“a Norwegian named Sigerson” [EMPT]  Every three years, the Norwegian Explorers of Minnesota host a conference. It's been their practice since 1995, and they've had some well-attended and well-regarded programs in that time.   Julie McKuras, BSI ("The Duchess of Devonshire") and Gary Thaden are co-chairs of the latest conference, Dark Places, Wicked Companions, and Strange Experiences, which will be held August 8-11, 2019 in Minneapolis.   We spoke with Julie and Gary about the history of the conference, the Norwegian Explorers, the Sherlock Holmes Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries, and more. Their description of past events and of plans for this year's festivities makes it sound like a very enticing conference, indeed!   Don't miss out on your chance to register. More information about the Explorers and the conference can be found in the Links section below.   We also have another installment of "As We Go to Press" with Mattias Boström, co-editor of the  series. Try your hand at the latest Canonical Couplet quiz, see if you can figure out the story we're referring to, and you might win a prize.   Information on sponsors, links, and notes available below.   Please do consider becoming a . Your support helps us to ensure we can keep doing what we do, covering file hosting costs, production, and this year, transcription services.   Sponsors We're proud to feature  as our lead sponsor. They've been with us for nearly the entire run. Please visit their site and let them know you found them via I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.   We have room for more than one sponsor. If you're interested in advertising with us, you can find . Let's chat!   Links This episode:   with Tim Johnson  with Sonia Fetherston and Julie McKuras   Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard magazine at  as well as through our accounts on , , and .   Please subscribe on the podcast provider of your choosing: , , , , ,  or  — or perhaps another we haven't listed here — and be kind enough to leave a rating and review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.   Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).   Transcript We're still looking for your help to reach  (we're currently at $88 per episode!). That will allow us to fund transcripts of every episode. But we do need you to pitch in — please consider supporting us via  or  for any amount to make this process sustainable!     --