This first of four Russell & Holmes Days celebrates not only the Beekeeper’s Apprentice’s 30th anniversary, but also publication week for The Lantern’s Dance—AND Russell & Holmes’ 102nd wedding anniversary! We’ll gather in Laurie R. King’s home town, with a book talk for Lantern’s Dance on Friday night at Bookshop Santa Cruz, then an all-day Saturday event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, 705 Front Street.

PLANS FOR THE DAY:

Note: if you want to attend the 7:00 event for The Lantern’s Dance at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Feb 16, the night before our Beekeeper day, please register here (and—arrive early to get a seat!)

FOOD MATTERS:

Continental breakfast while getting settled

Cream Tea Lunch catered by the Busy Bees Café (yes, really!)

Dinner: we’ll be helping attendees match up for groups at the many local eateries

INCLUDES SESSIONS ON:

The Practical & Philosophical Art of Beekeeping, with Laurie’s near-neighbor, beekeeper Emily Bonder, and a few hundred of her bees in a demonstration hive, plus a honey-tasting

Laurie talks Sherlock (& Mary) with her Sherlockian tutor, guide, and partner-in-crime, Leslie S. Klinger—about Russell & Holmes, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice…and the possibility of an Annotated Beekeeper

Lockpicking with Matt Burrough: how do Russell & Holmes casually let themselves in…?

Laurie R. King on The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, her life in writing, and where she and Russell are going next

AND…

Beekeeper Bingo—with prizes!

Exclusive giveaways & swag including: The Russell and Holmes Times, Santa Cruz: A Newspaper Celebrating “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” Anniversary Meetups, written and produced by Laurie just for this event. Also, special reprints, art work, and Beekeeper swag you won’t find anywhere else.

Plus, plenty of chat with Laurie and your fellow Friends of Russell

***

Places available: 70. Cost: $220 (Please note: due to good response, this price has come down. Please note: any profits will be donated to the Bookshop Santa Cruz reading charity. Full refund available up to 2 weeks before, after that we will refund if we can fill your place from the waiting list.)

Speakers

Emily Bondor, the founder of the Santa Cruz Bee Company, is a full-time beekeeper and educator. Prior to discovering her passion for bees, Emily, who has a background in psychology, worked in the non-profit sector with a focus on outdoor education and organic agriculture. She began keeping bees on Maui while pursuing a permaculture design internship, and from 2014-2020 worked with the Napa Valley Bee Company.

Matt Burrough is a devoted locksport hobbyist who has competed multiple times at international lockpicking tournaments. He also co-leads the Seattle Locksport group. During the day, Matt manages a professional red team [Note: testing a corporation’s security by attacking as an enemy]. He holds a bachelor’s degree in networking, security, and system administration; a master’s degree in computer science; and a variety of security industry certifications. He is the author of Pentesting Azure Applications (No Starch Press, 2018) and Locksport (No Starch Press, 2024).

Leslie S. Klinger is one of the world’s authorities on Sherlock Holmes, from writing the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes to consulting on movies for Hollywood. He has also annotated novels from Jekyll & Hyde to H. P. Lovecraft, and was one of the first Sherlockians to befriend Laurie King and treat her Mary Russell novels seriously. Some day, King and Klinger intend to expand The Annotated Beekeeper’s Apprentice to a full volume.