Paying It Forward

The Mission of the Society is:

To promote the legacy of Robert A. Heinlein by encouraging the reading and discussion of his written work, the use of critical thinking skills in our daily lives, and a love of science essential in promoting humankind’s future beyond our home planet. We will “Pay it Forward” through support of educational, literary, and charitable endeavors including, but not limited to: volunteer blood drives; scholarships; the Heinlein For Heroes book distribution program; and the creation and distribution of teaching materials, including support of The Heinlein Journal.

We invite you to browse our site and join us in our mission!

The Heinlein Society

The Heinlein Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, operated by unpaid volunteers, dedicated to Heinlein’s principle of Pay It Forward.

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Latest News

Virginia Edition

We’re Giving Away another Virginia Edition in 2025!

  For the ninth year in a row, the Society will raffle off a complete set of the Virginia Edition in September, 2025.  All you have to do is join[…]

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2024 Annual Meeting and Report

  The Annual Meeting was held on 8 September 2024, 4:00 pm eastern time.   The Annual Meeting Slides are linked. Zoom link and call-in information were sent out to members.[…]

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Balticon 58 Report

by the Board & Chairs Peanut Gallery Balticon 58 was held over Memorial Day weekend May 24-27, 2024. Secretary Betsey Wilcox and Elections Chair Will Hamilton travelled along with Director[…]

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Pay It Forward

Blood Drives

In 1976, only a few years after recovery from extensive illnesses, Robert Heinlein put his own words into action. With the help of other science fiction devotees, including many well-known authors, he organized a blood drive at MidAmericon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention. It was the first of many such blood drives and was the start of a tradition The Heinlein Society continues today.

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Heinlein For Heroes

One of The Heinlein Society’s most successful programs, H4H is a program for placing books, especially Heinlein books, into the hands of active military personnel—particularly those deployed—their families, and into the hands of veterans in veterans’ hospitals. Organizations already exist who identify military commands and hospitals with a declared desire for various kinds of reading material. Science fiction is one category always in high demand.

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Scholarships

Four $4,000 scholarships are awarded annually to undergraduate students of accredited 4-year colleges and universities. The “Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship” is dedicated to a female candidate majoring in engineering, math, or biological or physical sciences. The Robert A. Heinlein, Yoji Kondo, and Jerry Pournelle scholarships may be awarded to a candidate of any gender.

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Education

In 2005, in partnership with Cascadia Con, Science Fiction Museum, and Reading for the Future, the Heinlein Society produced an “Education CD” of materials for educators interested in using Science Fiction to teach their students.

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Pay It Forward

The most important aspect of Robert Heinlein’s legacy that we at The Heinlein Society support and adhere to is his concept of paying it forward. Join Us.

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The Heinlein Journal

Since its inception in 1997, The Heinlein Journal has been the leading source of new scholarship on Robert A. Heinlein. The Heinlein Society is pleased to announce that The Heinlein Journal has been rejuvenated, with new issues available for digital download.

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