Q: Who is in charge of the OC Pen Club?
A: Our club is entirely volunteer-driven. We do not have elected officers, membership tiers, etc. As such we heavily rely on members to volunteer their ideas, time, and passion for our shared hobby to make our club fun and welcoming for all! In late 2025, a small group of members formed an informal planning committee to help coordinate club meetings and related events. You can reach this committee at info@ocpenclub.com or ocpenclub@gmail.com, or by messaging the mods on our Facebook group or Discord server.
Q: How do I become a member? Are there membership dues?
A: You become a member by attending any of our meetings! Membership is free, although some club activities will incur a fee. We will communicate as early as possible if any club activities require a fee to participate.
Q: Where and when are meetings?
A: We generally have club meetings once a month, or once every-other-month, depending on meeting venue availability. We try to book meetings in venues located in different parts of OC to make our club more accessible. The schedule and locations of upcoming meetings will be posted to our website meetings page. We are always in need of free meeting space in Orange County that can accommodate 30-50 people–if you are aware of such space, please let the planning committee know!
Q: I’m new to the club. What can I expect at a meeting?
A: Our meetings are member-driven, so we do not have a set structure. However, meetings generally follow this pattern:
- First 30 mins: arrivals, setting up tables and chairs, including ink sample station, shared snacks and drinks, and freebie table; general socializing;
- 30 mins after start: welcome, announcements, presentation and Q&A on a special topic with presenters if there if applicable;
- 2nd hour: general socializing, pen show-and-tell in small groups, ink sharing and swatching at ink sample table.
We will do our best to announce ahead of time if we have a presentation or group discussion planned for an upcoming meeting.
Q: Is food and drink allowed at meetings?
A: Generally yes, unless the venue forbids it. We will communicate ahead of time if a venue forbids food and drink. Free snacks and drinks are not provided at club meetings, but if allowed, members are welcome to bring food and drinks for themselves, or for sharing with other members.
Q: Can I bring children to club meetings?
A: Yes! We welcome kids to meetings and love including them in our hobby! However we do not provide child care, so members bringing children are expected to be responsible for them at all times.
Q: What is the freebie table?
A: We encourage and welcome members sharing gently-used-but-unwanted stationery, stickers, washi tape, ink, and other pen accessories! At each meeting we have a “freebie table” where you can leave items for other members to review and take home. Give your unwanted items a new life with another member!
Q: How does the ink sampling at meetings work?
A: Our wonderful Inkmaster Marilyn Darling generously documents, labels, and stores over 400 samples of ink shared by members and others. Marilyn brings this collection to each meeting to our designated ink station table. All members are welcome to visit the station and take samples of ink they want to try, and to swatch any ink samples during meetings. Marilyn is available to guide newcomers! Additionally, we encourage members who have ink they’d like to share to donate to our ink sample collection, or our freebie table.