Building the Blackwing Guitar

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We partnered with luthier and Blackwing Maker Butch Boswell of Boswell Guitars on a custom guitar build. The guitar features a Tunnel 13 redwood top, brass accents, and a special rosette that includes actual Blackwing pencils. Learn more…

Blackwing x Independent Bookstore Day Retailer Locator

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We teamed up with Independent Bookstore Day to create a limited-edition Blackwing x Independent Bookstore Day to celebrate indie bookstores and the printed word. Each Blackwing x Independent Bookstore Day set includes 12 limited-edition pencils…
Butch Boswell Portrait

Butch Boswell

We had the pleasure to sit down with guitar maker and craftsman, Butch Boswell, to talk about the intricate processes of his trade, tools he can’t live without, and much more.

The Lost Verses of “This Land is Your Land”

“All that you can write is what you can see” is written at the bottom of the original manuscript for what is now known as “This Land is Your Land.” Woody Guthrie’s seminal masterpiece started as six verses penned in cursive on a sheet…

Woody Guthrie’s Notebooks

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Woody Guthrie's life could be chronicled in so many ways through his songs, through the artists that he inspired, and also through the collection of notebooks, ledgers, and correspondences that he left behind. Beyond the guise of being a roaming…
Woody Guthrie Archives

Woody’s Life in Color

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Woody Guthrie is known for many things and, throughout his prestigious career, he was known by many names. The most famous moniker, “The Dust Bowl Troubadour,” was appointed to Guthrie after the release of his seminal album, Dust Bowl Ballads.The…
Blackwing 223

Introducing Volume 223: The Woody Guthrie Pencil

The Blackwing 223 is a tribute to Woody Guthrie and his immutable optimism. Each pencil features a design inspired by This Land’s “ribbon of highway,” “endless skyway” and “golden valley.” The matte black ferrule and earth-toned eraser are a nod to the many miles Woody traveled. We used our balanced graphite formulation that works well for both writing and sketching so you, too, can fill your pages with what you see.

Lindsay Gardner

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Lindsay Gardner is an author and illustrator from Leland, MI. She sketched every original illustration in her new book using Blackwing pencils.

“Song to Woody” – When Bob Dylan Met Woody Guthrie

In the middle of a frigid January in 1961, 19-year Bob Dylan embarked on a road trip from Minnesota to New York City with little more than a guitar and suitcase. Dylan had just dropped out of the University of Minnesota after a little more…