Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing

Ursula K. Le Guin discusses her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry―both her process and her philosophy―with all the wisdom, profundity, and rigor we expect from one of the great writers of the last century.

Both reason and imagination need training. They need exercise just like the body does. ―Ursula K. Le Guin

Hailed by the New York Times as America’s greatest writer of science fiction and “a genre in herself” by Zadie Smith, Ursula K. Le Guin was one of the most influential writers of the 20th and 21st century and left a legacy that continues to shape the literary landscape today. Across her vast body of work―novels and stories across multiple genres, poems, translations, essays, speeches, and criticism―Le Guin pushed the boundaries of the imagination, language, and literature’s capacity to burrow into and reflect back to us the deepest truths of humanity.

In a series of interviews with David Naimon (Between the Covers), Le Guin discusses craft, aesthetics, and philosophy in her fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The discussions provide ample advice and guidance for writers of every level and give Le Guin a chance to sound off on some of her favorite subjects: the genre wars, the patriarchy, the natural world, and what, in her opinion, makes for great writing. With excerpts from her own books and those that she looked to for inspiration, this volume is a treat for Le Guin’s longtime readers, a perfect introduction for those first approaching her writing, and a tribute to her incredible life and work.Ursula K. Le Guin published twenty-three novels, twelve volumes of short stories, eleven volumes of poetry, five collections of essays, thirteen books for children, and four of translation, and received Hugo, Nebula, Endeavor, Locus, Tiptree, Sturgeon, and PEN-Malamud awards; the National Book Award; and the Pushcart and Janet Heidinger Kafka prizes, among others. She received lifetime achievement awards from the World Fantasy Awards, The Los Angeles Times, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, and Willamette Writers, as well as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master Award, the Library of Congress Living Legends award, and the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Le Guin was also the recipient of the Association for Library Service to Children’s May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award and the Margaret Edwards Award.

David Naimon is a writer and host of the podcast Between The Covers in Portland, Oregon. His work has appeared in Orion, AGNI, Fourth Genre, Boulevard, Tin House and more. He has received a Pushcart Prize and been reprinted in Best American Science & Nature Writing, Best Spiritual Literature and The Best Small Fictions. His podcast and writing can be found at davidnaimon.com.