesn't move me? Well, I have this theory that I can turn a frog into a prince, or in this case a princess. And I think I've succeeded in doing that, well at least for the most part.

First and foremost: Pelikan is one of the finest pen manufacturers in the world and I would spend my money on a Pelikan writing instrument before purchasing a Montblanc. Pelikan is known as "the writer's pen" which is to say that Pelikan writing instruments are for people who enjoy using fountain pens.

The Ductus is a beautiful writing instrument. It is a classic and classy pen that commands authority. An alternative name for this pen would be "Black Tie" but, alas, the Monteverde company already has a fountain pen with that designation. The pen comes in two versions: black & gold or black & silver. The pen is made of black high-grade resin and lacquer over metal. In a departure from their Souveran series of pens, the pin stripe is on the cap rather than the barrel. The clip is big and springy in the traditional shape that resembles a Pelican's beak. The pen has heft and feels wonderful in the hand. It's not a light-weight pen but neither is it heavy.

The Sanctum Santorum: Going Inside

Where the Ductus fails to live up to its initial good looks is on the inside. The nib on this pen has got to be one of the most unattractive nibs I've ever seen. It resembles a shovel that you'd use to dig a ditch.

The nib takes away from the beauty and elegance of the pen, a traditional Pelikan nib would have been more befitting. (And you're probably still wondering why would I trade my Laban for this pen, I'll get there soon.) The nib is smooth like all the nibs in the Pelikan line, which works in its favor. The nib on the pen that I received is extra fine; I usually prefer a medium, broad or italic for a bolder writing line.

The feature that most collectors and writers dislike is the fact that the fountain pen is cartridge only. What were they thinking? Pens can be cartridge/converters which gives you the option of using a cartridge or filling from a bottle. Higher quality pens have an internal piston filling system which is, for me, preferable. Not being able to fill the Ductus from a bottle is frustrating. Fortunately I have syringes that allow me to fill the cartridge with the ink of my choice. I hear that it is possible to fit a cartridge/converter into the cartridge only receptacle which makes it easier to fill the pen using bottle ink.

In the picture above you'll notice a small U-shaped clip that holds the cartridge in place. The U-shape clip is very delicate and was the first casualty in my attempt to modify the pen. To replace the clip is too difficult to do one's self, so I didn't bother. The good news is that, the cartridge attaches snugly to the feed whereby there is no leakage due to the clips absence.

From Frog To Prince: The Modifications

The first task was to increase the ink flow so that the pen would provide a thicker line of writing. The easiest way to do this is to, with great care, pass a razor blade between the tines of the nib. Care must be taken not to mis-align the tines. I also gently increased the space between the nib and the feed to allow for a more generous flow of ink. The pen is now closer to a medium European nib which would still be considered fine by American standards. But the pen is no longer an extra fine which is sufficient to make this writer happy.

Because the nib started as an extra fine, I found it to be a bit scratchy as it moved across the page. A few circular motions on a medium grade Emory board eliminated some of the bite from the nib: there are no more hiccups as the pen moves across the surface of paper, even paper with a toothy grain.

Purchasing a fountain pen is like buying an off-the-rack suit. While the basic suit is well made, it may need some tailoring to fit one's frame more elegantly. Generally, fountain pens write very well right out of the box but occasionally the pen may need to be modified to the owner's taste. There are many nibmeisters who do this professionally like Richard Binder and John Mottishaw (Links to their sites can be found elsewhere on this blog.) I have a strong interest in developing my pen repairing and modification skills, so I'm willing to take the chance of making a mistake in order to learn how to take a good pen and make it better. But I do not recommend doing so if you are unsure. The discussion forums over at The Fountain Pen Network are a good place to start if you wish to increase your knowledge about pen repair and modification. Perhaps, one day, you too will be able to turn a frog into a prince.

Have Pen, Will Write

Clifford "Jake" Jacobs

Scribo Ergo Sum

I must thank my dear friend George Henry "Sandy" Campbell for trading pens with me and giving me the inspiration and opportunity to write this blog. Sandy was my high school English teacher who taught a class entitled, Being and Non-Being a literature class that focused on the work of Existentialist writers like Sartre, Camus, Buber, Kafka and Hesse. He was, and remains, the best teacher that I've ever had. Thanks Daoud Kahlil.

Be Noble!

2009-10-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

My best friend Dave Reichley April 25, 1982

One of my Masonic Brothers, Balvin Dunn, posted this quote on his Facebook page. I loved the quote so much that I thought I'd reproduce it here.

"Be noble! And the nobleness that lies in other men, sleeping, but never dead, will rise in majesty to meet thine own."

James Russell Lowell

1819 - 1891

Nota Bene:

The quote is given as it was written. Although the word "men" is used, the message is univesal and applies to both men and women.

Jake
Have Pen, Will Write

An excerpt from: On The Pulse Of The Morning

2009-10-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need
For this bright morning dawning for you.

History despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.

Lift up your eyes
Upon this day breaking for you
Give birth again
To the dream.

Women, children, men
Take it into the palms of your hands,
Mold it into the shape of your most
Private need. Sculpt it into
The image of your most public self.
Lift up your hearts
Each new hour holds new chances
For a new beginning.
Do not be wedded forever
To fear, yoked eternally
To brutishness.

Written by
Maya Angelou
Read at the Inauguration of
William Jefferson Clinton
January 20, 1993

LYCANTHROPY

2009-10-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

With the film The Wolfman starring Benicio Del Toro on the horizon, I thought I'd revisit a topic that I've explored before: Lycanthropy or werewolves. At first glance the topic may seem silly and frivolous but if we look closely a pattern emerges and we catch a glimpse of our ancient selves.

The concept of werewolves may have had its origins in primitive societies. Men would gather in the men's house or lodge to discuss the issues facing the tribe, usually with the wise counsel of an elder or elders. These lodges would also serve as the gathering place for the men as they prepared to go hunting for food. Often they would don the skins of the animal that they were intending to hunt in an efficacious act designed to insure the hunt was a success. The donning of wolf or bear skins was usually accompanied by a ceremony or ritual designed to propitiate the gods. By wearing the skins of their intended prey, our primitive ancestors hoped that the object of their hunt would be unable to tell the difference between the hunter and one of their own species.

These early gatherings of men to perform ritual and conduct business became known, in German, as a mannerbund or male transformational society.

In Ancient Greece the god Apollo was worshipped in the lyceum or "wolf temple." Lycanthropy translates to, roughly, as man-wolf or as we sometimes refer to it: werewolf. The full designation of the god Apollo is Apollo Lycaeus who was worshipped in the lyceum where Socrates was said to have taught.

We find further evidence of wolf homage in the legend of the founding of Rome by the twins Romulus and Remus who were suckled from birth by a she-wolf.

I hear too that in India there exists a group known as the Arya Haoma Varka, a society devoted to the worship of wolves which, as we shall see later, is also devoted to goddess worship. I've searched high and low for information about the Arya Haoma Varka but there is scant information available.

Irish tribes acknowledge that their spiritual fathers were wolves, and they often wore the teeth of wolves as healing amulets. Further south in Italy we find the myth that a man who slept outdoors on Friday could or would be bitten by a wolf and then himself turn into one. In France and Haiti he is known as Loup-garou. In France there is the legend of the Beast of Gevaudan whose retelling can be found in the movie Les Pacte Des Loupes (Brotherhood of the Wolf http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237534/)

Perhaps as a young man you were a member of the Cub Scouts. Were you a member of the Wolf Pack? Which Den did you belong to? While Boy Scouts are organized into troops, Cub Scouts are are organized into dens. Wolfish indeed!

In fairy tale lore we find that there may be more to the Little Red Riding Hood story than what meets the eye. I've been told that this particular fairy tale had its origin in a mannerbund.

A key element in the the wolf legend is the moon. Men turn into werewolves 'neath the cover of the full moon. "Even the man who says his prayers at night can become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright." We know that a woman's menstrual cycle follows closely the phases of the moon, which cycles through its phases every twenty eight days. Hence the color red in Little Red Riding Hood takes on a slightly different significance much like the beloved Maypole. Here we have a veiled story of a young woman's entry into adulthood. The wolf is the male who will try to steal Red Riding Hood's innocence.

The introduction of the moon into the myth of the werewolf suggests the presence of the Goddess. Lycanthropic mannerbunds could often be identified by the symbol of a crescent moon and a star. In these groups there was a definite acknowledgement of the feminine principle of creation coupled with Goddess worship. (One historian informed me that prior to the arrival of Muhammad, many tribes of Arab descent were devoted to Goddess worship, hence the preponderance of star and crescent symbolism on the flags of many Islamic nations. The same historian also informed me that the sickle and stars motif on the old Soviet (U.S.S.R.) flag is but a variation on the same theme, Russia having been the home of Goddess worshiping male transformational societies.

The Goddess most often associated with these societies is known by different names: Anahid, Anahita, Venus, Ishtar and Astarte the essential component of the principle of creation: the Yoni and the Ying.

If Freemasonry is a male transformational society then it is interesting to note that a French version of that society presented the American version of the same society a gift that is symbolic of their bond as Brothers: The Statue of Liberty.

"I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand

Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain,

He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's

Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein,

Ahooo, Werewolves of London....

Ahooo, Werewolves of London - Draw blood !"

Warren Zevon, The Werewolves of London

The New York City Pen Show 2009

2009-07-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.nycpenshow.com/home.htm

The Laban Mento Terrazzo

2009-07-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Ostensibly, this blog is about fountain pens and the art of the hand written letter. However, I sometimes venture off into other realms of thought and forget to write about writing, so a mini review of my recent pen purchase should, to paraphrase Dylan, "bring it all back home."

The writing instrument pictured above is the Laban Mento Terrazzo marble resin fountain pen. If you are looking for an impressive writing instrument that performs well and doesn't cost too much the Mento Terrazzo may be the pen for you.

In size it's as large as the Montblanc 149 Diplomat. If you are unfamiliar with Montblanc's signature pen let me say this: The Laban Mento Terrazzo is hefty but it's not heavy. (It ain't heavy it's my writing instrument.)

In looks the pen is very retro, and is not as yellow as the photo above would have you believe. The tones are more in the spectrum of blacks, grays and egg shell. What's nice is that the pattern is carried over to the gripping section, which on many of the Laban pens, are black. The clip and the band are made of steel. For its size it is very light in weight so it is not fatiguing to write with for extended periods.

