This was new to me: Heinlein’s solution to fan mail.

[Crossposted from stonetable.org. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]

I squealed like a girl when I found out that the Heinlein Centennial was in Kansas City and the weekend after the workshop. The first non-Star Trek Science Fiction I read as a kid was "The Past Through Tomorrow" and I've been a Heinlein fan ever since. I also credit this with my love of short stories. The opportunity to go to the workshop taught by Jim Gunn and the Heinlein Centennial was like a cosmic alignment of the stars.

Dena flew in Thursday night.  Dena had never been to a convention before. While not your typical Science Fiction con, it was a good introduction for her.  She's going to be coming with me to conventions in the future.  She's heard my stories for five years worth of Penguicon and she wants in on the action.

The panels were fun. I met several interesting people, including Lee Martindale and Selina Rosen. David Gerrold is an excellent speaker. I saw John Scalzi again. One of these conventions I'll actually say more than "hi" to him in passing.

I had the very special privilege of picking Robert Charles Wilson and his wife up from the airport Thursday evening, and driving Ben Bova to the airport Sunday morning. Congrats to both of them for winning the Sturgeon and Campbell awards, respectively.

The conference ended with the playing of Virginia Heinlein's reading of "This I Believe." There were very few dry eyes in the room. A short story contest was also announced.  Cash prizes to the winners, and an anthology will be published sometime with the best Heinlein-inspired stories.

We're home now, weary but happy.  I managed to leave with only seven new books.  I raided the discount section of the Waldenbooks attached to the hotel and found a copy of the Vampire Book for six dollars and reference books on Symbology, the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, and Native American Mythology.  Good finds all around.