MUSE-ING ON A MILESTONE

October 2004 marked the publication of the 80^th issue of The Serpentine Muse—no small accomplishment. We (Muse co-editors Susan Diamond and Marilynne McKay) take great pride in having prepared thirty-two of those issues. As always, thanks go to our steadily growing ranks of contributors, managing editor Evelyn Herzog, and the New York based production team. This special birthday edition of the Muse is our way of recognizing and thanking everyone who contributed to the past four issues.

ASH IN PRINT

We’re pleased to announce the publication this year of Serpentine Muse-ings: an Anthology from the Journal of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, Volume Two. Yes, we had too much good material to stop after one volume. These first two volumes include the very best from the first seventy-six issues of the Muse. Since contributions are on the rise and every issue is now a full twenty-four pages, we expect to publish a third volume in another two or three years. Our thanks go to all who agreed to have their works reprinted in this second “best of the Muse” collection.

Another noteworthy publication is Dubious and Questionable Memories: A History of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes, the 2004 BSJ Christmas Annual, edited by our own Susan Rice. Finally, Adventuress S.E. Dahlinger’s anthology Violets and Vitriol was published in January 2004, with numerous ASH as contributors.

NEW ADVENTURESS

One new Adventuress joined our ranks during the past year as we welcomed New Yorker Lynn E. Walker as The Head of a Private School at Walsall.

ADVENTURESS HONOURS

Last January Francine Kitts received her BSI investiture as Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope. That same weekend Jan Stauber received the Beacon Society’s first annual Beacon Award for Sherlockian outreach, and Peter Blau received the Dr. John H. Watson Afghan Campaign Desk in appreciation for his services to the BSI. Congratulations to all three!

FRIENDSHIP

Friendship was the theme of the 2003 Autumn Members Meeting—a most appropriate one since friendship is really what ASH is “all about.” In fact, we now toast friendship at every dinner. During the past year, Sabina Hollis took the scholarly path with a discourse of Aristotelian friendship—linking it, of course, to the Canon. Trish Pearlman’s more lighthearted approach disclosed her failings as a correspondent, though not as a friend. M.E. Rich focused on friendship amongst the women in the Canon. And Al Rosenblatt took on the men: not just Holmes and Watson, but that other Canonical duo—Moriarty and Moran.

Both M.E. and Al were good enough to favor us with more than one submission in the past year. M.E.’s “Old Man River” brought the Thames to life as clearly as Doyle did any of his characters. And Al’s “Reichenbach Verse” included such memorable lines as Holmes’ “Hello, Dalai, it’s me.”

THE ASH REPORTORIAL STAFF

Since the Chicago- and Albuquerque-based editors cannot attend every gathering, we are grateful to those who provide coverage for us. Carol and Ron Fish reported on the 2004 Baskerville Bash, while Francine Kitts gave us the low-down on the 2003 Autumn Members Meeting. In the same issue, Judith Freeman reported on vultures (no, that was not a Sherlockian gathering but one of Judith’s frequent essays on Canonical fauna) and the ASH Wednesday bridal shower for our beloved Principal Unprincipled Adventuress Evelyn Herzog. Co-editor Marilynne McKay covered the 2004 Spring Dinner.

THE POETIC MUSE

Verse has always been a part of the Muse tradition, and last year was no different. Dorothy Belle Pollack created a sesquicentennial acrostic and a collection of clerihews to delight our readers. And The Woman got her due from both S.E. Dahlinger and Warren Randall. Catalina Hannan provided a Sherlockian lullaby and, not limiting herself to verse, also gave us an insight into Mrs. Hudson, the needlewoman.

CANONICAL WOMEN

As Adventuresses, we’ve always been fascinated by the women in the Canon. Jan Stauber honored the commissionaire’s wife, the long-suffering Mrs. Peterson, while Karen Murdock focused on prostrate females in her essay on fainting in the Canon. (Note: she did not discriminate and also discussed those males found “insensible upon the bearskin.”) Two of our most talented Sherlockian thespians proved they were not insensitive to the fairer sex. Andrew Joffe found a true champion for Laura Lyons—the Literary Agent himself, while Paul Singleton admired Violet Hunter’s resourcefulness.

SCHOLARSHIP FROM SERIOUS TO SUBLIME

The Muse has always maintained a flexible attitude on scholarship—enjoying the serious side but delighting in more outrageous approaches as well. We welcomed Professor Richard Kellogg’s first Muse appearance as he linked Elliot Ness to the Master. Philip Shreffler researched the provenance of the Musgraves’ “battered and shapeless diadem” and, in another piece, initiated us into the mysteries of “clubland.” Patricia Guy gave us a guide to “the good, the bad, and the ugly” Italians in the Canon. Julie McKuras and Peg Duthie tackled the fate of Jefferson Hope in “Free Him or Fry Him?”

The self-appointed Executive Director of the Dwarf Defense League, one Joseph J. Fink, took up the cause of “the most underrated character in the Canon: little Jimmy Griggs.” And our expert in all matters chemical, Marina Stajic, provided a brilliant illogically logical approach to flying reindeer.

TOASTS FOR ALL TIMES

Gems play a major role in Canonical cases so it was only appropriate that Delia Vargas had us raise our glasses to yet another battered diadem—the Beryl Coronet, while Julia Rosenblatt was fascinated by that large yellow diamond—the Mazarin Stone. Kate Karlson, ASH’s resident expert on the turf, explained the rationale behind long-shot betting. (Perhaps she shouldn’t quit her day job yet.) Slightly more traditional toasts were given to the Master and the good doctor with John Baesch and Carole Logan honoring the former and Nancy Minogue Dean the latter.

SHERLOCKIAN OUTREACH

The Muse continued to promote Sherlockian outreach. Canadian Barbara Roden shared her experiences in promoting the Master at her son’s school, while Myrtle Robinson told how the Hansom Wheels have expanded their outreach program to include seniors. And Francine Kitts shared one of the word search puzzles she’s developed for her class of Staten Island seniors.

THE BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE 2004

Trish Pearlman’s “Interview with The Master” was the winning entry in last year’s Birthday Challenge. Sandy Kozinn and Laurie Manifold received honorable mentions.

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