The nib is two toned stainless steel and lays down a line that is on the thinner side of medium. (More like a European medium than an American medium.) At first the pen seemed very dry to me; the ink flow was rather stingy. By slightly increasing the space between the nib and the feed I was able to increase the ink flow. Because the nib is stainless steel and not 14k gold, the pen is very affordable. Over at iSellPens (http://isellpens.com/laban.htm) you can purchase this pen for $69.00. Some dealers are asking anywhere from $89.00 to $125.00 for this pen. Even at $125.00 dollars this still makes for an excellent purchase Have Pen, Will Write

Cliff Jake Jacobs
Scribo Ergo Sum

Daniel D. Tompkins: Freemason & Patriot

2009-07-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Daniel D. Tompkins
Freemason and Patriot
1774 - 1825

Daniel D. Tompkins was born in Scarsdale, New York on June 21, 1774. He attended Columbia University which was known, at that time, as Columbia College, and was admitted to the bar in New York State in 1797.

Tompkins had a stellar career not only in New York State politics but also on the national stage. In 1804 he was elected to Congress but he resigned before being seated in order to become an Associate Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. He served in that capacity from 1804 - 1807 when he resigned in order to preside as the newly elected Governor of New York, a position he held for ten years. But as fate would have it Tompkins was once again in the distinct position of resigning from a prestigious job to serve in a higher office, that of Vice President of the United States.

Before resigning from the Governorship to assume his seat as Vice President of the U.S., he wrote a letter to the New York State legislature recommending that a date be set aside for the abolition of slavery within the borders of New York. His voice was heard and the New York State Assembly chose the date of July 4, 1827 as the official date to end slavery in New York, thirty six years prior to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Immediately thereafter he began his service as Vice President of the United States under the Presidency of James Monroe from 1817 to 1825

Tompkins' Masonic career began in 1800 when he was made a Mason in Hiram Lodge No.72 located in Westchester County in New York. He was only a Mason for four months when he was elected Deputy Grand Secretary in 1801.

While serving as Vice President of the United States, Daniel Tompkins was twice elected Grand Master of the State of New York and served in that capacity from 1819 to 1822. During his first run for the position of Grand Master his only opponent was Dewitt Clinton who would later succeed Tompkins not only as Grand Master of Masons but also as the Governor of New York. While serving as Governor, Tompkins found time to host the visiting Marquise de Lafayette and entertained this esteemed Brother Mason at his residence on Staten Island.

Tompkins received his Scottish Rite Degrees in 1808 and received the 33rd Degree on August 5, 1813 at the hands of a provisional Supreme Council for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Once the Supreme Council, NMJ was officially formed, he assumed the title of Sovereign Grand Commander and was the first to hold that position. He served as Sovereign Grand Commander until his death in 1825.

It was during his tenure as Governor of New York that Tompkins' life began to take a tragic turn. When the New York State Legislature refused to approve funds to finance the War of 1812, as other States had done, Tompkins took out loans using his personal property as collateral to help finance the war effort. When the war ended, neither the State nor the Federal Government saw fit to repay Tompkins for his generosity so that he could free himself of the debt that he incurred on behalf of his country. In 1824 after years of litigation both the Federal Government and the State admitted that they owed Tompkins ninety thousand dollars, which was a considerable sum of money in those days.

But it was far too late, Daniel Tompkins' financial woes caused him much grief and he began a slow and long descent into the bottle where his life was consumed by alcoholism. He died three months after retiring as Vice President of the United States and his body lies in a vault of the Churchyard of St. Mark's on the Bowery located on Second Avenue and 11th Street in Manhattan. Also in the Churchyard is a bronze bust and a plaque commemorating the life of Daniel D. Tompkins. Until recently, Daniel D. Tompkins' final resting place was neglected.

On Monday November 9, 2009 the United States Daughters of 1812, New York Chapter, will conduct a ceremony to honor Daniel D. Tompkins. The Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, Ill. John William McNaughton, 33° will be present and will speak about Tompkins' Masonic service. The Deputy for the State of New York the Ill. Peter J. Samiec, 33° will also be in attendance. Representing the USD 1812 will be Ms. Emily Malloy, Chairman of the Tompkins Commemoration Committee and Ms. Anne Farley,President, NYC Chapter, USD 1812. The event will be held from 9:00am to 12:00pm; a reception will follow.

A special thanks to Brother Isaac Moore Devine for bringing Daniel Tompkins to my attention and thanks to John Mauk Hilliard for leading me to the Daughters of 1812. I also would like to thank the Supreme Council, NMJ, our Sovereign Grand Commander and the Deputy for the State of New York for contributing financially to this project.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of America this coming weekend, let us not forget Daniel D. Tompkins: a man, a Mason and a patriot who served his country admirably and whose legacy shall not be forgotten.

"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why......I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?"

- Robert Kennedy

Have Pen, Will Write

Clifford Jacobs

Dieu et mon Droit

TIME

2009-07-01T11:30:00.001-07:00

The concept of TIME has been on my mind a great deal recently. Time is so ephemeral and fleeting yet poets and artists have tried to give form, shape and substance to this idea for ages.

I suppose that our sense of time comes from the rising and the setting of the sun and the changing of the seasons. These two phenomenon are the most obvious manifestations of time. Does time exist in deep space where there is an absence of a rising and setting sun? There's no winter, spring, summer or fall in space just a constant night. But here, on Earth, we view time as a forward linear progression as we traverse the road between birth and death. We have this sense of forward momentum as we age over the years. In our youth time seems to be endless; as we get older we seem to be "running out of time." We even want to borrow it, "Can I have five minutes of your time?" I've asked that question on many ocassions yet my time never increases no matter how much of it I seem to borrow.

As Freemasons we view a twenty four inch gauge as being indicative of the twenty four hours of the day whereby we are told to apportion eight hours for God and humanity, eight for our vocation and eight for refreshment and sleep. Most Masons that I know operate as though they
have a forty eight inch gauge because they give so much to their community,

their family and to the Great Architect of the Universe.

Many indigenous cultures do not share a Western notion of time. For them time is an all pervasive soup that is a constant and it can not be divided into seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or years.
The division of time into sub divisions is simply an arbitrary construct on which we collectively agree so that we can fashion some form of order out of chaos and randomness: we give form to that which is, essentially, formless.

And the songs, ahhhhh! The songs of the poets. There's TIME by Pink Floyd, Cyndi Lauper's TIME AFTER TIME, The Rolling Stones' TIME IS ON MY SIDE, The Chamber Brothers' THE TIME HAS COME TODAY and the Zombies' TIME OF THE SEASON. And lest I forget, Jim Croce's TIME IN A BOTTLE. Now there's a notion, what could or would we do with time if we could bottle time? Could we add it to our years and prolong our life? Probably not. Perhaps we would just hold the bottle up to the light and merely look at it, but then wouldn't that be a waste of time?

I remember the Astronomer Carl Sagan pointing out that, the total time that human beings have been on the planet Earth is equivalent to the hands of a clock that read 11:59pm; a clock that has been running for a full twenty four hours. Human existence is represented by that one minute before midnight: the Pyramids, the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, Revolutionary War, World Wars I & II, Vietnam, Space flight have all taken place in that single minute before midnight. It is said that: No one can have a better past only a better future yet, what is past is prologue.

Over the past two weeks Time has called from labor Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Karl Malden and Natasha Mahelona. Perhaps it is because of their passing that I'm reminded of the transitory nature of time.

"Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time

Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way

The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say."

- Pink Floyd

Scribo Ergo Sum

Cliff "Jake" Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

The Fleur-De-Lis

2009-04-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

The Fleur-de-lis has become the icon du jour these days. Take a quick glance around you and you are bound to see this image on a tee shirt, jeans, handbag or hat. In my case, it's one of my tattoos.

The Fleur-de-lis is a symbol that is laden with meaning, far too many to enumerate in this brief blog. So I will share with you my fondness for this image.

My first awareness of the Fleur de lis was as a member of the Boy Scouts of America, which uses the Fleur-de-lis as its primary symbol. It is used to represent the first step in Scouting: the Tenderfoot. My dad was a Scoutmaster for over twenty years, so the symbol constantly reminds me of him.

The Fleur-de-lis is also described as being a stylized version of a lily or iris. In fact the actual translation of the name means "lily flower." But it can also have political, religious and dynastic meaning as well. It is associated with the French monarchy, and continues to appear in the coat-of-arms of Spain. The red version in the upper left hand corner is the symbol for the Italian city Firenze (Florence). It appears as a symbol in North American provinces that were settled by the French: e.g. Quebec and Louisiana. It has been written that the Fleur-de-lis is also representative of the Merovingian Dynasty of France whose reign is symbolized by a bee. And there are some who see in the Fleur de lis a very stylized bee.

In religious iconography the Fleur-de-lis is symbolic of Trinitarian belief and has come to represent both the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary.

Universal Symbol for Scouting

In both Holy Blood, Holy Grail and the DaVinci Code the Fleur-de-lis represents the Order known as The Priory of Sion. (Yes, those guys again!)

For me it is the perfect symbol of the triplicity of ideas: Wisdom, Strength & Beauty; Faith, Hope & Charity, Tres Reyes (Three Wise Men); Three distinct knocks, Three Ruffians, Three Blind Mice, Three Little Pigs; The Three Fates; three major Religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam; Three Great Lights (& three lesser); Youth, Adulthood and Old Age; past, present and future; thought, word and deed; mineral, vegetable, animal; Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Holy Mother); Jesus, Mary and Joseph; Isis, Osiris and Horus; The Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; Kether, Hokhmah and Binah, The Three Musketeers. (One could do an entire treatise on the number three alone.)

I'm also the third of four children born thirty three years after both parents. (Recently I became a 33° Freemason.)

I find something Jungian about the Fleur-de-lis. It speaks to my sub conscious mind and gives me a feeling of stability, spirituality and an overall sense of well-being.

Of course one can find much more significance in this symbol, this is merely my rumination, though brief, on the subject.

Have Pen, Will Write.

Clifford

PASTA & PISTOLS

2009-04-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Ennio Morricone is, perhaps, the most prolific film composer in the history of the art form. John Barry and John Williams come close, but I don't think they have scored as many films as Morricone. Certainly he is my all time favorite.

