The Retired Beekeepers

The Retired Beekeepers were a Brighton-based all-inclusive LGBT+ Sherlock Holmes group running from 2015 to 2019. The group's publication, The Practical Handbook, has all six issues archived for all to browse, share, and enjoy

[retiredbeekeepers]

About

The Retired Beekeepers were a UK Brighton-based all-inclusive LGBT+ Sherlock Holmes group running from 2015 to 2019, officially dissolved in 2020. We met monthly for a couple of years to discuss an original story, theme, or adaptation, with a South Downs field trip in the summer.

The Practical Handbook

We published The Practical Handbook of Bee Culture twice a year (Winter & Summer). Everyone was welcome to submit to it, members or non-members, with an emphasis on submissions from anyone identifying as LGBTQ+. There were six issues released, and they featured a mix of fiction and non-fiction in a variety of formats, as well as art. All issues are archived on the tumblr page for the Handbook and there is an AO3 collection for any material published. The Fanlore page provides a good overview of contents for all issues.

Etc

Should you need to get in touch about anything pertaining to the group or its publications, you can still email us at retiredbeekeepers @ gmail.com (a sporadically monitored mailbox but someone will get back to you eventually) or reach out to @mistyzeo or @ghostbees on tumblr.

[neverwhere]

Sad and terrible news.

This post was written by @lazytechsupport If you knew @neverwhere then please read, minding the content warnings in the tags.

If you feel that you can pass this post on to anyone you know who might have known her, that would be a huge help.

Just after 12am local time (8am BST) on October 16th 2025, Nevvie collapsed mid-sentence and never regained consciousness. Despite the best efforts of myself and the emergency services she slipped away rapidly and was pronounced dead within the hour. The LA coroner won't be investigating the cause of her sudden death because "she was fat". I am pursuing a 3rd party investigation and waiting for more information.

This happened six days after our 16th anniversary, Nevvie was 47. Four years ago we lost our home to a fire. This year she lost her father while I was in hospital for emergency spine reconstruction surgery. Though it could be stressful she had a job she loved at Sega, a company she could be proud to be part of, one she helped to unionize.

She was thrilled to have learned that week what her next project was going to be. When her current project was complete we were going to take some time for ourselves away from everything and reconnect with friends. I'm in shock and feel like I have been twisted inside out. My soulmate has been taken away.

We are going to be having a celebration of life for her on Sunday the 16th of November, 12pm-3pm.

It can be attended in person or online. If you're in the LA area or wish to join the remote stream, please send an email to: [email protected]

This link will show you what that is in your local time: timeanddate link

If you would insist on assisting directly with the investigation into the cause of her sudden and tragic passing then we have a gofundme to cover those expenses: - https://gofund.me/ff8ebcd30 Otherwise in lieu of flowers, gifts, or prayers we request that donations might be made to any of the following in her memory: The Aquarium of the Pacific: - https://support.aquariumofpacific.org/give/230828/#!/donation/checkout The American Association of People with Disabilities: - https://www.aapd.com/donate-to-aapd/ The LGBTQ Center in Long Beach: - https://www.centerlb.org/donate/ The UK Wild Otter Trust: - https://ukwildottertrust.org/donate/ MindOut, a UK LGBTQ Mental Health Service - https://mindout.org.uk Or, support someone asking for #MutualAid on your social media site of choice and form a union.

But most importantly, look after yourself. -James/ Sprite/ @lazytechsupport

[retiredbeekeepers]

We were so sorry to learn of the passing of Michele aka @neverwhere, our friend in Retired Beekeeping, last month. Michele helped Basil and myself get the Beekeepers started in Brighton in 2015 when we all lived in the UK at the same time, and we had a lot of fun getting together to talk Holmes at a Brighton pub. We took a little field trip to the South Downs in July that year to visit the Sherlock Holmes cottage and enjoy the (WINDY!) cliffs.

We are thinking of her husband James right now and sending love to her friends and family.

xx

Elinor

[retiredbeekeepers]

AO3 collection

Hi all,

We've created a collection for anyone who might have previously uploaded their work for The Practical Handbook on AO3. Or maybe you haven't shared your piece after publication but would consider doing it now?

The Practical Handbook @ AO3

It would be lovely to be able to compile a couple of articles, poems, art, etc, for easier viewing. Or even just gather a few participants together.

