Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! ❤
There’s no better time than today to spread my love of Sherlock Holmes and the communities that I belong to! Come and join a global Sherlockian society!
About a month ago, I began teaching at the University at Buffalo, where I introduced myself to my students as a Sherlockian (or a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes), among other things. To my surprise, not many knew what a Sherlockian was or how to network with people interested in talking about Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, so this blog is dedicated to spreading awareness about a global network of Sherlock Holmes fan communities that I belong to in the hope that it inspires students to become future members!
So, let’s dive in!
The Bootmakers of Toronto: Sherlock Holmes Society of Canada
This is the largest Sherlockian society in Canada, and I am honored to be serving as one of the Board of Directors since 2021! Its name, the Bootmakers, is a reference from The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of Conan Doyle’s four novels, where Sherlock Holmes and Watson discover a vital clue, an ‘old black boot’ belonging to Sir Henry Baskerville in which they find “‘Meyers, Toronto,’ printed on the leather inside” (The Hound of the Baskervilles, n.pag.).
The Bootmakers hosts online story meetings almost every other month. Our next meeting will take a look at the story “The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot” on Saturday, February 25th, from 1-3 pm EST. Meetings, for now, are held on Zoom, so join us! The best part is, it’s FREE!
Becoming a member will unlock a lot more perks! You’ll get access to 4 print copies of The Canadian Holmes, which is a short anthology of essays, reflections, songs and other writings on Sherlock Holmes! I always look forward to receiving a copy in the mail!
Recently, the society celebrated its 50th anniversary with the Friends of the Arthur Doyle Collection. To learn more, click here!!
Here’s how you can join in on the fun:
Calendar at a glance: https://www.torontobootmakers.com/calendar/
Become a member: https://www.torontobootmakers.com/membership/
The Wisteria Lodgers: The Sherlock Holmes Society of Edmonton
This society was founded in 2012! The Wisteria Lodgers will always have a special place for me because it was the very first scion society I joined while I was doing my Ph.D. at the U of A. I have such great memories of meeting at the Second Cup and talking about the Sherlock Holmes stories. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments was the Sherlock Holmes Birthday event that was held at Barb’s and John’s home! (It was the first time I had mushy peas, and, man, oh man, they were so delicious! The roast beef was also sooooo good!). To find out more about this event, read my blog here.
The funny thing is I remember how nervous I was to join the Wisteria Lodgers (because everyone was so well-versed and knowledgeable about the Canon), but all of my worries melted away when I met the group, and I remember regretting not joining sooner. So if you ever feel a bit shy to join, there’s really nothing for you to worry about. The one thing I can confidently say about Sherlockian societies is that you’ll meet like-minded people who come from all walks of life, and share the same passion as you in regard to Sherlock Holmes.
Although the Wisteria Lodgers is currently inactive, I made lifelong friends through this society and am so thankful for their generosity and kindness to this day.
Learn more about the Wisteria Lodgers here: https://sherlockholmesedmonton.wordpress.com/about/
The Japan Sherlock Holmes Club
This is the third society I joined back in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Luckily for me, who was living in Toronto a the time, I was able to join their online meetings, and I made every effort to join from 2 - 4 am EST for the first few months (I wish I were an “automaton”!).
The Japan Sherlock Holmes Club has a long and interesting history that you can read about here. Speaking and reading Japanese is essential as their meetings and newsletters are held and written exclusively in Japanese (obviously). Parts of their website, however, have been translated into English! Check it out! http://www.holmesjapan.jp/english/index.htm
In September 2022, I attended Jubilee@221B, a conference to celebrate 50 years of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at the Toronto Public Library and the Bootmakers of Toronto, where I met two members of the Japan Sherlock Holmes Club in person!
You won’t believe HOW excited I was. Read about my adventures with them here.
There is a membership fee to join the JSHC, but again this is unavailable to people outside of Japan. I am very thankful and grateful to the organizers who have granted me honorary membership status.
To learn more about the kind of things this society does, read my blog here!
The Shaka Sherlockians of Hawaii
Who knew that there was a Sherlockian society in Hawaii!! I learned about the Shaka Sherlockians during a meeting hosted by the Bootmakers of Toronto, and I became an official member in 2021!
The history of Sherlockian scion societies in Hawaii is really interesting, and I encourage you to explore more here: https://www.shakasherlockian.com/about-us--history.html
Membership is free, and the meetings are held online! The hour-long sessions are always packed with insightful talks by guest speakers and sometimes a fun quiz at the end! One of the first things you’ll learn when joining the Shaka Sherlockians is their shaka-sign. I better practice mine before this evening’s meeting! In case you missed it, you can watch it here!
As per the website: future meetings are as follows: February 11th, May 13th, August 12th, and November 11th.
Contact the Shaka Sherlockians if you’d like to join: https://www.shakasherlockian.com/contact-us.html
The Bimetallic Question of Montreal
The Bimetallic Question of Montreal is another society that I learned about through the Bootmakers of Toronto. I’ve attended just a few of their online meetings, and I always had so much fun listening and learning about the Montreal scene of Sherlock Holmes. This society has returned to doing in-person meetings, but I'm glad that I got to connect with a few other members from 2021-2022! To become an official member, there is a fee of $25 CAD, but it’s so worth it for what you get in return! Find out more here.https://www.bimetallicquestion.org/members.html
So there you have it, a list of Sherlockian societies that I have joined in the past three years. I hope you give them a try, and I hope it encourages you to read the works of Conan Doyle! Sherlock Holmes has had such a profound impact around the globe, and these various international societies are a testament to that. In uncertain times, especially during the covid pandemic, these Sherlockian societies brought together people from all over the world, allowing me to make new connections and discover new things about Sherlock Holmes. This is the beauty of Sherlockian societies, and I can’t wait to join others in the US. By the way, does anyone know of any scion societies in Buffalo or New York?