About Heinlein Nexus

Heinlein Nexus is the continuation of a prior organization and effort, Heinlein Centennial Inc. Its structure and purpose are perhaps best explained as an evolving chain of actions.

About the Kansas City Event

The Heinlein Centennial in Kansas City, Missouri in July 2007 was an event created and sponsored by an independent association of Heinlein scholars, fans, readers and admirers. Its purpose was to give all those interested in Robert Heinlein, his work, his life era and his influence on many fields a place to gather and celebrate the centennial of his birth by sharing information, reminiscences and the pleasure his efforts brought to each participant.

The Kansas City event had wide scope, from the traditional science-fiction fan viewpoint to serious literary investigation of Heinlein's work and techniques, as well as inclusion of the burgeoning commercial spaceflight industry that so closely represents Heinlein's fictional history of space development. No one lucky enough to be there would call it anything but a smashing success on all counts.

The Heinlein Centennial was an entirely volunteer-driven event and no person or institution outside those providing commercial goods and services were compensated or remunerated in any way. Every member of the senior organizing staff paid his or her own way, including event registrations, hotel rooms and travel, as did many of the general event volunteers.

About Heinlein Centennial Inc.

Heinlein Centennial Inc. was a California nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status that was formed to act as the legal and financial backbone In particular, the Heinlein Estate, Heinlein Prize Trust and Heinlein Society were not associated with the organizing group or event.

Although its continuation as the useful nucleus for a forward-looking organization was debated for more than a year, Heinlein Centennial Inc. was terminated at the end of 2008 as having exhausted its stated purpose.

About Heinlein Nexus

Heinlein Nexus is the evolution of Heinlein Centennial and all its efforts. Instead of a focus on a single event or other large-scale project, HN is to provide the same welcoming arena for the Heinlein community as the Centennial event, but sustained over time and distance via the world wide web. There is no start or end date nor any agenda that requires attendance at a particular time; the “event” is continual and seamless. Within this arena, we hope to gather all material and information that relates to Robert Heinlein's life, works and legacies, and make it available to all members of the community who are interested — whether that interest is mere curiosity or focused on accomplishing new works and projects in Heinlein's name.

As a virtual community, we hope to bring together like-minded individuals who will connect, confer and work together to accomplish goals too big or too diffuse for any one person, and to help share the results of those collaborations and efforts.

In short, Heinlein Nexus intends to be the direct and unending continuation of the marvelous magic that was the Kansas City Centennial event.

We hope the community fully understands that Heinlein Nexus still stands alone as an organization and is not affiliated with any other group or organization: we are still not the Estate, the Prize Trust or the Heinlein Society.

Agenda

Heinlein Nexus is about action, accomplishment and activity — but it's even more about the people making all that happen, those seeking to join in the effort, and those seeking to learn from the results. That means it's about you — all of you!

As a subject for exploration and understanding, Robert Heinlein has barely been outlined. There is endless work to be done, much of it deeply fascinating. If you are reading this, you are a prime candidate to undertake some part of that work, either on your own or in concert with other interested people. It doesn't take a formal organization to do the work, nor (in all but a few cases) any formal permission or assignment.

We've found that too many people, even well-informed members of the Heinlein community, assume that someone, somewhere, is doing lots of good things in Heinlein's name and with his many legacies. Unfortunately, that's not true. Except for a few academic efforts (and, of course, the formal biography that's almost off the presses) the field is at a standstill. It shouldn't be! If you think you are too “minor” to accomplish something useful, you're wrong. If you think you have to work with an organized group, you're wrong. If you think you're too isolated and out of touch to accomplish a worthy goal, you're again wrong.

Expanding, explaining, documenting and understanding the legacies that Robert Heinlein left us is not the job of a structured organization or group. It's the job of all those who see value in Heinlein's ideas and philosophies. It can be difficult for individuals, especially those outside the major cities — those who may not even know another person who knows who Robert Heinlein is! — to make meaningful progress. It can be difficult even for those in better situations. That's what Heinlein Nexus is all about: connecting all of the Heinlein community — connecting them together, and to the resources, feedback and encouragement they need.

It's about Robert Heinlein, and it's about you. It's your turn. Let's get to it!

Who is Heinlein Nexus?

Heinlein Nexus is composed of every member of the Heinlein community who thinks there are useful things to be done with Robert Heinlein's memory and legacies.

In addition to that sweeping “who,” Heinlein Nexus will grow in coming weeks to include a vast amount of information about Robert Heinlein's life and works, to provide a single-source reference and inspiration to all those who wish to take up or support a worthwhile project. Much of the initial information will come from the oldest and original Heinlein information site, maintained by Nitrosyncretic Press since about 1997. That site, which needs much updating and expansion, will slowly be “high-graded” (to use Heinlein's term for salvaging the best out of incomplete or unsalable works) into a new format and structure here. What we can't actually bring here to this site (such as the online Heinlein Archives) will be conveniently linked and listed for ready reference. Soon, we hope, there will be no need to start anywhere else to find the sources, information and support every Heinlein researcher and project manager needs.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee of Heinlein Nexus is composed of four of the core organizers of the Heinlein Centennial and is responsible for all working decisions about the new organization's shape, content and focus. We all believe in the value of continuing the “connection and correspondence” aspects of the Centennial event and have pledged to serve this new organization as long as is necessary.

The Steering Committee will be replaced with an elected board of directors at some future but otherwise unspecified time.

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council of Heinlein Nexus is composed of notable persons within the Heinlein community who have offered their time and advice towards the development of the organization and its agenda, scope and focus. These members have been invited to provide their opinions and thoughts whenever they are so moved, or on the infrequent occasions when the Steering Committee polls them for a consensus.

Page Updated 13 April 2010