If you are preparing for your first meeting, here are some friendly tips to help you feel at ease!

• Most of us are introverts. You can be as quiet or as talkative as you like, no stress!

• We are all at different stages in our pen collecting. Some of us have been at it for a few months and some for a few decades. Some of us have only a few pens and some of us have hundreds. HPC members span the full spectrum of fountain pen collecting!

• Many members bring interesting or unique pens from their collection to show off. Members often bring ink samples to try as well. We recommend bringing a notebook (or your favorite paper) to use to try other members' pens, inks, or take notes about interesting things you see or try.

• The HPC membership has cross overs into love for general EDC supplies, knives, watches, ink, paper, and stationery (and more!). Please feel free and encouraged to bring anything interesting within an adjacent hobby to show or talk about as well.

• HPC members often trade or buy/sell items from their personal collection amongst each other at meetings. This is a welcome practice!