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| MX authors Dan Andriacco and Tracy Revels |
On April 15 and 16, I had the great pleasure of attending
Holmes, Doyle & Friends: Three, sponsored by the Agra Treasurers of Dayton, Ohio. I presented on "Mourning Becomes Him: Dr. Watson's Grief for Sherlock Holmes," which was based on an essay for
The Serpentine Muse. Since I was giving a talk that grew out of my historical research---and since I teach classes on Holmes---I thought of Dayton as an academic event. But I have to admit that I rarely have as much fun at 'history' meetings as I did at this gathering of fellow admirers of Doyle and all the incarnations of his great character.
The festivities began with a reception on Friday evening. As always, it was good to catch up with old friends and make new ones. I met some people who had only been 'Facebook real' to me, and it was clear that for many folks this is a very important yearly gathering, a time to catch up and compare notes on what has definitely been a Sherlockian renaissance.
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| MX author Vincent Wright |
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| Martin Arbagi |
On Saturday I was privileged to share the podium with a number of speakers on an eclectic array of topics. Dan Andriacco explored the gothic elements in the sacred writings. William Cochran proposed a different interpretation of "A Scandal in Bohemia." Martin Arbagi explained why it's really not so strange that Professor Moriarty and his brother shared a first name! Karen Murdock led us through a consideration of the vast numbers of figures of speech in the canon, and Vincent Wright filled us in on what was happening on January 6, 1854, the day that Sherlock Holmes was born. David Milner offered some tomfoolery to explain what the relic in the Musgrave Ritual really was---hint: it's not a crown! With a mix of serious, scholarly, and imaginative themes, the day of presentations seemed to fly by. Between talks, there was time to add to one's bag of Sherlockian swag, with books, jewelry, and artwork available for purchase. One lucky raffle participant walked away with a basket filled with wine, books, t-shirts, and other goodies.
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| Our Holmes and Watson---Courtney Brown and Michelle Turchiano |
The evening concluded with a banquet, in which various characters were toasted and important Sherlockians who passed away this year were remembered. Afterward, silliness ruled with two reader's theater skits: "The Adventure of the Villains' Club" and "The Adventure of the Yeti's Curse." Over the years I have penned many humorous productions for the Survivors of the Gloria Scott's annual gala, and I was very humbled to be asked to be in charge of Dayton's after-dinner entertainment. I was especially delighted to have the two youngest members at our gathering play the roles of Holmes and Watson in one of the skits.
Admittedly, I was exhausted when I returned home on Sunday, but I had a great time and I'm very grateful to Martin Arbagi and the Agra Treasurers for inviting me to participate. It's easy in our social media/internet age to get personally disconnected from our fellow enthusiasts, even as we seem to be more electronically connected than ever before. A dose of conferencing, networking, and just plain laughing out loud with our deerstalker-wearing tribe is good for the soul.