Morricone's work is best known to Americans through those wonderful Italian Westerns that were produced in the sixties, known as "Spaghetti Westerns." The term was originally thought to be derogatory but has since become an affectionate description of a sub-genre of film. A few years ago I coined the phrase, Pasta & Pistolas.

Who can forget those whistled notes that introduce the theme from A Fist Full of Dollars. Or the wah-wah echoed tune from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. (The real gem from this film is the track, The Ecstasy of Gold.)

Morricone's music elevated the Western genre to new heights. Of course credit must be given to Sergio Leone, the Ayatollah of the movieola, whose mis-en-scene and montage redefined the horse opera. But Morricone's music became a character in itself. Great filmmakers have often been paired with great composers: Hitchcock and Bernard Hermann; Fellini and Nino Rota; Spielberg and John Williams. But the Sergio Leone / Ennio Morricone combo changed film music forever.

One of my favorite scores is from a film not directed by Leone but by Sergio Sollima entitled, The Big Gundown, or in Italian La Resa dei Conti. The Big Gundown features tracks that reference Beethoven's Fur Elise, a Mormon Choir and the main theme Run, Man, Run sung by Christy. Ennio's score to the film Once Upon a Time in the West is considered by many to be the perfect pairing of music and visual image: Charles Bronson is Harmonica, Henry Fonda's theme is rendered with the steeliest of steel guitars, Jason Robards' theme is a classic western tune whistled by Alessandro Alessandroni, while Claudia Cardinale's theme shows Morricone's sweet and romantic side.

Other scores include The Untouchables, check out the track Strength of the Righteous, The Mission (Gabriel's Oboe & On Earth As It Is In Heaven), Cinema Paradiso, Bugsy, Wolf, The Battle of Algiers, In The Line Of Fire and Bulworth. Ennio Morricone has scored over 500 films and television programs.

One of my favorite tributes to Morricone is John Zorn's The Big Gundown. Zorn deconstructs the music and re-assembles it as only he can. Powerful and edgy.

HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE

JAKE

Nevermore.......II

2009-03-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

A comment that I received that deserves to be posted as a blog entry.

Dear Cliff,

I love the article that you have written about Edgar Allan Poe. He was an extraordinary man and an incomparable artist! He created a particular style of writing that influenced and continues to influence not only American writers but foreign ones as well, as you stated. It is wonderful that America is honoring him on his 200th anniversary. I happen to be French and a Baudelaire follower and it was through Baudelaire that I discovered Poe at the tender age of eleven.

Baudelaire admired Poe so much that he translated his work into French. It was Baudelaire that stated that " Poe's condemnation by his country fellowmen springs from a democratic hatred of genius". I would greatly recommend Charles Baudelaire's work to all the Poe lovers. He and Poe have quite a lot in common, from the general metaphysical boredom that they both felt to even physical resemblances. And, may I say that Baudelaire's poetry will either enchant or schock your mind. It will have an effect on you! He is called "le poete maudit" which translates as the cursed poet.

Great French authors like Victor Hugo, Stephane Mallarme, J.K. Huysmans, Alfred de Vigny to name a few all acclaimed Baudelaire's genius when his work was censured. Thanks Cliff for reminding us to honor the great Edgar Allan Poe.Vive Edgar Allan Poe! Vive Cliff (or Jake) as you like to be called for writing about him!

Antoinette
March 20, 2009 3:17 PM

Baudelaire's lover, Jeanne Duval, Haitian Dancer & Actress

"La Venus Noire"

Thank you Antoinette for your informed and gracious comments about my blog entry on Poe and Baudelaire. It's comforting to know that you are aware of and appreciate the relationship between these two wonderful writers. Your mention of Huysmans is also intriguing. I read A Rebours in college and his Las-Bas sits on my shelf waiting to be read, again!

Chien Cliff
HPWW
3/22/09

NEVERMORE.......

2009-03-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

January 19, 2009 marked the 2ooth anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) and the U. S. Postal Service has issued a stamp to commemorate him.

Poe was always my favorite writer as a youth and his tales of the macabre continue to delight me as an adult. At present I'm reading Poe's only full length novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. I've always had an interest in reading Poe's novel but became particularly interested when I heard that it may contain some Masonic references. I know for sure that, The Cask of Amontillado does contain at least one Masonic reference. Being a Freemason it's always a delight to discover references about our beloved Fraternity in great works of literature.

As a youth I also loved those great films of Poe's work directed by Roger Corman and produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff with Vincent Price as the featured player. If you search the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imbd.com/) you will see that Poe's stories have found their way to film from as early as 1908 with films currently in production to be released in 2010. Not only has most of his short stories found their way to film, but they've done so multiple times.

Poe is also considered to be the father of the modern detective story, everyone from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett have been influenced by Poe.
Poe's work has also influenced science fiction writer Jules Verne who wrote a sequel to Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, Le Sphinx des Glaces. The literary descendants of Poe include H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King masters of horror and the macabre in their own right.

Poe also had a keen interest in cryptography and ciphers, the best example of which can be found in the short story, The Gold Bug. Another common theme that runs through his fiction is the idea of being buried or interred alive. The Oblong Box, The Cask of Amontillado and The Premature Burial are all concerned with the idea of being sealed in a grave prematurely. Okay, okay Poe's not a happy camper but his prose is pure poetry and his poetry is, well, poetic.

Like most people who read Poe, The Raven, The Bells and Lenore are my favorite poems.

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil - prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -

Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,

It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore -

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

- from, The Raven

Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme,

To the throbbing of the bells,

Of the bells, bells, bells,

To the sobbing of the bells; Keeping time, time, time,

As he knells, knells, knells, In a happy Runic rhyme,

To the rolling of the bells, Of the bells, bells, bells,

To the tolling of the bells,

Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells.

To the moaning and the groaning of the bells.

- from, The Bells

Charles Baudelaire

Edgar Allan Poe was embraced early on by the French due in large part to the translation of his work into French by the poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867). I was recently given a copy of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal a collection of poems that are, at times, decadent, erotic and mystical. Baudelaire's work received the condemnation of French Society, but has since been heralded as a major work of French Literature. There is something of the doomed Gothic artist in the personas of Poe and Baudelaire. And yet there is the evidence of something mystical in their body of work.

Back in 1999 Montblanc honored Edgar Allan Poe by creating a limited edition fountain pen to commemorate his life and work. These are highly collectible and rarely find their way into the market place. The fountain pen, as well as the matching ballpoint and pencil are made from a midnight blue resin with gold plated fittings and an 18 carat gold nib. The cap is inscribed with Poe's signature and the nib is engraved with the image of a raven inspired by Poe's poem.

Every Sunday for the remainder of 2009, the Radio theatre of New York City will hold readings of Poe's work at 2:00pm. The readings will be held at:

UNDER St. Marks Place

94 St. Marks Place

(8th Street between 1st Avenue & Avenue A)

Tickets: &18.00

http://www.radiotheatrenyc.com/

With some irony I conclude with a lesser known poem by Poe, An Epigram for Wall Street, which seems fitting for the current economic climate that we find ourselves in.

I'll tell you a plan for gaining wealth,

Better than banking, trade or leases Take a bank note and fold it up,

And then you will find your money in creases!

This wonderful plan, without danger or loss,

Keeps your cash in your hands, where nothing can trouble it;

And every time that you fold it across,

'Tis as plain as the light of the day that you double it!

The End

Cliff Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

Scribo Ergo Sum

Scented Letters: A Paean to Valentine's Day

2009-01-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

If you've visited this blog before you know that it is dedicated to fountain pen collecting and the art of the hand written letter. Nothing beats a hand written letter, except one that has been scented with a fragrance. I've received two such letters recently and the experience of opening the letter and having the scent of perfume waft over me was quite exhilarating. Perhaps the fragrance reminds me of a brunch or dinner and the wonderful conversation that was had at that time. Sometimes I open the letters to re-read them at other times I simply hold them to my nose and close my eyes and - remember.

Valentine's Day will be here soon. If there was ever a time to take pen in hand to write to someone that you love, now's the time. You can write a letter to your wife, your girlfriend, husband, mother, father, son or daughter. You can write to someone though you may see them everyday. It's funny how so many of us never consider writing to someone nearby; they need not be far and away.

My dear friend Fifi pointed out to me how she hears the voice of the person in her head while reading their letter. That is so true! It's an aspect of letter writing that I had not thought of before. Fifi also pointed out that she never hears the voice of one sending an email, and neither do I. I only see the cold and dry text, which is often written in terse language which doesn't engage the emotions. Valentine emails are simply not an option for this writer.

A few words about Valentine's Day.

The original Valentine's Day was celebrated in Rome as the festival of Lupercalia a festival of sexual license. Young men and women would write their names on pieces of paper and after drawing the names out of a bowl would then engage in erotic games. Well the Christians were horrified by this practice and would try to suppress this day celebrating the feast of a saint, in this case St. Valentine. February was also the month that was sacred to the Goddess Juno Februata, Goddess of the "fever" or rather the "febris" of love. She was replaced, by the leaders of the early Christian the Church, by St. Valentine. But the erotic festivals continued in the form of a "sacred marriage with the angels in the nuptial chamber." This sacred marriage involved a man and a woman who portrayed Sophia and the Redeemer in connubial bliss. During the ceremony the following words were spoken: "Let the seed of light descend into thy bridal chamber, receive the bridegroom...open thine arms to embrace him. Behold grace has descended upon thee."

Last year Montblanc created a scented red ink for Valentine's Day. I like the idea of scented ink but they are rare and are hard to find. This particular bottle carries the fragrance of red roses. I plan to purchase a bottle on my next visit to Art Brown & Brother.

[The quotes in this blog are from the Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G. Walker]

Pour Fifi

Jake
Have Pen, Will Write
Scribo Ergo Sum

Pens & Watches

2008-12-23T10:32:00.001-08:00

A few years ago STYLUS Magazine published an article about the connection between fountain pens and watches. The article focused on those companies that manufacture both. Market research shows that people who collect fountain pens are also inclined to collect watches and vice versa. Pen companies like Montblanc who have established themselves with a signature icon in one area, writing instruments, seek to establish themselves in yet another, time pieces, for the benefit of their devoted clients.

