rad and hungry

Rad and Hungry launches pencil sharing program

/ Andy Welfle / Leave a comment

Have I mentioned how much I love Rad and Hungry? Yes, I think I have.

ROCO pencils, bought in Saudi Arabia. The first 10 people to sign up for the Pencil Pals program gets one of these!

They’re at it again, with a new pencil sharing program just announced a few minutes ago, called Pencil Pals. Hen, one of the driving forces behind RAH, filled me in on some details. It was inspired by writing to her long-time pen pal:

I got my first pen pal when I was in the 1st grade and believe it or not but we’re still in touch despite me growing up in Seattle and her in Rochester, NY. I love the concept of pen pals and basically, I wanna be the best pen pal in the world! I include a personal note with each kit and I really look forward to writing the letters. It’s fun for me to really connect with our customers/fans. I hate when I get a package from a friend with no note. It feels so empty. Like something is missing.

Basically, this is how the program works. You sign up at the Rad and Hungry website (check back here for a link), and you get a pencil or two in the mail. They ask that you share some love on your blog, or post a pic of it to their Facebook wall, or tweet it out. Also, send them an email to let them know you recieved it.

RAH will email you the mailing address of another pencil pal, and you’ll have the option of sending along the pencil you received, or a different one from your collection. They strongly encourage you to send a note as well, perhaps telling about yourself or about the pencil you’re sending them. It’s a great way to make a human connection.

As soon as you mail it out, you’re entered back into the queue to receive another pencil.

This sounds like a lot of fun. It reminds me a bit of the “member pencils” that members of the American Pencil Collector’s Society trade (Note to self: You’ve been a member since last summer! Go get yourself some member pencils!)

Hen isn’t just hawking office supplies, they’re selling a way of life, and fostering connections between cultures. Like I mentioned before, what is your boring, old big-box mart office supplies may be a treasure for someone else who doesn’t get that variety otherwise.

This program is just eliminating the purchasing needed for that connection. It’s a way for you to meet your fellow pencileers without spending more than a postage stamp or two.

Visit Rad and Hungry for more details. And if you’re among the first ten to sign up, you’ll receive one of these awesome pencils bought in Saudi Arabia pictured above!

Rad and Hungry — office supplies for my generation

/ Andy Welfle / 4 Comments

I’ve been thinking about writing a little editorial about my generation (20- and 30-somethings) and the resurgence of “lo-fi” writing instruments for some time. But now may be a good time to touch on it.

 

Although I didn’t really use the computer regularly until I was a teenager, Ever since, I’ve lived much of my life online. In my current job, probably six of my eight hours each day are spent writing, designing, communicating, and researching using the computer. I have a feeling that most, if not all, of my eight hours per day in my new job will be that way, too.

And for all of the time we spent producing virtual words on a screen, I think the writers of my generation feel a need to mark a real mark on a real piece of paper: through typewriters, fountain pens, printing presses, and my favorite: pencils. Continue reading →

Rad and Hungry: For all you former Pencil-of-the-Month subscribers out there

/ Andy Welfle / 13 Comments

Colombian pencils offered by Rad & Hungry

One of the great things about running a specialty blog like this is that if someone is interested enough in something to Google it, chances are they’ll see your site. Big, venerable pencil blogs like Pencil Revolution, Pencil Talk, and others are certainly going to come up before a young upstart like mine, but if a Googler really wants to read about pencils, chances are, they’ll see me (hi, guys!). There just aren’t that many of us out there, compared to, say, Apple blogs or life-hacking blogs.

That’s why I was super excited when I got an email from Hen Chung the other day. She is a traveler, a scribomechanist (lover of writing/office supplies), and entrepreneur. And she has a new business called Rad & Hungry. Continue reading →