Author: Ken Walters

Tom Doherty Wins Heinlein Award

Tom Doherty, founder of TOR Books and Chair of Tom Doherty Associates, publishing under the Tor, Forge, Tordotcom, Starscape, Tor Teen, and Nightfire imprints, is the 2024 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award. The award is bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space.…
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Heinlein’s Brief Career in the Missouri National Guard

Early in 1924 Robert Heinlein was notified by the Senate Judiciary Committee that Senator James A. Reed had nominated him to Annapolis, but there was no guarantee when the actual appointment would come through.  In January of 1924 Robert lied about his age and joined the Missouri National Guard when he was only sixteen and…
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John Scalzi Wins the 2023 Heinlein Award

John Scalzi, novelist and internet personality, is the 2023 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award. The award is bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space. This award is in recognition of Mr. Scalzi’s body of work of 16 novels and numerous short stories.…
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David Crosby and Heinlein

I received the sad news today that David Crosby had passed away.  It will be easy to find out about his musical career culminating with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the first “super group.” What most people don’t know is that David Crosby was a lifelong fan of Robert A. Heinlein.  He commented in an…
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A Heinlein Christmas Memory

December 1947 was a tough time for Robert and Ginny. Robert’s divorce from Leslyn was not final, so the only way they could be together was on the road. He invested some of his dwindling cash in a tiny house trailer he nicknamed the Gopher Hole, which he joked was formerly a piano box!  They…
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The Heinlein Society Sponsors Chicago Blood Drive

WorldCon chose not to sponsor a blood drive this year. For the convenience of those expecting to Pay It Forward by donating blood The Heinlein Society and Virgin Hotels, a block away from the Hyatt, will have a blood drive on Sunday. Schedule your appointment early as the drive is open to the public before…
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Mike Sheffield Live From The Bunker

Our own Mike Sheffield was featured on Live From The Bunker.  Mike discusses Heinlein Society history and programs in this fascinating interview. Follow the below link to view the entire interview.      

Citizen of the Galaxy Wins Prometheus Award

Citizen Of The Galaxy, a Robert Heinlein novel, has won the 2022 Best Classic Fiction award and will be inducted into the Prometheus Hall of Fame (http://www.lfs.org/). Arguably the best of his “juveniles,” Heinlein’s 1957 novel strongly dramatizes an anti-slavery theme while exploring the meaning of freedom and defending the right to use force in…
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Happy 115, RAH!

Happy 115th Birthday to Robert A. Heinlein

Robert  Heinlein was born on 7/7/1907.  For a man that has been dead for for over thirty years, he is still having an impact on Science Fiction.  The above photo of Robert and Ginny was taken on the front porch of their Bonny Doon home.  Please leave us a message with how Robert has impacted…
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Nominations for THS Board of Directors

The nominating period for Board members for the 2022 election will begin 1 May 2022 and close 22 May 2022. The Board has three (3) seats up for election with three sitting Board members, Beatrice Kondo, Joel S. Davis, and Ken Walters agreeing to be nominated for re-election. You may nominate any THS member in…
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David Gerrold Wins 2022 Robert A. Heinlein Award

David Gerrold Wins 2022 Robert A. Heinlein Award and will attend Balticon 56. David Gerrold, novelist and screenwriter, is the 2022 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award and will attend Balticon 56, May 27-30, 2022. The award is bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration…
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Heinlein Society Scholarships

THS 2022 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM

January 1, 2022 Announcing our eleventh annual scholarship essay contest for the 2022 – 2023 academic year. This year we will be awarding four $4,000 scholarships 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…
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The Heinlein Journal Wins Design Award

The recent redesign of The Heinlein Journal was chosen as one of 6 winners in the Editorial category of Communication Arts’ 62nd annual design competition, the most exclusive major design competition in the world. “This redesign matches the quality of the publication with the stature of its authors and their scholarship,” said Managing Editor and Designer Mark Bult. “We’ve…
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The Pursuit of The Pankera Book Discussion

The below link is to the You Tube video of the 2020 Balticon virtual book discussion of The Pursuit of The Pankera and how it differs from The Number of The Beast.  Panelists include John Tilden – President of The Heinlein Society, Steve Wilson – Author and Don Sakers – Author.  https://youtu.be/bZtPu_6LrGY  

Dr. Beatrice Kondo Podcast

Dr. Beatrice Kondo of Johns Hopkins University was recently interviewed for a Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast discussing Biotechnology and Science Fiction. What you may not know is that Beatrice met Robert Heinlein at a young age through her father, noted astrophysicist and science fiction author, Dr. Yoji Kondo. Beatrice has been a…
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Q&A: How is The Heinlein Society Different Than The Heinlein Prize Trust

Recently a friend asked me to explain the difference between The Heinlein Society (THS) and The Heinlein Prize Trust (HPT).  That’s really an interesting question.  Both were founded by Virginia Heinlein, but that’s where the similarities end.  The Heinlein Society is a charity, and our only source of income is through memberships and donations.  We…
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THS 20th Anniversary

On August 1st, 2020, The Heinlein Society celebrates our 20th anniversary.  Our founding members; Virginia Heinlein, Bill Patterson, Art Dula and three others started our long journey on that date.  So far, we have shipped almost 30,000 Heinlein / SF books to active military personnel and veterans around the world.  We have sponsored blood drives…
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2020 Scholarship Winners

Scholarship Winners by Mike Sheffield   This year, as expected, we received a record number of scholarship applications – 365. Among these we had 20 international applicants, more  than in any previous year. They came from all around the globe: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Greece, Ghana, Haiti, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Morocco and India. We also…
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THS Participates in FarPoint

Heinlein Society President, John Tilden (pictured above), represented THS at the FarPoint Convention in Baltimore, Maryland on February 22, 2020.  Mr. Tilden was joined by Betsy Childs (pictured above), a new THS Member and THS Member Steven Wilson.  Even though FarPoint is a Star Trek focused Con, there are connections.  Several Star Trek episodes were…
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2019 Raffle Winners Announced

  We are pleased to announce Walter Luffman as the winner of our third ‘Virginia Edition’ raffle giveaway (pictured above)!  Walter was announced as winner at the end of our 2019 Annual Meeting held September 8, 2019.  Walter lost many of his RAH books to a house fire years ago, so he is really looking…
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