In this brief article I want to address why it is that men, in particular, are so fond of writing instruments and time pieces. This is not to suggest that women are not interested in pens and watches: they are. But as I'm writing from a male perspective I thought I would share my ruminations on the collecting habits of my species.

It seems that men have a fascination with tools, the more practical and utilitarian the better. Tools of one type or another enable one to complete a task: drill a hole, hang a picture, change a tire, launch a rocket into space.

Men also like luxury items but we don't want to be ostentatious in our use of them. (I know that there are men of a particular generation who are into "bling", I speak not of them.) Here, I speak of males that I would refer to as "gentlemen", men who tend to be professional, urbane and well educated. For men of that group a fine writing instrument and a classic time piece are as essential as a pair of penny loafers, a windbreaker from L.L. Bean, a tuxedo or a hand knotted bow tie. We enjoy these things because they give us a sense of timelessness and allow us to feel that we are part of a long honored tradition.

It is for this reason that I enjoy watches and fountain pens. In a world of expediency and a culture of disposable material acquisition, there are some of us who still seek some semblance of permanency and tradition. (If you really want to "go green" stop writing with disposable ball point pens and write with a fountain pen.) A classic watch or pen is a nice way for men to express their individuality while connecting to a timeless tradition.

Clifford Jake Jacobs
Have Pen, Will Write

Scribo Ergo Sum

Masonic Fountain Pen

2008-11-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

Pictured to the left is a fountain pen, decorated with Masonic Symbols, that I recently purchased.

Here's a mini review:

The asking price is $70.00, which I think is a tad too much, $50.00 seems to me to be more reasonable. However, I was amazed at the smoothness of the nib and the consistent ink flow. I have more expensive pens that do not write this well. The smoothness of the nib and the ink flow justifies the asking price. No matter how great a pen looks, if it doesn't write well it's not worth the investment.

The pen has many Masonic symbols engraved on the cap, clip, barrel and nib, most of which can not be seen in the photo. The symbols include the following:

Level
Plumb
Twenty-four inch Gage
All Seeing Eye
Sprig of Acacia
Rose
Sword
Bible
Sun/Moon
Gavel
Skull & Bones
Candle
Pentacle surrounded by an Ourobouros
Trowel
Rough & Smooth Ashlars
Beehive
Hour Glass
47th Problem of Euclid

The Square and Compasses are engraved on the nib along with the words Master Mason. The Square and Compasses can also be found on the clip with the words Master Mason encircling the cap band.

The pen has a nice heft but is not fatiguing to write with for long periods. Whether you purchase it for yourself or as a gift you will not be disappointed.

The site has other Masonic pens and paraphernalia for sale.

Click here: http://www.masonicsupplyshop.com/products/Masonic-Pen-set.html to explore the site.

Have Pen, Will Write

Fraternally,

Clifford Jacobs

STANLEY KUBRICK

2008-11-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

I can't remember which of Kubrick's films I saw first. I think it was Dr. Strangelove but it was probably Spartacus, although at the time that I saw Spartacus I had no idea of what a film director did and I had even less knowledge of Stanley Kubrick. But one afternoon, while at home, I watched Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb on television. It was the funniest nightmare that I'd had ever experienced. When the movie was over I asked myself: "What mad genius is responsible for this vision?" For the first time I became aware of Stanley Kubrick and the role of the director in the making of a movie. I do subscribe to what the French call the Auteur Theory of film, which is to say that a director is responsible for a movie like an author is for a novel. And Kubrick is certainly the master of his own voice and vision.

When I learned that Kubrick's next movie would be 2001: A Space Odyssey, I quickly ordered my tickets through the mail so I could see it the day it opened. Once again Kubrick took me on a journey that I was all too willing to go on. I trusted Kubrick as a director and, intellectually, I followed him wherever he wanted to go. I've seen 2001: A Space Odyssey 27 times in a movie theatre and each viewing brings a new revelation - that's Kubrick for you.

Stanley Kubrick only made a baker's dozen of films, more or less, but each one has become a classic in its own right, although at the time of their release his films were often met with negative criticism. His major films are:

1.Fear and Desire (1953)
2. Killer's Kiss (1954)
3. The Killing (1956)
4. Paths of Glory (1957)
5. Spartacus (1960)
6. Lolita (1962)
7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
8. 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)
9. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
10. Barry Lyndon (1975)
11. The Shining (1980
12. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
13. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Although Kubrick worked in different genres, one can find common themes in all of his films. One of the important ideas that I've been able to discern is that people, and sometimes machines, are often over programmed to the point of self destruction. HAL, the computer in 2001, is over programmed, as is Alex in A Clockwork Orange, Jack Nicholson is metaphysically over programmed by the haunted Overlook Hotel in The Shining, Private Pyle, in Full Metal Jacket, succumbs to the over programming of Marine boot camp and kills himself. And in Eyes Wide Shut, Tom Cruise over programs himself with lustful thoughts about himself and his wife.

Kubrick, in my opinion, uses film to put forth his ethos. When I read Stephen King's The Shining, I was excited to know that it was Kubrick's next project as I really enjoyed the book. When I saw the film I was disappointed because a lot of the book was not brought to the screen; for a moment I felt cheated. Later, while talking with a friend, he said to me, "Cliff you went to see a film of a Stephen King novel watch it again as a Stanley Kubrick film, it's his commentary on the nuclear family." He was so right. Kubrick's Shining has little to do with Stephen King and everything to do with Kubrick (with whom he just happens to share the same monogram.)

Every Kubrick film has a scene that takes place in or just outside a bathroom. From the Zero Gravity toilet in 2001 to the death of Private Pyle at the end of the first act of Full Metal Jacket to the ghosts of the dead that Nicholson confronts in The Shining. I'm not going to point them all out to as it will ruin the fun of discovering them on your own.

Finally, I loved the way Kubrick used music in his films. He used source music almost exclusively with the exception of Full Metal Jacket where an original score was composed. The composer Alex North was asked to compose an original score for 2001, but Kubrick abandoned the idea in favor of Strauss, Ligeti, Khachaturian and others. And of course he worked closely with Wendy Carlos on the scores to A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. For the most part Carlos reworked the classics through her Well Tempered Synthesizer, but she did, occasionally, compose original music.

When Stanley Kubrick died in 1999 I was saddened by his passing. I felt as though I grew up with him or at least his films, and there would never be another Stanley Kubrick film . His movies were very important to me during my formative years. His films made me think about life, love, war, death, happiness and the future of civilization. Heavy subjects for a teen to ponder but I'm all the better because Kubrick caused my eyes to be opened wide.

Clifford Jake Jacobs
Have Pen, Will Write

The Eagle Has Landed

2008-09-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday August 26, 2008 at, approximately 3:30pm I received the Thirty Third and last degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America. What does that all mean?

The Scottish Rite offers an opportunity for a Freemason to learn more about the Fraternity and in the process learn something about himself. There are three primary degrees in Freemasonry: the Entered Apprentice, the Fellowcraft and the Master Mason. One need not take any degree beyond these three and one will still be considered a full fledged member of the society. Beyond the Master Mason, or Third, Degree a Freemason has the option of taking additional Degrees by joining either or both of two appendant bodies: the York Rite or the Scottish Rite.

The Scottish Rite consists of degrees extending from the 4th to the 32nd. These degrees may be applied for by any Brother that has received the first three degrees. We refer to the Scottish Rite Degrees as additional degrees not higher degrees. Becoming a Scottish Rite Mason does not give the individual more power or authority. It may, however, indicate that you have a zeal for the Fraternity and a desire to increase in knowledge in regards to the Fraternity, life's hidden mysteries and one's self.

The Thirty Third Degree is an invitational degree, one can neither apply for nor ask for it; to do so is to be excluded from ever receiving it. Of course, one must be a member of the Scottish Rite in order to qualify as a possible recipient. The Supreme Council reviews the contributions that the candidate has made to Scottish Rite Freemasonry, Freemasonry in general and the contributions that the individual has made in his private life for the greater good of society. And, of course, one has to be at least 33 years old.

For me the 33rd Degree takes on added significance in that I was born exactly thirty three years after both my mother and father, they having been born in 1921. And I also happen to be the third child born to George and Dorothy Jacobs. The number three, and hence the number thirty three, is laden with significance and the student of numerology will find that there is much to learn about that mystical number.

There isn't much that I can say about the ceremony because it would be a violation of my obligation to do so. But I will say that the opening reception of the candidates into the hall where the degree is conferred is a thing of beauty, and as Keats wrote, "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness..."

[From left to right], Ill. Harold Aldrich,33 Grand Minister of State

Ill. Curtis Banks, 33; Ill. Clifford Jacobs,33

Ill. Edward Trosin, 33 PGM of New York State

Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin was the pilot of the Lunar module that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. When the module landed Buzz Aldrin spoke these words, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

Buzz Aldrin is a 33rd Degree Freemason and a member of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. To the left is the Scottish Rite flag that Buzz Aldrin carried to the Moon. So now when I think of the words, "The Eagle has landed" they now take on a new meaning for me. I've never walked on the Moon but I have walked on clouds, and having received the 33rd Degree I too can say that "the Eagle has Landed", right on my shoulders.

(This is a photo of my Dad, George Louis Jacobs, Sr around 1964. This photo reminds me of the photo that Margie took in Providence, Rhode Island in August. My Dad was not a Mason, but he was an active Scout Master with the Boy Scouts of America for well over twenty years. He possessed every virtue that all Masons are admonished to inculcate, as such I can say he was "A Mason without an apron."

So Mote it Be!

Deus Meumque Jus

Clifford Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

THE CRIME OF ART

2008-08-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

In the cauldron of New York in the late sixties a new form of art was born. Some considered it vandalism others considered it a symbol of urban blight - none dared to call it art save those who gave birth to it. We know this art form as Graffiti, a term that the artists themselves do not use. I call it Urban Street Art or, as my man K.R. ONE refers to it, "A highly stylized derivative of the alphabetical system, the enigmatic bending of what were once known as your ABC's."

