Requirements for Membership

Membership in the Pen & Pencil Club is open to anyone of legal drinking age who wishes to join. There are three classes of membership:

• Active members are those who work for a news media organization in a reporting or editing position or engage in journalism on a freelance basis. (“Those who choose journalism above all other callings,” as our 1892 charter put it.) Dues are $60 annually.

• Reporters and editors 25 or younger may join as Active (Young Journalist) members for reduced annual dues until they become Active members on their 26th birthday. Dues are $40 annually.

• Associate members are “friends of journalists” — anyone neither affiliated with a news organization as a reporter or editor nor a freelance journalist. This includes those who work in public or media relations for an agency, company or non-profit organization, including a news organization’s media relations, sales or marketing department. Dues are $40 annually.

• For an additional $60 per year, a member in any class can become a Sustaining member. In addition to the privileges extended to all class members, Sustaining members may book one private event at the Club each year free of charge, subject to availability. (You may choose annually whether to remain a Sustaining member.)

All candidates seeking membership in the Club must be sponsored by a current Active member in good standing (i.e., their dues are current and they have not been expelled from Club membership for a policy violation).

Memberships require approval by the Board of Governors. If you have a question about the sponsorship requirement, please contact the General Manager or any staff member.

Apply now using our online signup form: I want to join the P&P!