Thanks x

[retiredbeekeepers]

Update of sorts - retiring

Beside our annual field trip, we have been very silent and for this we apologise. This is due to our lead members’ other commitments and personal wanderings. We feel like it is time to officially dissolve the society as we have not been able to find the time to organize any new events or publications, nor are we based in Brighton anymore.

We thank everyone for having taken part in our meetings and issues over the years, as well as for the tremendous support we have received online.

Issues will be archived and accessible as pdf for anyone to view on Tumblr or at Elinor’s site, www.mistyzeo.net. If you want to own one of our remaining print issues, do email over at retiredbeekeepers @ gmail . com for details. Social media and so on will be deactivated over the following weeks with the exception of this account for archival purposes.

Please keep in touch with Elinor, who organizes The Left Coast Sherlockian Symposium and is an Associate Editor for The Watsonian, off Tumblr at [email protected].

Thank you again for supporting the society,

The Beekeepers

[retiredbeekeepers]

Have you published the theme of the summer issue? If not, are you planning to do so?

Hi, sorry we’ve been pretty quiet this year! The call for the next issue hasn’t gone out yet as life’s been quite busy but hopefully we’ll be back on track soon.

[retiredbeekeepers]

Hi! I was wondering if all the handbooks so far are still available in prints. I’m super excited to read them. I wish I could submit stuff for them but my poems aren’t all that great. I hope you have a lovely day! :)

All handbooks should be available through blurb, you can either browse through our profile or the handbook page which lists all issues with links to their individual pages.

When a submission window opens, please do submit! We’d love to have you in x

[retiredbeekeepers]

Happy new year! Issue 6 of the Practical Handbook of Bee Culture is now available for download (PDF).

The theme of this issue is “Domesticity”.

The digital version is set up as pay-what-you-want, so you can get it for free, but if you want to chuck us a few pence for operating costs you can do that easily. A hard copy is available through our on-demand printer.

Download the digital version

Contributors

Angela Lusk @ajanuarylark

Airy Maher

Brewster North

Dee Storrow

Ernest @6utton

Holly @iliadtea

Ili @slowbees

Katinka Rohard Hansen @fire-and-fog

Marleen Donovan @a-different-equation

Downloads of the Handbook are free for you to read and share as you see fit. Pass a copy along to a friend! The print version is also set at the lowest price possible to be as affordable as possible. However, if you have enjoyed your reading experience, please consider donating a few pennies to the Beekeepers. All of us put a lot of love and energy into running the group, feeding everyone, editing and producing the Handbook, and keeping our members up to date with every newsletter, and we do it all in our free time. We appreciate your support, in whatever form it comes!

[retiredbeekeepers]

Call for Submissions: The Practical Handbook of Bee Culture (Winter 2018)

The theme of the Winter 2018 issue is “Domesticity.” What do Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson do at home when no one is watching? What would home life look like for our secondary and tertiary characters? Think outside the box and start peeking in some of those ground-floor windows. 

Submissions are due November 15th, 2017 to [email protected]. Publication is slated for January 2018.

We welcome fiction, non-fiction, poetry, meta, illustrations, comics, collages, word games, etc. Anything you could print on a piece of paper and hand to a fellow Sherlock Holmes aficionado! The Handbook is in black and white and while we accept colour submissions, please bear in mind that they will have to be edited to fit the rest of the content.

The word limit for written work is 3,000 words. Please get in touch if you have an article/work that exceeds this but would potentially still fit the theme of the issue.

The page limit for visual art is 5 sequential pages of comic or linked illustrations, or 2 individual pieces.

It is OK to submit work that has already been published elsewhere! We offer no compensation (unfortunately) as the handbook is a non-profit publication, and so we are not exclusive in that way. If you’ve written a great essay or piece of meta, or shared your artwork, or posted that fic, we are happy to give it another home and a new audience.

We would like to especially encourage anyone identifying as LGBTQ+ to submit pieces, as we feel that our voices rarely have the opportunity to be heard when it comes to Holmesian scholarship. Submissions are not limited to members of the Beekeepers.

We ask that you keep all submissions at or under a Teen/PG-13 rating. Exploration of gender and sexuality is encouraged but we do not publish explicit sex or graphic violence.