Okay, I will concede that, to write on a subway car or the side of a building, without someone's permission, is an act of vandalism. However, graffiti moved from the street into the art gallery a long time ago. I knew this back in the mid eighties when I worked for Sotheby's Auction House in New York. Works by street artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring started showing up in Sotheby's galleries and they were being sold, at that time, for tens of thousands of dollars. The same society, that vilified graffiti artists as vandals and criminals, was very eager to acquire their works on canvas to display in their condos on the upper east side. But this is often the case with art and artists. At Sotheby's we use to say that the profits from the sale of Impressionist paintings paid the rent and all of the salaries; Impressionist paintings being the most expensive in the market place. Yet we know that Van Gogh died virtually penniless after shooting himself in 1890. I also learned at Sotheby's that art appreciation has little to do with how much you like a work of art but how much that art will increase in value in the years to come.

Urban Street Art (U.S.A. dig!) had to be invented given the social climate at the time. There is always a symbiosis among the painter, the poet and the musician in any given generation. When jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman released his album FREE JAZZ in 1961 whose painting graced the cover of the album? None other than Jackson Pollock, aka "Jack the Dripper", after all, you couldn't use a Rembrandt or a Caravaggio for the jacket of an album of free form improvisational music. Meanwhile on the other side of town , Baraka, Coltrane and DeKooning were creating a dithyramb of poetry, music and painting: an ars poetica for a new generation.

[On this page to the left is the cover of the album COLTRANE'S SOUND. To the right cover of Ornette Coleman's FREE JAZZ.]

The arrival of Urban Street Art was a continuation of an evolution that can be traced through the record cover art of the sixties and those glorious posters for concerts at the legendary Fillmore East & West.

[Top left & right we have the work of Abdul Mati Klarwein who designed the album covers for

Miles Davis' BITCHES BREW and for Santana's ABRAXAS. Bottom left is a poster for a concert at the Filmore featuring Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall.]

These urban neo-Miros and neo-Mondrians were troubadours of the transit system. Hell, they couldn't afford to buy and stretch canvases so they used what was available until they "got up and got noticed."

Even the late great Norman Mailer immortalized graffiti in his rare out of print book entitled, THE FAITH of GRAFFITI.

When I was at Sotheby's I worked on a video treatment of a collection of Impressionist paintings. The collection consisted of Lautrec, Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Cezanne and Cassatt among others. The videotape depicted the beauty of the paintings magnificently with fades and dissolves that both accentuated and complimented the paintings. All that was needed was music. I tried Bach, Beethoven, Handel and Brahms and none of their music worked. When I spoke with a Hungarian film director named Karoly Bardosh, I asked him why was I having such a difficult time finding suitable music. He said I needed to use Impressionist composers whose music was more compatible with Impressionist paintings. He suggested using Claude Debussy, Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel. These are the composers who were doing in music what Monet and Mary Cassatt were doing on canvas. When I told Karoly how well the music complimented the paintings he said if I was looking for poetry in the same vein I should look at the work of Ezra Pound. Again the triumvirate of painting, music and poetry. So along with the arrival of this new Urban Street Art came Hip-Hop (rap) and break dancing. While pundits demeaned street artists in the press, Macy's and Bloomingdales were profiting from the sale of the urban street fashion that these artists inspired; from Harlem to haute couture. Like Punk Rock before, you know you've been co-opted when they start selling t-shirts held together with safety pins on Fifth Avenue, or when Rothko, Twombly and Motherwell, are sharing the stage with Basquiat, Haring and Fab Five Freddy.

Miles Runs the Hendrix Down

K.R. ONE

It's time to stop treating Urban Street Artists as criminals. By referring to this art as graffiti is to vilify both the art and the artist, while people, who know better, earn huge profits from its sale.

By the way, the creators behind this art movement do not call themselves graffiti artists, they simply refer to themselves as "writers."

I end this blog with a quote that I saw in a museum in Portland, Oregon some years ago:

"Art is the Holy Land wherein initiates seek

to reveal the spirituality of matter. As such

art can be counted as one of the supreme

sources of the triumph of the human spirit."

Have Pen, Will Write

JAKE

Hermann Hesse & Thomas Mann

2008-07-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading a book entitled "The Hesse/Mann Letters", which is a book of correspondence exchanged between the German authors Hermann Hesse and Thomas Mann from 1910 to 1955. In the book's forward it states that Thomas Mann wrote more than twenty thousand letters during his lifetime and Hermann Hesse wrote more than thirty-five thousand letters, not to mention their collective contribution to literature, both fiction and belles lettres. Can you imagine writing twenty thousand letters in your lifetime? A truly amazing feat, even five thousand letters would impress. I've read a great deal of Hermann Hesse's work: Siddharta, Steppenwolf, Demian, Narcissus and Goldmund to name but a few of his novels. I've also read a great deal of Hesse's autobiographical writings during my college years. Hesse's essays provided me with comfort and stability during my twenties especially after I abandoned the existentialists who I love dearly. I've yet to read any of Mann's works (Buddenbrooks, Doctor Faustus, The Magic Mountain, Death in Venice) aside from his correspondence to Hesse in the aforementioned book.

I realize that it is possible to send the equivalent amount of email or text messages in one's lifetime, however it's not simply the quantity of messages but their quality. And who knows, those numerous letters written by Hesse and Mann may have been written with a typewriter a new technology that I'm sure some people rebelled against when it first made its appearance in the early 1800's. I've raised this issue in previous blogs where I suggested that the quality of one's writing may be affected by the medium used to write the words. I always start with a fountain pen and notebook, unless my thoughts are so pregnant that they spring forth from a shortened gestation period.

I see a lot of young people text messaging each other incessantly. This could be a good thing, as it means that there is communication happening however, I'm afraid that the quality of those text messages is not of a literary quality, certainly not on a par with Hesse and Mann.

I truly hope that the art of the hand written letter does not become a thing of the past. It even feels awkward to refer to handwritten letters as an "art" since for centuries it was the de rigueur form of communication.

Renes Descartes wrote "Cogito, ergo sum - I think therefore I am". Another philosopher observed that thinking alone is not proof of existence, even animals are capable of something resembling thought. Said philosopher posed this "Cogito, cogito ergo sum - I think that I think, therefore I am" the idea being that only humans can think about the act of thinking thus proving one's existence. And so, I've added Scribo ergo sum to the canon, I write therefore I am or perhaps Scribo Cogito ergo sum - I write about thinking, therefore I am.

Have Pen, Will Write

Clifford Jake Jacobs

Pen Pillows

2008-06-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

About twelve years ago a friend of mine, Holly MacBain, gave me a curious gift. She presented me with a wooden box that had Japanese lettering written on the lid. When I opened the box there were six porcelain chopsticks rests inside. Now I do love to eat with chopsticks but when I'm using them I rarely set them down until I'm done eating. So I tucked the gift in the closet and there they sat for twelve years. Jump to 2008.

I'm sitting at my desk at work writing with a fountain pen, which is de rigueur for me, and I laid my pen down uncapped for a moment. My note pad absorbed some ink from the nib having touched the paper and created a small ink blot. I thought to myself: Wouldn't it be nice to have some sort of pen rest where I could momentarily set my pen aside without getting ink all over and without having to cap the pen. Suddenly I remembered those chopsticks rests. I couldn't wait to get home and dig them out.

Now I will admit that chopsticks rests are not pen holders, however you could put two or three together and they could serve that purpose. But they work quite well as a resting spot while writing. They come in an array of shapes, sizes and color and can be a really cool item to have on your desktop. They are also very inexpensive ranging in price from $1.00 to about $6.00 for a complete set. You can buy them to match the color of the pen that you're using that day. So the next time you find yourself in your local Chinatown keep your eyes open for these unique items.

Scribo Ergo Sum

Clifford "Jake" Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

Le Penne di Italiano sono il Migliore*

2008-06-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

AURORA TALENTUM
I never considered myself to be a "pen collector" but rather a pen user. I like fountain pens; I buy them and I write with them as often as I can. Well, if one purchases enough pens over time you eventually end up with a "collection."

My collection lacked focus. I have American pens, German pens and French pens. And then I discovered the Italians. I believed for a long time that the best fountain pens were being made in Germany by companies like Pelikan, Montblanc and Lamy. And then I discovered Italian writing instruments and I fell in love with their design and craftsmanship.

My love of Italian pens started when I developed an interest in purchasing a quality writing instrument with an italic nib. As a calligrapher I enjoy writing with a chiseled, stub or italic nib on a daily basis. For many years my writing instrument of choice was the Sheaffer No Nonsense Calligraphy Pen that I outfitted with an aerometric converter which gave me the option of filling from a bottle instead of using cartridges. The Sheaffer pens write very well, are very dependable and cost about four or five dollars. But I was ready to graduate to a finer writing instrument especially one with an italic nib. Very few companies make their higher priced pens with calligraphy nibs. It takes a trained hand to write with these specialized nibs and some collectors are not interested in acquiring calligraphic skills, so the demand for higher quality pens with italic nibs is not very high.

AURORA IPSILON

My first quality pen with italic nib was an Aurora Ipsilon in blue with 14 karat gold nib. A wonderful pen and a very smooth writer. The pen is somewhat short in length, I prefer a heftier pen, but that's a minor criticism.

I've also purchased a second Ipsilon, an Aurora Talentum and a Talentum Finesse. I'm particularly fond of the Aurora line of writing intsruments. In my humble opinion I believe Aurora is to Italy what Montblanc is to Germany. If I had to choose between a Montblanc and an Aurora, the Aurora would win hands down. Now I know what I just said borders on sacrilege but I really do prefer Aurora over its German counterpart. Only Pelikan can rival Aurora as the writer's pen of choice.

AURORA TALENTUM FINESSE

I've also been writing with pens made by Stipula and I'm the happy owner of three Stipula fountain pens: a Duetto, Ventidue (22) and Etruria Gaudi Casa Batllo. All three pens are wonderful to write with. The Ventidue has an internal piston filling system, the others are cartridge/converters.

Not all pen manufacturers make their own nibs, often nib work is contracted to a company that makes nibs. Both Stipula and Aurora make their own nibs in the same factory where their pens are designed and manufactured.

STIPULA VENTIDUE

There are other Italian manufacturers of quality writing instruments: Omas, Visconti, Delta, Tibaldi and Montegrappa. I will be looking at some of these pens in future.

The good news is that you can have just about any fountain pen nib ground to your liking. Visit http://www.nibs.com/ or http://www.richardspens.com/ for more information about grinding nibs.

