
Symposium Schedule
Friday, Oct ??
5:00PM - 8:00PM
Welcome Happy Hour
Join fellow early birds Friday evening for early registration and cash bar and dinner. Details are TBD.

Saturday, Oct ??
University Place Hotel & Conference Center - The Willamette Ballroom
310 SW Lincoln St, Portland OR 97201
8:00AM - 12:00PM
Saturday & Weekend Registration
Collect your badge for the weekend and enjoy some tea and coffee before the Symposium begins. Registration will stay open through the first three talks for any latecomers.
8:30AM - 5:30PM
Vendor Tables Open
Vendors will be situated inside the Willamette Ballroom during the Symposium, beginning 60 minutes before the first talk and ending 60 minutes after the last talk. See list of vendors.
8:30AM - 5:30PM
Quiz-Raffle & Prizes Available
All attendees may choose to participate in the raffle by attempting a quiz concocted by the Pawky Puzzler herself, Margie Deck. Completion/right answers not required for entry. Drawing for 20 prize baskets will take place Sunday morning.
9:30AM - 10:05AM
Is Sherlockian Scholarship Scholarly? - Robert Perret
Sherlock Holmes has one of the oldest fandoms in the world. Nearly from the inception of the character in the nineteenth century there has been avid discussion, hand-crafted publications, fan written fiction, costume creation, art in various media, parodies, knock-offs, and everything else we recognize as fannish behavior in the twenty-first century. Yet there is one unique element to Sherlock Holmes fandom; amateur scholarship. Of course other pieces of Victorian popular literature are studied and published upon; Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and many more. But they are studied in ivory towers by people wearing leather patches on their elbows and being published in places that turn up their noses at any aspiring author who lacks an alphabet soup of academic credentials after their name. Not so Holmes. Dentists and accountants, businessmen and clergymen, irregulars from all walks of life create Sherlockian scholarship and submit it to journals that lay outside the purview of traditional academia. At least, we call it scholarship. But is it? What separates a Sherlockian article from an especially nitpicky and footnoted blog post about the Marvel superhero movies? Conversely what separates a Sherlockian article from an ivy-covered reconsideration of Chaucer in a specialized literary journal? Is Sherlockian scholarship scholarly? This session will examine the results of a study of the Baker Street Journal and the results of a survey of Sherlockian scholars. We will also examine our own thoughts of the issues of scholarliness, intellectual legitimacy, and our eccentric brand of especially bookish fan behavior.
10:15AM - 11:00AM
Nevertheless, She Persisted: Women Who Broke the Sherlockian Gender Barrier - Sonia Fetherston & Julie McKuras
This talk will focus on the efforts of key Sherlockian women (1930s - 1990s) who refused to sit down and be quiet. By virtue of their excellence — as writers, speakers, organizers, thinkers and problem solvers — they broke the Sherlockian gender barrier. Because they persisted, the door was opened for other women to become respected leaders in the Sherlockian (and Irregular) world. While there is a great deal written about the men who shaped the study of Sherlock Holmes, and the formation of The Baker Street Irregulars, women are often footnotes. Women were not accepted as equals for many years despite their achievements. We will focus on several women, in particular, as well as a few groups: Edith Meiser, Katherine MacMahon, Helen Yuhas, Kathleen Morrison, the students of Albertus Magnus College, and the BSI Class of 1991, including Susan Rice, Julia Rosenblatt and Evy Herzog.
11:15AM - 11:50AM
Building Baker Street - Chuck Kovacic
Chuck Kovacic is pleased to be presenting “Building Baker Street,” detailing his recreation of the fabled sitting room of Mr. Sherlock Holmes, 221b BAKER STREET/Los Angeles. Chuck will explain the “who, what and where” to acquire the inventory and knowledge necessary to bring Mr. Holmes to your home! Additionally, a selection of rare Sherlockian items will be offered at his dealer’s table.
12:00PM - 12:45PM
Gimme More!Holmes: Holmestice, Fanworks Exchanges, and Fan Engagement with Sherlock Holmes Adaptations - Haley aka colebaltblue and Elizabeth aka sanguinity
In a world where Sherlock Holmes is the most-adapted character of film history -- and has a comparably strong showing in pastiche -- how do you discover and share the adaptations of your heart, the rare finds one might never know to look for? Fannish gift exchanges are one avenue by which fans induct each other into the rich and turbulent sea of Holmesiana, introducing a new generation to old favourites and building enthusiasm for hidden gems. Haley and Elizabeth will discuss online creative spaces and how they help the Holmesian fandom to grow and thrive, with a particular focus on the triumphs and challenges of running Holmestice, a pan-Holmesian gift exchange with a nine-year history of 900 works in 53 Holmesian universes.
12:45PM - 2:00PM
LUNCH BREAK
A gourmet boxed lunch is included with each weekend ticket purchase.
