The Maniac Collector's Inbox Sherlocking in Ft. Worth, TX Several months ago Barbara Ford contacted me to see if I would be interested in speaking to the Cowtown Crimesolvers, the Fort Worth Chapter of Sisters in Crime (SinC). SinC is an international organization founded in 1986 to promote the professional development and advancement of women writing crime fiction. Today SinC has more than 3,000 members in 48 chapters worldwide — authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, and others who love mysteries. Being a Sherlockian, I fit the bill. The easy part was accepting to speak. Finding a date that fit both of our schedules turned out to be a bit more difficult. For April and May, my schedule had me in other places. We set our sights on June and luckily it worked for all involved. Next, I asked Barbara what I should speak about and we both hit upon a general discussion about Holmes and then drill down to my collection in particular. During my introduction, Barbara explained how they asked me to speak. She had seen an email from Sarah Ann Robinson of the Austin Sherlock Holmes Society and found the idea of a society about Sherlock Holmes intriguing. She emailed Sarah Ann asking her to speak. Sarah refused but gave a valid reason for doing so. She said that there was a local Sherlockian who was a much better speaker. We forgive Sarah Ann for that small lie.
Carole Nelson Douglas and me. There was a nice write up in the Cowtown Crimesolvers, The Mystery Newsletter vol.XVII no.06, June 2011. “Sherlockian Don Hobbs to Speak at June Cowtown Crimesolvers Meeting” is the front-page article and I can send anyone a pdf copy of the newsletter upon request. Nothing like a bit of self-promotion is there? It must have done the trick because more than 25 people showed up to hear what I had to say. My dear friend, Carole Nelson Douglas, a resident of Fort Worth, showed up in support.. I am not sure if all of people in attendance fully understood what I meant by playing the game but I received a good laugh when I explained that because there was not an obituary in the London Times, then one can only deduce that Sherlock Holmes is still alive and raising bees on the Sussex Downs. I had nothing thrown at me, so I was able to ramble on for the allotted hour. I ended by answering several questions from the audience. One of the attendees said she had no interest in Sherlock Holmes whatsoever but thought she would now read the Canon. Many asked if they could come and see my collection.
Having fun at the Cowtown Crimesolvers meeting. This was a wonderful afternoon for me. I enjoyed meeting so many new people and I hoped I sparked a little interest in a few of them. Several offered to keep an eye out for any foreign translations that crossed their path. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon – keeping the memory green. Happy Collecting!!
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Past 2011 Columns January 2, 2011 January 9, 2011 January 16, 2011 January 23, 2011 January 30, 2011 February 2, 2011 February 13, 2011 February 20 2011 February 27, 2011 March 13, 2011 March 27, 2011 April 3, 2011 April 10, 2011 April 17, 2011 April 24, 2011 May 1, 2011 May 8, 2011 May 15, 2011 May 22, 2011 May 29, 2011 June 5, 2011 June 12, 2011 June 19, 2011 |