Have Pen, Will Write

Cliff "Jake" Jacobs

Scribo Ergo Sum

* Italian pens are the best!

PEN DREAMER

2008-05-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

About a week or two ago the three pens above appeared in one of my dreams. Why? Well I don't really know. They say that you know you have truly mastered a foreign language when you begin dreaming in that language. Perhaps I'm so totaly immersed in the world of pens that they have now become a part of my subconscious. The pen on the top left is a Kristal fountain pen in red made by the KRONE company. The white pen in the middle is a MICHEL PERCHIN Imperial fountain pen in white guilloche and 22 karat gold. On the bottom left is an OMAS Mezzo fountain pen in Mandarin. The OMAS is triangular in shape and the one in my dream was burgundy not orange. I like all three of these pens but why they should show up in my dream is a mystery to me.

In my dreams these pens were being given to me by a friend, not so much as a gift but more as a token of appreciation for a task that I performed. I can't remember who the person was in the dream that gave me the pens, but I do remember that it was a woman.

"Dreams are illustrations...from the book your soul is writing about you."

- Marsha Norman

American Playwright

Scribo, Ergo Sum

JAKE

HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE: June Cablecast

2008-05-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

For those of you who live in Queens, New York, there will be a re-cablecast of the two part program HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE in June, 2008. The cablecast dates are as follows:

HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE
Parts 1 and 2 (One hour cablecast of both shows.)
Thursday June 5th at 5:00PM - 6:00PM Channel 35
Monday June 30th at 8:30PM - 9:30PM Channel 34

HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE: Part One
Tuesday June 8th at 3:00PM - 3:30pm Channel 35
Wednesday June 18th at 8:00PM - 8:30pm Channel 56

HAVE PEN, WILL WRITE: Part Two
Thursday June 12th at 12:00PM Channel 56
Friday June 27th at 7:00PM Channel 35

Antoni Gaudi

2008-04-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

I once asked a fellow fountain pen collector, "What's your favorite pen?" She replied, "The next one that I'm going to buy." Ah, so true! Just when I think that I've found my Holy Grail of pens, another one catches my eye and the pursuit begins once again.

I recently purchased an Aurora Talentum pen in black with silver trim and 14 karat gold italic nib. I already own an Aurora Talentum Finesse with an italic nib which is an exceptional writing instrument. The Finesse is slimmer than the regular Talentum and I was interested in the larger model with its added girth. It too is a wonderful writer. As a calligrapher I prefer writing with a chiseled nib. And then I espied the Stipula Gaudi Casa Batllo.

Antoni Gaudi was a Catalonian architect born in Spain in 1852. He was a part of the Modernisme or Art Nouveau Movement, and is famous for his unique architectural style which emerged from the well spring of his imagination. His creations are so fantastic that it was once believed that he loaned his name to the term "gaudy." But, in truth Shakespeare used the term in Hamlet and King Henry the VI - "The gaudy blabbing and remorseful day is crept into the bosom of the sea." Here, Shakespeare used the word gaudy to mean festive. And Gaudi's architecture is festive to the extreme. Admittedly, I did not like Gaudi's work when I first saw pictures of it in books. Some years ago I traveled to Spain with Margie and Muggs, two members of the Sisterhood of the Silver Circle, and I had the chance to see Gaudi's creations up close and personal; they moved me. Who was this artist of unbridled imagination?

When I returned stateside, I read a biography of Gaudi which gave me a deeper understanding of the man behind the artist. I learned that the Catholic Church was considering canonizing him as a saint but stopped short of doing so because he might have been a Freemason. As a Freemason myself this made Gaudi more endearing to me.

The Stipula Gaudi Casa Batllo is a limited edition fountain pen. I purchased number 79/193. Which is to say that only 193 pens were manufactured in each of two versions. The first is black with silver and enamel accents the other in a pattern that's known as "cracked ice" with silver clip and band. In length and girth the pen is akin to a Montblanc 146 Le Grande. It takes a cartridge or a converter and is great as an everyday writer. My biggest decision was, what color ink should I fill it with. After hours of pondering, I settled on Private Reserves' Avocado which compliments the blue/green enameling on the cap and barrel.

In purchasing this pen I was most certainly driven by the theme, but I also had a familiarity with the Stipula product line. I own a Stipula Duetto in lemoncello with titanium nib, a wonderful writer that lays down a bold wet line of ink and affords contrast between thick and thin lines which lends character to one's script.

There are currently about six pen manufacturers that have pens with a Gaudi theme: ACME, Ancora, Pelikan, Caran d'Ache, Stipula, Montegrappa and Sailor. Most of the pens were created in 2002 in commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of Gaudi's birth. As most of the pens are limited editions (LE), there are very few available on the open market.

If you have an interest in these pens I suggest that you act quickly as they will become rare very shortly.

Scribo Ergo Sum.

Cliff Jacobs

Have Pen, Will Write

HUES OF BLUE: A Tale of Ink

2008-04-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

After the fountain pen itself nothing is more important than the ink you fill it with. Without ink a fountain pen is only an objet d'art, but it is not a tool. Ink, without the directing power of a pen, is only an amorphous liquid with no meaning. Pen and ink combined yield something greater than the sum of its parts, the mathematical equation of which is 1+1=3.

It's not my intention to give a detailed history of ink, that can be found on a numerous of Internet sites. Instead I'll share with you my musings on the subject of ink.

No one knows for certain where ink originated, the Ancient Egyptians, Hebrews and Chinese all used some substance that enabled them to write on parchment or papyrus. Early ink was often made from lampblack, soot, ashes, crushed berries and "ink" from cuttlefish and octopi. The Chinese are given credit for having created India ink which combined soot, oil and grease into a substance that would adhere or bind itself to the writing surface. Ostensibly ink is a binding agent which burns itself into the paper. Because early inks were high in acidity, early manuscripts and documents bear holes where the ink has eaten through the parchment. The presence of these holes is one way to discern the authenticity of ancient documents.
Because of the corrosive nature of early inks, the nibs on many antique pens show signs of erosion. For an ink to be balanced it should have a pH level between 6 and 7. Low pH (2, 3) veers towards acidity; very high pH levels (9, 11) are high in ammonia content. In either case, both extremes are bad for pens.

Nathan Tardiff is the founder of Noodler's Ink, absolutely positively one of the best ink brands on the market. All of Noodler's inks have a neutral pH and are safe for fountain pens. In addition they are often designated as being "bulletproof" which means they are impervious to chemicals, bleach and other agents, once the ink has dried on the page. Nathan has a standing offer of $1000.00 for anyone who can remove his ink from a check or any other paper stock. In the past this could only be accomplished with India ink or indelible ink which is not safe for fountain pens. India ink in particular contains shellac and when this ink enters the capillaries of the pen's feeder system the pen will be damaged and in need of serious repair. Never, ever put waterproof, permanent or India ink in a fountain pen - NEVER! Nathan uses the term bulletproof as opposed to waterproof which means they are safe for pens but become permanent when pen is put to page. Noodler's also produces inks that will not freeze in sub Arctic temperatures and inks that contain lubricants to keep a pen's mechanism functioning smoothly. I'm sure there hangs a sign on his laboratory door that reads, "Genius at work."

Among my favorite inks in current use are:

Noodler's Red-Black: A nice combination that's pleasing to the eye; slightly chocolate
(Ottoman Rose is also quite nice.)

Noodler's Legal Blue: A professional business blue that's bulletproof & forger proof
(Available only from Art Brown International Pen Shop.)

Noodler' Heart of Darkness: Darker than a black hole in deep space or in Calcutta

Noodler's X Feather: You could write on a paper towel and it will not feather or bleed

Noodler's Bay State Blue: A blue that's vibrant and electric; brilliant beyond belief

Private Reserve's Naples Blue: My everyday blue, aesthetically pleasing to mind, body & soul

Private Reserve's Avocado: A warm embraceable green

Private Reserve's Quick Drying Ultra Black: Deep, dark and intense

Private Reserve's Purple Mojo: In the words of Austin Powers - Yeah, Baby, Yeah!

There are many manufacturers of ink: Diamine from England, Aurora from Italy, Sailor from Japan and Pelikan from Germany all mix wonderful pigments. The thing to remember is that the combination of pen and ink is very unique. An ink that works wonderfully in one pen may not work as well in another pen of a different make or model; you have to experiment until you find the right match-up. Be sure to rinse out your pens at least once a month to avoid clogging problems. A good rinse is important when switching between inks not only for reasons of color but also for the differences in brands. I suggest that you purchase a nasal aspirator which is great for flushing out the nib and feeder.

Scribo Ergo Sum

Jake
HPWW

Pen Repair

2008-04-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Under my blog entry for the Recife Mercuri Arabesque, I received a comment from someone who needs to have their Mercuri fountain pen repaired. The person who posted anonymously didn't leave their email address so I'm posting my response here.

The headquarters for Recife in the United States is located in Orleans, Massachusetts. Their contact information is:

Recife
c/o PFA
P.O. Box 2314
Orleans, Ma. 02653
Customer Service Telephone: 508.240.3075
FAX: 800.647.1882
Email: pifay@aol.com
CEO/President: Pierre Fay

You can also contact John Mottishaw of Classic Pens at:
http://www.nibs.com/

or

Richard Binder at:
http://www.richardspens.com/

In the blog that was posted it was stated that the pen rolled off a desk. Remember that it is a good habit to "post" the cap, which means place the cap of the pen on the back end. If you lay the pen down the clip on the cap prevents the pen from rolling off your table or desk.

Please let me know how you make out with the information provided. I have a fairly complete list of where to send pens for repair depending on the manufacturer. The list is too lengthy to post in its entirety, so if you have a question about where to have a particular writing instrument repaired, please post here on the site or email me at : waznojake2001@yahoo.com. Please be sure to leave your email address so that I can respond to you directly.