2:00PM - 2:45PM
You Say Baritsu, and I Say Bartitsu: The True Story of the Secret Fighting Techniques of the Original Sherlock Holmes - John Longenbaugh
The original Holmes stories allude to the Great Detective being a formidable fighter in several different forms, including the mysterious "Baritsu" that he uses against Professor Moriarty. But what do the stories really say about his fighting prowess? And what is "Baritsu?" Along with a short survey of Sherlock Holmes as fighter and some history of the real-world mixed martial art that Conan Doyle was referring to, this event will include a brief demonstration by members of Seattle's 19th century martial arts club, the Barton-Wright-Alfred-Hutton-Alliance-for-Historically-Accurate-Hoplology-and-Antagonistics, or BWAHAHAHA.
3:00PM - 3:35PM
Sherlock Holmes in Horror & Science Fiction - Nancy Holder
Sherlock Holmes versus the dinosaurs? Holmes the time traveler? Yes, he's faced the Ripper (in pastiches) and the Hound (in the Canon) but there's so much more of the Weird in the world of Holmes. Come investigate the vast landscape not only of pastiches, but of ACD's own fascination with the supernatural and fandom's obsession with reimagining the Master in seemingly endless variations.
3:45PM - 4:20PM
Sherlock Holmes and Medicine - Bruce R. Parker, MD, BSI
Doctors and Medicine play a key role in the lives of Sherlock Holmes, his "Boswell", and his literary agent. The personalities range from a brilliant diagnostician and a famed dermatologist to an evil-minded bender of fireplace pokers. Diseases in the Canon play a role from the common, consumption, to the bizarre, ichthyosis. Drugs, poisons, dying terriers, and snakes all contribute to the problems resolved by the world's first consulting detective. In this presentation we will examine the role and significance of medicine in the brilliant adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
7:00PM - 10:00PM
Dinner & Ball - The Willamette Ballroom
Add the Saturday night dinner and ball onto your Left Coast Sherlockian weekend for only $75. This includes a buffet dinner, music, and period-appropriate entertainment including a Historical Conjurer, Tarot reading, and two opportunities to participate in a genuine séance. Appearances by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are not guaranteed. Costumes are encouraged but not required! Come as you'd like to be seen at a proper Sherlockian party.
Sunday, Oct 13
University Place Hotel & Conference Center - The Willamette Ballroom
310 SW Lincoln St, Portland OR 97201
9:00AM - 11:00AM
Sunday Registration
For any folks wishing to join us for Sunday only, Registration will be open through the first talk. Tea and coffee will be available.
9:00AM - 2:00PM
Vendor Tables Open
Vendors will be situated inside the Willamette Ballroom during the Symposium, beginning 60 minutes before the first talk and ending 60 minutes after the last talk.
9:30AM - 10:00AM
Quiz-Raffle Drawing
All attendees may choose to participate in the raffle by attempting a quiz concocted by the Pawky Puzzler herself, Margie Deck. Completion/right answers not required. Drawing for 20 prize baskets will take place Sunday morning.
10:00AM - 10:35AM
I Write of Sherlock Everywhere: Sherlockian Themes in Pastiche/Fanfiction and in Original Works - Lyndsay Faye
Thousands of people have written derivative Sherlock Holmes stories, from Neil Gaiman to Stephen Fry to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Michael Chabon (at age ten or thereabouts). But his influences are felt far more widely than the creations that name him specifically. Is it possible for a Sherlockian to write a tale wholly independent of the Great Detective and the Good Doctor? Even authors who specifically veer away from classic mystery stylings in favor of the gritty, the surreal, and the nihilistic have heard of Sherlock Holmes, and make a conscious act of rebellion. Does loving Sherlock Holmes make his intrusion into one's original work inevitable? To what extent is ALL fiction fanfiction? This will be a guided discussion with audience participation welcome.
10:45AM - 11:20AM
"Hum"--Reflections on a Sherlockian World, Inspired by Poetry, Roses, and Bees - Timothy J. Johnson
Inspired by Mary Oliver's poem, "Hum," this presentation will attempt to reflect in narrative poetic form on our Sherlockian world--fandom, devotees, the lot--from the perspective of a curator for a significant Holmesian collection who believes, with Holmes, "that we have much to hope from the flowers" and, we might add, the bees.
11:30AM - 12:05PM
A Play-acting Busybody: Essential Elements of Performing Holmes - Kris Hambrick
Over 75 actors have essayed Holmes on screen, let alone the thousands who have played him on stage. What are the elements of a Holmesian performance? How do we know a performer is Holmes? Come to a guided discussion from Holmes-on-Film scholar and Sherlockian actor, Kris 'Pepper' Hambrick.
12:15PM - 1:00PM
The Origins of the Sherlock Holmes Multiverse - Brad Keefauver
Sherlockians have come to accept that Sherlock Holmes can exist in any era and any place, and alternate universe fic has demonstrated that he doesn’t even have to be a detective to still be our Sherlock. But where did our Sherlock Holmes multiverse truly begin? Have we ever actually had a stable single-universe Canon? The Pandora’s Box of Sherlocks has been opened, and once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, could be the Sherlock Holmes we had all along.