Category: Updates

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 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…
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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 Jim Dutton to join up with locals Director Beatrice Kondo, Heinlein Journal Editor Herb Gilliland, and Operations Chair John Tilden. We met up with several…
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THS Dinner honoring Heinlein Award Winner Tom Doherty

Come to a meal during Balticon 58 honoring 2024 Heinlein Award Winner Tom Doherty!   3 Course meal with choice of 4 Entrees, non-alcoholic drinks, tip, tax and surcharge, private room $80.00 per person Attendance Limited to 20 guests with payment by 15 May 2024 Alcoholic beverages are available on a separate per person check…
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Famed Actor Will Receive the Heinlein Memorial Award for 2024

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…
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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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July 2023 Email to original PayPal Subscribers–“Change in Payment Systems”

The following email went out on 9 July 2023 to our longest PayPal subscribers.  Rest assured you are still members with an active subscription. This cancellation on PayPal was necessary to have users do renewals through our website. Dear Member:   Thank you for being a member of The Heinlein Society with a recurring PayPal…
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June/July 2023 Membership-Website Changes

This email was sent out on 12 July 2023 but some PayPal subscription cancellations took place on 8 July 2023. Dear Member:   Firstly, thank you for being a member of The Heinlein Society. Recently, we have made some changes you should know about.  Since our inception we have been keeping manual records via an…
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What I Am Reading 12.0

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…
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What Am I Reading? 11.0

What I am Reading 11.0 By Betsey Wilcox This time I have a mixed bag of books to tell you about, starting with British cozy mysteries then progressing into older published books which are getting a re-read, a new Preston and Child book, and a new Shining Smith novel. Heads up! The next “Murderbot Diaries”…
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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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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 (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…
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2022 Scholarship Winners Announced

We are delighted to announce the winners of our 2022 – 2023 academic year scholarships. Take a look at our Scholarships Page for the full list of winners and finalists. Congratulations to all of them.

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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Random Payment Processor Issues (July 4, 2022)

For about a week we have been having issues with our payment processor and cart system. For those of you that are trying to purchase a Regular or other type of Membership we apologize for the inconvenience. We are working on the fastest resolution possible with our card processor and if that’s not possible, need…
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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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Membership Subscriptions Changeover December 2021

Members of The Heinlein Society: As a volunteer organization, we attempt to provide good customer service with 21st-Century tools via the internet at the lowest cost possible so most of your membership dues may go to our charitable programs. Sometimes, things change and we need to react and it causes a little more work for…
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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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A Note if you are having trouble Joining or Downloading The Heinlein Journal

To all Members or Prospective Members: At the moment, “guest” functionality is disabled on our website store “Cart” system.  If you are a member that previously has just had a PayPal ‘subscription’ (not through the website payment cart system) you may never have had an account on the website.  If you are new to us,…
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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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Website Changes

Dear Members: We have revised our overall website presence.  To better serve our membership, since they are the overwhelming number of Heinlein Journal readers, we have merged the heinleinjournal.com website’s content into heinleinsociety.org. When we publish our next issue, you will be able to use an appropriate coupon code as a Regular or Lifetime member to receive new issues, or…
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