Always 1895

ASH Wednesday September 2011

The September 2011 ‘ASH Wednesday’ Crew:

[ASH Wednesday Crew, clockwise starting at the bottom left : Susan Rice (Beeswing), Maria Kounikova, Lyndsay Faye (Kitty Winters), Nick Martorelli, Joanna Levine, Matt Laffey (yours truly), Adam Lee, Angela Williams-Dunford, Ian Dunford, Mickey Fromkin (The Missing Three-Quarter), and Susan Dahlinger (The Bruce-Partington Plans) - BSI ‘investitures’, where applicable, in parentheses.]

Living in New York City I’m blessed/spoiled with access to more than a few notable Sherlockian scion societies, but the group I’m closest to is ASH or The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes. For those unfamiliar with the venerable and storied ASH, the NYC-based group is the oldest woman’s Sherlockian society on earth, responsible for the delightful journal The Serpentine Muse and intrepid challenger of the (Sherlockian) status quo - ever wonder why women were eventually invited into the BSI?  For a quick history of the Adventuresses, click here.  

One of the best things about ASH is that they meet every first Wednesday of every month at an Irish bar with literary affectations a block away from the New York Public Library with attendance averaging anywhere between 10 to 20 Sherlockians. Hosted by Susan Rice (contact Susan for info on attending), ASH Wednesdays can last up to four sublime hours with conversations and antics soaring through the spires of high Sherlockian scholarship and descending to the bawdiest depths of Whitechapelian depravity. 

And contrary to those who might pessimistically point to the so-called ‘graying’ of Sherlockian scion culture, ASH Wednesdays are alive and well, nourished by youth, wisdom and vitality - cultivating a diverse environment that welcomes the newcomer, initiates the seeker and sustains the elder. Doubters need go no further than the above photo to see that ASH-land is populated by women and men, young and old, clean-cut and bohemian, but Sherlockians all!

One of these days I want to set-up a little Always1895.net online poll investigating what percentage of readers are involved in Sherlockian scion societies. My first guess would be that a much larger percentage of my older readers participate in a Sherlockian group than my younger readers. I’ll definitely be writing more about this later, but if you’ve never been to a scion gathering and are a Sherlock fan (anywhere on the Holmes-spectrum from expert to burgeoning to beginner) I strongly suggest finding a local scion group (cf. Sherlockian Who’s Who and The Sherlockian Calendar for listings) and meet-up with fellow Sherlockians in your area.

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Previous Always1895.net posts about ASH Wednesdays:

ASH Wednesday February 2011