2020

• November 14  VIRTUAL A Saturday with Sherlock Holmes  This always enjoyable event will be held in cyberspace this year, and as always, in conjunction with Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library. Logon link is here.

2021

All events and dates subject to modification/cancellation due to the pandemic

Due to the pandemic, the Sherlock Holmes birthday weekend in New York will NOT take place in person in January 2021. The Distinguished Speaker's Lecture will be held virtually on January 7, and the BSI "Dinner" (members and invited guests only) will be held on January 8, also in cyberspace. Other events may be added. Details will be posted as they are received.

• April 2 - 3  DC National Rare Book and Ephemera Fair   This is the new name for the Washington Antiquarian Book Fair, which was scheduled to be held in April of 2020 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington. It's been rescheduled and will now be held in 2021 and information is here.
• April 19 - 21 221b Con  Back to Atlanta for this popular conference. Details to come.
• April 29 -May 2  Malice Domestic 33  After the unfortunate need to cancel the 32nd edition of Malice Domestic in 2020, the next event is scheduled for April 29-May 2 of 2021. Preliminary information is here.
• June 25 - 27  Sherlock Holmes and the British Empire  This conference, sponsored by the Baker Street Irregulars, which had been scheduled for July of 2020 has been postponed and rescheduled for June 25-27, 2021. The venue has not changed and the event will still be held at the Bear Mountain Inn in the Hudson Valley, near West Point, New York. Registration is expected to open by April, 2021. You need not be a BSI member to attend, and if you would like to receive direct notifications about this and other BSI doings, you can join their email list by clicking here.
• August 6 - 7  A Scintillation of Scions  returns to its live format (pandemic willing) at its familiar home near BWI Airport. Keep up-to-date here.

For a much more comprehensive list of Sherlockian meetings and events around the United States and beyond, see Ron Fish's

Sherlockian Calendar.

Tiny Murders  Back in 2017 this page took note of a fascinating exhibit at Washington's Renwick Gallery called "Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death." As a forensics exercise in the service of detecting and solving crimes, Ms. Glessner Lee built miniature crime scenes in doll houses, and presented them as challenges for real detectives to ponder. Now, Les Klinger points us to a fine and detailed article in Atlas Obscura from the time of that exhibit. This photo of one of the miniature crime scenes contains a very Sherlockain clue, but you'll have to read the article to find the close-up image that reveals it.

The Red Circle had a wonderful time on Saturday, September 5, when more than 130 Sherlockians (and Holmesians) enjoyed hearing about "British Beginnings" with our guest Nick Utechin. You can read about Nick's talk and more in Carla Coupe's meeting notes. Plus, you can watch the video of the meeting by clicking on Nick's picture at the right.

Visitors from afar Many of us know Dr. Marina Stajic, one of New York's stalwart Sherlockians. For many years Marina was the toxicology expert in New York City's medical examiner's office, the perfect perch from which to survey all manner of poisonings in both the the Big Apple and the Canon. These days Marina is in Serbia, and it was from there that she joined us for our September 5 Red Circle meeting. At 4,670 miles from Washington, we reckon that Marina "came the farthest" to be with us, and it was great to have her along. She tells us she had a lot of fun at the meeting. Other international visitors came from Canada, Sweden, Argentina, Germany, France, Ireland and, of course, England. 

Royal Mail Issues Holmes Stamps  Ten new stamps from the Royal Mail commemorate Sherlock Holmes and the 10th anniversary of the BBC television series. Six of the stamps feature designs from the series, each with a hidden message that can be seen under ultra-violet light or by looking at the Royal Mail's press release here. The other four stamps are on a very attractive miniature sheet with art by Lithuanian illustrator Karolis Strautniekas, and feature images from four of Conan Doyle's favorite stories. The complete set of 10 stamps comes in a nice presentation folder and sells for about $18. The press release gives complete ordering details.

Mycroft Marks 10th Anniversary of BBC's Sherlock  In a video made for Sherlock's appearance on the Chinese network Youku, Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss) takes note of his brother's foibles, the difficulties presented by the pandemic, and the 10th anniversary of the BBC series, all in just two minutes of droll monologue. It's a treat for Sherlockians, and a reminder that a re-screening of the series (or at least part of it) might be a worthwhile endeavor while the plague is still upon us. Click on the image to see Mycroft's message.

Red Circle's First Virtual Meeting Sets Record; Meeting Notes and Video available  Unable to meet in person, The Red Circle shattered attendance records on June 6 when our first virtual meeting welcomed at least 113 Sherlockians and Holmesians from across the US and England too. Special guest Laurie R. King joined us on the eve of the publication of her next Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell adventure, Riviera Gold. Laurie's talk was not only interesting, but comfortable, humorous and warm--a welcome tonic in these troubled times. You can read Carla Kaessenger Coupe's Meeting Notes here. Not only was there a record number of Sherlockians with us for the live meeting, but those who couldn't make it can watch the meeting, including the question-and-answer period with Laurie King by clicking the image at the right.

It is nice to hear that so many of you appreciate various forms of what Holmes called "pawky" humor. Keep your contributions coming and they'll find a place here. Tammany Kramer has suggested. . .“The Most Grave Victuals” — Holmes visits an old university classmate, and the atmosphere in the dining room is unusually somber. 

Red Circle Pins  Tom Fahres reports that a new supply of Red Circle pins has arrived and is availble for order. The pin has been proudly worn all over the Sherlockian world, from Rockville to the Reichenbach, so Red Circle members (which includes everyone who's ever been to a meeting) will treasure having their own. The price is $14.95 each, which includes shipping anywhere. Send an email to Tom to order.

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• For earlier, archived items from The Inner Circle, click here.