I've known Tassy for about three years now. We met through Twitter and she joined The Parallel Case shortly after that. Since then, she's become a regular member, always contributing medical knowledge, probing questions about the roles of women, and overall great comments about Doyle's writing. She was an integral part in last year's Holmes in the Heartland weekend and can be counted on to have deep thoughts and/or pictures of her cat on Twitter and Instagram.
Tassy is a real spark plug in our Sherlockian hobby. If you know her, kick back and get to know her a little better. If the name Tassy Hayden isn't familiar to you, dig in and get ready for an interesting interview.
How do you define the word “Sherlockian”?
I think that anyone who get excited at the idea of consuming media featuring Sherlock Holmes (or any of the many characters derived from his archetype, provided there's awareness of the history there) is a Sherlockian. Some of us are deeper into it than others, and the interests and level of interest of any given Sherlockian will wax and wane over time. But if you love the Great Detective, you're one of us.
How did you become a Sherlockian?
I had a brief flirtation with Holmesian adaptations when I was a kid (The Great Mouse Detective chief among them) and a definite interest in detective fiction through adolescence and young adulthood (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Gilman's Mrs Pollifax). I remember being so excited when the first Guy Ritchie movie came out, and I dragged my whole family to the theater on Christmas to see it, so I don't suppose I ever stopped being a Sherlockian as defined above. I definitely got more involved when I finally finished up my pesky medical training, which was in the heyday of BBC's Sherlock. So it was a good time to fall deeply back into the hobby/way of life.
What is your favorite canonical story?
It's always changing. Right now, I'll say "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" because there's such a lot of things going on there, including stereotyping of a Peruvian woman who is, ultimately, just trying to save her son without destroying the integrity of her family because of the abhorrent behavior of her husband's son from a previous marriage. Have you seen the Miss Sherlock episode based on it? It's the fourth episode in the first season and it's amazing. I think they do a particularly good job weaving in the impact of women's roles in Japanese society, especially as wives and mothers.
Who is a specific Sherlockian that you think others would find interesting?
I was blown away when I attended a panel featuring Dr. Carlina Maria De La Cova at 221B Con this year. She has a PhD in anthropology and focuses on the effects of marginalization on the health of the human body, especially the skeleton. She teaches a course on the forensics of Sherlock Holmes, which is my jam. In an overwhelmingly white hobby, it's so nice to hear from a brilliant black woman.
What subset of Sherlockiana really interests you?
Can I tell you a secret? I'm a total Doylist. It's probably because I'm a physician and a writer as well (mostly poetry-- and fan fiction occasionally). I like thinking about Doyle's education and life experience and how it influences how he writes Watson and Holmes. He became kind of a consulting criminologist due to the popularity of his stories, but he had the medical training and kept up with research in medicine and criminology that helped him change the course of at least one criminal case in 1900's Britain.
What things do you like to research related to Sherlock Holmes?
Anything related to medicine, forensics, or criminology. I've even lured my husband, Bill, into the mix, and whenever we're watching an adaptation, he points out when characters talk about fingerprinting, etc, and asks whether it's chronologically appropriate.
As a fan that came to Sherlockiana from newer avenues, what is the most important aspect of this hobby in your mind?
I'm so interested in how many different adaptations we've been given over the last 140-odd years. I enjoy seeing how far we as fans and creators can push the character. Bend him until he nearly breaks, but if I still feel a Holmesian presence in your work...well...there are truly No Holmes Barred.
Let's say one of your patients is somehow able to travel back to Victorian London. Would you recommend that they visit Dr. Watson for medical services?
I don't know how well my particular patient population would fare there in general, given I see mostly queer folx and a good number of patients with HIV. Advances in medicine aside (and I expect that Watson was pretty up to date in terms of medical skill, given his work in the military as well as who was writing him), I think the most important skill a doctor can have is empathy. And I believe Dr. Watson has that. Listening and considering the feelings of your patient allows them to open up and you to help as much as possible. Given the compassionate voice Watson employs in the stories and the fact that he seems to thrive in a very Bohemian household with Holmes, I think my LGBT+ patients could definitely do worse than him when seeking care in Victorian London.
What book would you recommend to other Sherlockians?
In nonfiction, The Scientific Sherlock Holmes by James O'Brien; in fiction, the entire Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer; in LGBT+ fiction, Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian, a murder mystery set in a small English village just after the end of WWII.
Where do you see Sherlockiana in 5 or 10 years from now?
There has been a lot of talk recently about making our hobby a safe and fun place for everyone. I sincerely hope that we will continue to grow in diversity (all parts-- gender, age, race, nationality, sexuality) and learn to lift up and really consider what marginalized voices are saying needs to change.
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