Have Pen, Will Write

Jake

More Thoughts From the Sisterhood

2008-03-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

I'm one of the members of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Journal and journal writing is something I've done since I was a young girl. I thought I'd share with you my own adventures as a young diarist. I got my first diary from my father when I was 12, back in late March 1971. Well, it was a diary in theory anyway. In reality it was a pocket-sized 1969 daily planner from Yashica, Inc. Each page fit 3 or 4 spaces for daily entries, so I had to be economical with my writing -- the size of the lettering was as crucial as how much I could talk about. But from the moment I received it, I wrote in it every single night. I didn't plan to be committed to it - it just happened. I don't know how he knew this was something I would love, but my dad's giving me that little book started a firestorm in me that still blazes today, although it's harder to find time these days to just sit and think and write. Back then I recorded the usual minutiae that is the life of a New York City pre-teen girl living in the projects: who was in the latest issue of 16 Magazine; the latest 45 RPM record I bought; my favorite DJs on WABC (Dan Ingram and Cousin Brucie); who got mugged in the building; the unrequited crush I had on the boy upstairs; how the next door neighbor's oldest son OD-ed in the hallway right in front of me; my desperation to turn 13 so I could get my working papers (and technically be a teenager!); and this gem: "Devon R. came to my house today and asked if he could open my bedroom window. He was sweating. His pet monkey threw his pot out his bedroom window (10A) and it landed on my bedroom window (3A), that was why. He came over to get it and made me swear not to tell. I would never tell. Pets aren't supposed to be allowed in the building." Life at the Stephen Wise Towers was occasionally like "Good Times" meets "That 70s Show."

I still have that little Yashica book, and all the subsequent diaries - real, bona fide diaries - in which I wrote every single night from that first night in '71 until around 1982, when I got my own apartment, supported myself with two jobs and suddenly found myself with less time to sit and write down my thoughts and the events of the day. Or was it maybe all the distractions of young adult life and escaping the projects and living in a great neighborhood in Manhattan? On the other hand, even in the aftermath of my father's sudden death in 1974, I didn't leave one page blank in any of my diaries -- that didn't happen until I was 22 and my life veered off into the "real world." I also remember how, sometime after my father died, I really was tempted to burn the journals of my younger self because I thought I sounded like such an idiot. I didn't cut myself any slack for being the very innocent 12-to-15-year-old that I was. I think I must have hated that clueless child because she was protected from knowing tragedy firsthand. It was supposed to happen to other people.I am so glad I didn't give in to the temptation to destroy those diaries. It's not just the personal history, it's also about a place and a time that's gone forever, and without documenting it, a lot of it would have been lost to me. They say one photo is worth a thousand words, but I don't recall any photographers showing up to document Devon retrieving his dime bag from my windowsill. Time alters memory and memory fades, but the written word is forever. Even in the Sisterhood's diary, I'll often try to mention things that are current but outside our inner lives, just to give it a context in time and place. I feel so very privileged to be part of the Sisterhood project and it's just so exciting and amazing to bear witness as our lives evolve and the three of us braid all the joy, shock, love, recipes, gripes, disappointments, revelations, worry, and anticipation of all things, fantastic and mundane, in our lives.

Maggie B.

From the Sisterhood of the Silver Circle

2008-03-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

KEEPING SABBATH IN A TRAVELING JOURNAL

The idea for our traveling journal came from the movie “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”. I fell in love with the idea of an item that traveled among a group of close friends who were to be separated over the summer. I had recently been separated from my friends forever by moving from New York to Georgia. But I knew I would never find a magic pair of pants, so I had to come up with something else. I shared my idea with some friends and we came up with the journal idea (the original Sisterhood wrote all over their magic pants) pretty quickly. We wanted something to wear, an amulet of some sort, while we wrote in our journal. One of our members was searching through a handful of change while paying for something and noticed one coin shining brighter than the rest. It turned out to be a 1964 silver dime. It occurred to her this could figure in our journal amulet. Remarkably, she was able to find four more, all of them from the 1960’s when they stopped making dimes out of silver. After doing some research, we learned that silver dimes were thought to contain magic properties. We commissioned an extremely talented and ultra-creative mutual friend to fashion an amulet for us, which she did out of suede and beads. We named the amulet “Luna Star” and it gave us the name for our group, “Sisterhood of the Silver Circle.” We bought a special pen, a copper-hued Monteverde Invincia and we named it “Rose Heart.” Once we had all the pieces of our circle together, we met in New Hope Pennsylvania by the banks of the Delaware River and consecrated all our items in a ritual for the purpose of keeping the journal moving among us. We took oaths to always write the truth in the journal and to honor our commitment. Then, of course, we went to eat.

During the period that I have the journal, which we also call “the precious”, it can be difficult to make space in my life to sit down and write. But having it keep coming around forces me to create that time. We have come to understand the act of Sabbath keeping as going to church. But at its most fundamental, it is making time for oneself, giving oneself a break from the constant grind of work. Not just one’s job, but all work, and making time for what one considers holy. My friends are sacred to me and leaving them was gut-wrenching. I keep Sabbath and reconnect with them by reading their entries and adding my own. We are onto our second journal and in them we have shared stories of leaving husbands, finding new lovers, seeing our parents age and thinking of death. We have documented wonderful and painful events of childhood. We have bid farewell to loved ones who have passed and have rhapsodized over the coming of the seasons. We have revealed our own actions that have caused us shame. In them we have photos, commuter rail ticket stubs and some beautiful artwork and poetry. Every time we sit down, slip Luna Star over our necks and pick up Rose Heart, we imagine those in the future reading our words. In this way, we keep Sabbath.

Margie Jacobs

NOTES ON THE PHOTOS:
#1: Shows the current journal on the left which is sporting some collage art work by member

Cyan Owl; the pen, “Rose Heart”; the amulet “Luna Star” and the box on the right is a wooden cigar box that has also been decorated by more collage art work by member Cyan Owl.
#2: The amulet by itself.
#3: The pen by itself.

On The Art of the Hand Written Letter

2008-03-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today as I was out and about, I passed a Barnes and Noble bookstore. In the window was a copy of the book, The Letters of Noel Coward. This brought a smile to my face. Not because I'm a fan of Noel Coward, but because here was an an individual who, in addition to his music and plays, left behind a legacy in letters. And I'm sure his letters makes for interesting reading or else no one would have bother to collect them in a single volume. How many of us will leave such a legacy behind?

In a previous post I mentioned the difficulty that contemporary biographers are having in amassing information about their subjects. Since the nineties, and perhaps even before, people no longer communicate by hand written letters. The Internet has forever changed how we communicate with one another. Now I do love the possibilities that the Internet offers in this age of high speed communication. Without the Internet this blog could not exist. Yet, still I find the need and the desire to write the old fashion way, by hand. After all, more than anything, people who collect fountain pens love to use them - they enjoy writing.

Along with the decline of hand written correspondence so too has died the art of keeping a journal or diary. Or as my friend Sandy expresses it, "the art of memoir." There was a time when many young women of my generation had a secret diary, filled with their thoughts about life and about the cute boy who sat next to them in Science class. Travelers, once upon a time, kept journals of their sojourns abroad, filled with their impressions of the Eiffel Tower or The Great Wall of China. The 19th century explorer, Sir Richard F. Burton, wrote a wonderful travelogue entitled, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah [sic] & Mecca. Burton traveled through Arabia disguised as a wandering Dervish and visited all of the Holy shrines sacred to Muslims and participated in all of the rituals associated with the Hajj. He was one of the few, if not the first, Westerner to do so. His record of his travels throughout the Arabian Peninsula is a gripping narrative of a perilous journey. One could say that Burton's travelogue serves as a prequel to that of T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which recounts his experiences in Arabia during the First World War. There is also the personal adventure of Sir Henry Morton Stanley who spent years traveling throughout Central Africa, most notably in his quest to find David Livingstone, "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?"

The idea is that, letters and journals affords us the opportunity to experience the lives of others and to see the world through their eyes. These writings amuse and entertain, inform and educate. They allow us to connect with those core feelings that we all share with each other. And they inspire us to take journeys of our own either outward or inward. To write about our travels, experiences and observations is to mesh ourselves into the warp and weft of the fabric of humanity.

Have Pen, Will Write

Jake

Gallery

2008-03-19T13:02:00.001-07:00

Sample page from an illuminated Book of Hours.

I really like the composition of this photo.

The combination of coins, watch,

post cards and demitasse cup reminds me of my sojourns in Europe.

Visit http://www.penhero.com/

David Oscarson's tribute to Jacques DeMolay,

last Grand Master of the Knights Templar.

Visit http://davidoscarson.com

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Journal

2008-03-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

In a few weeks I will feature an article from Margie Jacobs a member of the 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Journal.' A few years ago Margie and some of her friends decided to purchase a journal and a special pen, a Monteverde Invincia rose gold RB to be exact. The journal and the pen travels from friend to friend and from state to state. Each of the "Sisters" spends time with the journal and then mails it to one of the other members who record their thoughts, impressions, poems and other ruminations about life in the journal. I think this is a wonderful idea that I wish that I could duplicate with some of my distant friends.

I also invite other visitors to this blog to share their thoughts and feelings about pens and writing all are welcomed.

HPWW

Jake

Pen Review: Recife Mercuri Arabesque

2008-03-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

In one of my previous entries I mentioned that I would talk about pens that write very well and are priced affordably but receive little or no attention. The pen pictured below is the Mercuri Fountain Pen (FP) made by the Recife Company founded in France in 1987. From the very beginning two friends, Stephan Arnal and Leo Smaga, knew that they wanted to design pens for the fashion conscious. Their concept was to design pens that are both a fashion accessory and a practical writing tool that broke new ground with innovative designs.

When I saw the Mercuri Arabesque FP I was impressed immediately with its design. (The version in the photo is the Scotia.) I would describe the design on the Arabesque as a black-on-black brocade design with stainless steel nib and trim. It's slightly under six inches when capped and measures six and a half inches when posted, placing the cap on the back of the pen when writing is known as "posting", which makes the Mercuri as long as the Montblanc 146 0r 149.

According to the information provided with the pen, the Recife Mercuri is made from a substance known as bakelite. Bakelite is used to make stems for smoking pipes as well as for umbrella handles, it's a synthetic resin that can be molded to any desired shape. The feature that stands out on this pen is the guilloche pattern that has been engraved into the bakelite. Guilloche is the process of engraving resin, steel, silver, gold or other substances with a particular pattern like herringbone for example. Some manufacturers like David Oscarson and Michel Perchin will then apply layer upon layer of transparent lacquer which gives the pen a glass like finish. The Recife pens are sans lacquer, so you feel the pattern when holding the pen which is in no way uncomfortable or distracting.