Questions and submissions can be directed to [email protected].

[retiredbeekeepers]

For those interested in joining us for our annual walk, please fill in this short form to help us plan ahead!

[retiredbeekeepers]

Granada Holmes and bees. I love you!

We love all of the above!

[retiredbeekeepers]

Hi! Your website says that the new edition is not available, will it be up soon?

Hi, was this the PDF on Gumroad or the book edition on Blurb? Gumroad was set as a pre-order while we were setting it up last week, but both should be available:

Print: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/7041890/1ec85776bed9da36b277d2f12ca71f2765b650ad

PDF: https://gumroad.com/l/bBrC

[retiredbeekeepers]

Happy solstice! Issue 5 of the Practical Handbook of Bee Culture is now available for download (PDF).

The theme of this issue is “the course prescribed for surgeons in the army,” or "doctors & soldiers”. How did Watson get home from Afghanistan? What did he dream of, back in England? How does a man with a medical degree reconcile his experience as a soldier? And what does Conan Doyle’s fiction draw from his life as a physician? These questions and more are explored among these pages, in fic, essays, poetry, and illustration. You’ll see a few familiar names as well as some new ones, for both of which we are very grateful. See the Afterword for info on submitting your work to future issues.

The digital version is set up as pay-what-you-want, so you can get it for free, but if you want to chuck us a few pence for operating costs you can do that easily. A hard copy is available through our on-demand printer.

Download the digital version

Contents and Contributors

Peshawar by Dora Brown @dora-altamont

Art by Ili @slowbees

Mentor by Jane Mailander

Confessions of an Army Doctor series by Katinka @fire-and-fog

Arthur Conan Doyle and ‘Round the Red Lamp’ by @tweedisgood

In Good Hands by Susanne Wagner

Unsheathed by Rose Jordan

“You Have Been in Afghanistan, I Perceive” by ColebaltBlue

The Choice by Jenna Burns @jenna221b

Art by Helena Pinto @bracari-iris

Kindly Stopped For Me by @mistyzeo

Downloads of the Handbook are free for you to read and share as you see fit. Pass a copy along to a friend! The print version is also set at the lowest price possible to be as affordable as possible. However, if you have enjoyed your reading experience, please consider donating a few pennies to the Beekeepers. All of us put a lot of love and energy into running the group, feeding everyone, editing and producing the Handbook, and keeping our members up to date with every newsletter, and we do it all in our free time. We appreciate your support, in whatever form it comes!

[retiredbeekeepers]

A Walk on the South Downs Beachy Head to East Dean Sunday, 23rd July @ 10:15am

RSVP for this trip is essential as space is limited, so please email [email protected] to get on the list. Details of the itinerary and meeting points will only be sent to registered attendees.

Our annual field trip to the so-called retirement cottage and its surroundings! We will spend the day stomping around the Sussex Downs and admiring the sea. The journey requires some moderate physical activity, so if you would like to join us but don’t feel up to a long, hilly walk, we will have several points along the trip where you can join or depart, according to your whims. For instance, there will be a picnic opportunity around noon and a stop for drinks in the afternoon. If you have any questions, please get in touch and we’ll be able to give you more specifics! Like every year, we are hoping for good weather but can’t promise the sky will cooperate, so we recommend sturdy shoes, a rain jacket or umbrella, and a sense of adventure. In case of bad weather, we will shelter at the National Trust café in Birling Gap or the Tiger Inn in East Dean.

We are more than happy to try and accommodate everyone. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any special needs or requests so that we can arrange something in advance.

To RSVP, or if you have any other questions, please email us at [email protected]!

[retiredbeekeepers]

When will the Summer Handbook be available? (:

If all goes according to plan, the summer Handbook will be available by the end of June!

[nostalgiaforinfinity]

Well done, Earth | Beachy Head, Eastbourne, England | July, 2015

[krispy-bits]

a commission for @granada-brett-crumbs 🍂

[granada-brett-crumbs]

I’m going to look at this for ever, my life is complete now, I’m ascending, thanks so so much again!!!! <3<3<3

[tremendousdetectivetheorist]

Beautiful, makes me think of the Granada beekeeping photos :)

[theglasscabin]

More bees!  Installed in front door, and in progress on the bench.