BUILDING THE BOMB by Terry Rossio A screenwriter wrote to me marveling that my name is in the writing credits of the god-awful 1994-released film Robert A. Heinlein’s THE PUPPET MASTERS. After all, I seem like a sensible enough guy, and yet the film is piss-poor terrible. He was quite relieved to find…
Read more
Open access to The Heinlein Journal archives is being considered as a way to maximize the reach, impact, and preservation of Heinlein scholarship by making it freely available and easily discoverable to readers, teachers, and researchers worldwide. The Heinlein Society became stewards of The Heinlein Journal following the death of its founder Bill Patterson in…
Read more
For the tenth year in a row, the Society will raffle off a complete set of the Virginia Edition in September, 2026. All you have to do is join or stay a member! A $45 Regular membership is all it takes to enter. The rules follow: Eligibility: “Regular” members who join or renew their…
Read more
by Peter Scott October 15, 1960 – April 3, 2025 It is my sad duty to report the unexpected death of a luminary within the Heinleinsphere. Jim Gifford passed away at his Colorado home on April 3 of natural causes. The fandom pool we swim in would have been a puddle without his efforts, most…
Read more
New member, Wayne Hicks, has kindly shared this song he wrote. Wayne said “I believe it speaks clearly about the many beneficial ways that reading Robert’s works have touched so many of us.” Please give it a listen! Lyrics included below. The Spaceman’s Song by Wayne Hicks They linger like the mem’ry…
Read more
(There always seems to be someone that believes Juan Rico was from Buenos Aires. I can only assume that comes from the movie. In fact Rico was Filipino which is revealed near the end of the book when he says his native language is Tagalog. The following passage from the book states unequivocally that Rico…
Read more
It is not clear how Heinlein got from this germ to the story he eventually did write up as his first story, “LifeLine.” Switching it from pure fantasy to science fiction may have suggested the pulp gadget-story format, which is typically about the inventor and his invention. Heinlein began in a way that would become…
Read more
The casual Saturday “at homes” Robert and Leslyn had started for political purposes gradually changed over the course of 1939 into a writers’ group for the local science-fiction professionals. If anything, the changeover of personalities could only have sharpened the sense of being involved in something purposivful and progressive: socializing with writers instead of politicians…
Read more
Since late in 1944, Nelson Eddy’s recording of “The Ballad of Rodger Young” had been playing on the radio, and that song became intensely meaningful to Heinlein. Young, an infantry private, had been killed on July 31, 1943, in the campaign for the Solomon Islands. He had been a runt—five feet two inches—and so nearly…
Read more
Balticon 59 took place May 23-26, 2025 at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. The Society had its “usual” presence with a fan table and stalwarts Betsey Wilcox, Will Hamilton, and Ty Arnold travelling in. We had local members Beatrice & Ursula Kondo, Herb Gilliland, and John Tilden to complete the “staffing” of the fan table.…
Read more
Sharon Lee, novelist, is the 2025 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 Ms. Lee’s body of work of over thirty-eight novels and short stories. A majority of…
Read more
Recently, a member of The Heinlein Society board of directors received the following email. Since THS has a scholarship program, it only seems logical to share information about internship programs. I can’t imagine a more fitting internship for a Heinlein fan! We have launched our application for the National Air and Space Museum’s 2025 Summer…
Read more
William Shatner (Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore) to Appear at the National Space Society’s Annual International Space Development Convention Famed Star Trek actor, celebrity, and private astronaut William Shatner will appear at the National Space Society’s 2024 International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in May. Mr. Shatner will be accepting the Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Award, which…
Read more
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.…
Read more
Balticon 57 May 26-29, 2023 The Society had a wonderful time at 2023’s Balticon, held again at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. Balticon, run by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society and many volunteers, is a very reader/writer/artist-centric convention. The Heinlein Society has maintained a presence at Balticon for almost its entire existence. Since THS has a…
Read more
What I am Reading 12.0 By Betsey Wilcox Heads up: The next “The Thursday Murder Club” book from Richard Osman, and “Starter Villain” by John Scalzi, are scheduled for publication Sep 19, 2023. John Scalzi – “The Android’s Dream”; Narrated by Wil Wheaton, Audible, HC, PB, Kindle Yes, I have read…
Read more
Society Vice President Ken Walters was recently featured on episode 81 of Since The World’s Been Turning. The podcast that discusses the points mentioned in Billy Joel’s song, We Didn’t Start The Fire. While the topic of discussion was nominally the book Stranger in a Strange Land, the podcast touches on most of Heinlein’s biography. …
Read more
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.…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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 (https://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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
Links Heinlein Sites: Read more about the first Grand Master of Science Fiction on the sites reached by the links below. Please remember that the contents of these links are the responsibility of their owners and represent the opinions and attitudes of the owners and not necessarily those of the Heinlein Society. Site RAH:…
Read more