I purchased this pen without testing it out first, something I don't suggest that you do unless you're an experienced pen purchaser. Well, Recife delivered the goods when it came to the nib, which is the heart and soul of any writing instrument. Although the nib is designated 'medium' it writes like a fine point. This is the finest nib that I've ever purchased, that is to say fine in terms of the thickness of the line that it lays down. (I prefer a broader nib on most occasions.) This pen has made me very appreciative of fine nibbed writing instruments and I will be seeking them out in future purchases. The writing is smooth on any surface and it writes first time every time with a wonderful ink flow. It does not dry out if you leave it lying around for a week or two. It's particularly striking when filled with Noodler's Heart of Darkness or Private Reserve's Fast Dry Ultra Black inks. I can't imagine using any other color ink except black or red. If Dracula wrote with a fountain pen this would be the one he would write with, filled with blood red ink!

The Mercuri accepts the standard European short cartridge but it does not come with a converter, which was a little disappointing as I prefer to use bottled ink. The good news is that the Recife Mercuri will accept the same converter that is used with ACME fountain pens.

You may have difficulty finding this pen as it is not carried by many dealers. I purchased my pen at CURSIVE, New York which is located inside ABC Carpet & Home at 888 Broadway and 19th Street in Manhattan. The price of the pen is about $125.00, which in the world of fountain pens is very affordable.

Have Pen, Will Write

Jake

Confessions of a Fountain Pen

2008-03-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

I've wondered what my pens would say if they could speak, they produce so many words and hold many secrets. Listen, while my pen gently speaks...

I am a fountain pen. I’m made of black resin and 18 karat gold. There are many who think that I’m special because of my pedigree, (I was born a Mont Blanc 149 Diplomat), but my true value lies in the service that I provide for my owner.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of being used to write many words expressing the thoughts of my owner. I’ve penned letters congratulating nieces and nephews who graduated from college and prepared scripts for television. I've written checks for charitable donations as well as those that pay the mortgage. I’ve also been used to write letters of thanks for Christmas gifts, nights out dining and birthday presents. I’ve prepared corporate reports and taken notes in classes, conferences and workshops. Although I’m happy in my existence as a fountain pen, not all of my work is joyous.

The hardest jobs are those letters of condolence sent to friends who have lost a loved one. And I've been called upon more than once to write an obituary. During those assignments the ink that I hold is mixed with tears of sympathy. Alas, a bitter sweet task.

And yet, I’ve also had moments of great joy.

Perhaps my happiest work has been those letters of love and passion that I have been employed to write on fine stationary. Ah! What joy! What bliss! I can only imagine how a heart may swoon on reading the words that have been so tenderly written. Words meant to transcend time and space. I also love to travel, and I’ve seen much of the world. I’ve been used to pen notes from Italy, Spain, England and, my favorite, France. Here, closer to home, the breathtaking vistas of America's Southwest have always been inspirational.

I know, you’re asking yourself: How can a fountain pen be responsible for such words, such musings? You see, within my reservoir is an amorphous liquid that lacks shape or meaning. But when my owner takes me into his grip, I become an extension of his thoughts by way of his arm, wrist and hand. That shapeless liquid becomes words on a page that take form and becomes meaningful. And when I’m used to give definition to a thought, I become immortal; the heart and soul of a legacy.

In the coming years it may be that I will change hands. Perhaps one of my owner’s nieces or nephews may inherit me. Should that happen my only hope is that they will not abandoned me for a keyboard, cell phone or some other futuristic electronic device designed to communicate faster, but with no greater degree of substance. But until that time I remain happy in the employ of my owner. And when day is done and I’m put aside for the evening, I’m never alone for I rest among many friends: Stipula and Aurora from Italy, Acme and Monte Verde from America and, my good friend from Germany, Lamy. I’m always in good company as, I am the proud owner of a human spirit.

Have Pen, Will Write

Cablecast Dates for HPWW

2008-03-08T11:38:00.002-08:00

Below are the cablecast dates for Parts 1& 2 of Have Pen Will Write: The Joys of Fountain Pen Collecting. Please be advised that the programs can only be viewed in Queens, New York on Time Warner Cable and RCN. I will get cablecast dates for the other boroughs in the future, and perhaps some other locations around the country.

MARCH
Have Pen, Will Write
The Joys of Fountain Pen Collecting, Part 1
Saturday March 22 at 9:00pm Channel 35
Wednesday March 26 at 8:oopm Channel 34

Have Pen, Will Write
The Joys of Fountain Pen Collecting, Part 2
Monday March 24 at 6:30pm Channel 34
Saturday March 29 at 9:oopm Channel 35

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

APRIL:
Have Pen, Will Write
The Joy of Fountain Pen Collecting, Parts 1 & 2 (Back to back cablecasts)
Friday April 11 from 7:00pm - 8:00pm Channel 34

Have Pen, Will Write
The Joy of Fountain Pen Collecting, Part 1
Wednesday April 23 at 8:00pm on Channel 34

Have Pen, Will Write
The Joy of Fountain Pen Collecting, Part 2
Saturday April 26 at 9:oopm on Channel 35

I also need to thank a number of people who have assisted me with this project. A big thank you to Madeline Johnson who jumped at the opportunity to direct the programs and who did a marvelous job editing the programs. Thanks to Steven Williams for his technical direction, sound and lighting. Thanks to Dr. Le-Nora Jones McBeth for her great camera work, Carole Auletta for being such a wonderful host, Linda Fanning for set decoration, George "Sandy" Campbell for the loan of some of his pens (who also gave me a nice Parker 51). And a special thanks to QPTV's Executive Director Daniel Leone who gave me the opportunity to tape the shows. A special thanks to Antonio Collado for guiding me through the process of setting up my blog spot.

And, finally, a special thanks to everyone who have given me their support in the creation of this blog spot and the TV programs.

Have Pen, Will Write

Jake

Why Fountain Pens?

2008-03-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

I'm often asked, "Why do you write with a fountain pen?" Here's the story.

I mentioned in my previous post that I'm a native New Yorker. I attended Catholic School most of my life, from elementary through high school, with the exception of my senior year. In elementary school all of my teachers were Nuns. At that time there were daily lessons in penmanship. From the first grade to the third grade we wrote with pencils. Each day we practiced writing majuscules and minuscules, that's to say, capitals and lower case letters. Eventually we were taught to connect the letters and develop our cursive script. The big day came when we were promoted to the fourth grade where we were allowed to write with an ink pen or fountain pen.

The Nuns believed that the development of good penmanship was the sign of good character. And to develop good penmanship one had to write with a fountain pen, ballpoints were not allowed. Now I don't mean to suggest that poor handwriting is a sign of poor character, that would be overly simplistic and not true. However, I must note that I never met a person with good penmanship that I didn't like. This taps into the field of handwriting analysis of which I'm no expert. But it would be interesting to do a study of the handwriting styles of Presidents, politicians and folks who are incarcerated to see if some sort of pattern develops.

I find that when I write with a fountain pen the quality of my thoughts and words improve greatly. The fountain pen is an extension of one's arm - the thoughts move from the brain through the arm and hand and causes the pen to move across the page, it's an organic process. With the use of computers there has been a decrease in the knowledge of how to use a writing instrument. Along with that, a lot of young people do not know how to look up words in a dictionary because they rely on their computer's spell check. I was watching someone write with a pen recently and they were holding the pen with a balled-up fist. They were choking the pen tightly and it showed in their script. The art of writing by hand is still important and needed. If one is filling out a job application, good penmanship could make a difference. Computers are wonderful tools but they may not be appropriate for every means of communication.

On to other matters...

I hope to post some photos of interesting pens on this site and to add some links to web sites where you can delight in the wonderful world of pen collecting.

For my next post I'll discuss pens made by companies that are not widely known, but whose pens are enjoyable to write with.

Have Pen, Will Write

Jake

Welcome to Have Pen, Will Write

2008-03-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

There's a saying that we do not choose our path but that the path chooses us. I like that saying and I use it often. But in my case it seems that I create my own path as I walk - the asphalt just magically appears beneath my feet with each step that I take. Yes, I said asphalt. You see, I live in the Big Apple and we ran out of yellow bricks a long time ago. This ain't Kansas and it's surely not Oz. So my path has lead me to create my own blog spot: Have Pen, Will Write. It's a bit of an oxymoron as no pen is used to write the words that you are now reading. Yet, having this blog will enable me to share my passion for fountain pens with a wide audience.

About five years ago I read an article about the difficulty biographers are having in finding information about their subjects. It seems that, with the Internet people no longer write letters by hand, so there is no written record of a person's life left behind to be researched. Most of us who receive email do not print them out and tie them up with red ribbon as legacy of who we were. I have a drawer full of personal letters and cards that I've received from friends and family that I cherish. These letters are a part of my legacy.

The other incident that made me return to letter writing as a form of communication was the passing of the father of an acquaintance of mine. There were a number of email condolences that were sent by friends, but I did not participate. I felt strongly that the expression of condolence should not be communicated in an email. It lacks class and style. Such feelings should be expressed in a hand written card. Or take Valentine's Day, for example. Would you send your wife or lover an email Valentine's Day card? There's nothing special in doing that. The choice of pen, ink, stationary and perhaps a bit of fragrance on the card yields a complete and sensual expression of love that can not be conveyed through an email. Hence: Have Pen, Will Write.

I'm also happy to announce that I've just completed two half hour programs about fountain pen collecting. I want to share my love of writing instruments and the art of the hand written note with a wider audience and the programs allows me to do that. If possible I'll post some clips from the show for those who are interested and who do not live in New York where the shows will be cablecast.

So this blog spot will be about pens, calligraphy, the art of journal writing and hand written communication. All are invited to post their musings and questions about this subject.

But a blog spot is also a very public journal. Most of us who keep a diary would not leave it out for others to read, yet to have a blog spot is to do that very thing. So, as this is a public diary, I will occasionally venture into other areas with my posts. I'm a very active Freemason and I have a strong interest in esoteric and antiquarian subjects and you'll read about some of those things here.

So if you have thoughts that you would like to share and if you have questions about fine writing instruments don't hesitate to post.

More to come.......

Have Pen, Will Write

Jake