The Writings of Ursula Le Guin

8:55AM - Happy 80th Birthday Ursula K. Le Guin

I hope you have a fun day and a great year. Thank you.

#UKL80

7:55AM - 80th birthday Oct 21

reposting from wiscon:

Email from Vonda N. McIntyre:

Hi everybody,

Ursula K. Le Guin's 80th birthday is on 21 October 2009 and I'm going to post a Happy Birthday Ursula message on my website and my blogs that day, and I think I have some other folks talked into doing the same.

I just thought it might be fun if a lot of websites and blogs wished her Happy Birthday. (It's also the 40th anniversary of Left Hand of Darkness.) Her website is www.ursulakleguin.com (the actual content begins on http://www.ursulakleguin.com/UKL_info.html )

2:25PM - Illustrations: Julia Alekseeva.

Here are two illustrations to "The Wizard of Earthsea by Julia Alekseeva (Her official site - http://darkgift.ru/fantasy1.html)

http://darkgift.ru/images/Illustration/wizard.jpg
http://darkgift.ru/images/Illustration/wizard11.jpg

2:00AM - Fanlore

I've created a short article for the Earthsea fandom on the Fanlore wiki, a project for recording fannish history. If anyone were able to expand it that would be useful. In particular, I know nothing about the pre-internet fandom, nor about fan art/graphics. There's also no article there for Le Guin, which more widely read fans than I might wish to rectify.

4:15PM - Earthsea fanfiction

The Earthsea Ficathon 2009 has just finished over at earthsea_fic; the masterlist is here.

11:03PM - The Language of the Night

The Language of the Night (non-fiction) - Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction

Poll #1420293 The Language of the Night
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 19

Have you read this book?

If you've read it, how do you rate it? (1 being not-so-good, 5 being excellent)

Even though I generally prefer to read fiction, I found these essays quite interesting -- particularly LeGuin's discussion/explanation of why many people tend to dismiss fantasy and sci-fi as childish or without merit.

Although I imagine these genres are more mainstream than when this book was first published (1979), I still encounter a lot of people who disparage them.

Anyone else have thoughts on this book?

12:30PM - +1

Hi to all!
I've been reading Le Guin since I was 10, I suppose, and she always impressed me very much.
My favourite story is, of couse, "The left hand of darkness". It was so good to find some pieces of fanfiction on it in this community! Thanks to the authors. I have also written one story myself, though it was in Russian, my native language.
I'm terribly glad ton find this community, too))

1:12AM - Earthsea ficathon 2009

The Earthsea ficathon 2009 has been announced at earthsea_fic! The ficathon is accepting suggestions for prompts until 15 May, and you can suggest prompts with no obligation to write. All genres & types of story are equally welcome. Stories will be posted 1-14 August.

10:08PM - The Left Hand of Darkness: Come Out of Kerm Land (Estraven/Ashe, Sorve & Obsle cameos)

Come Out of Kerm Land

Fandom: The Left Hand of Darkness
Characters: Estraven/Ashe, cameos by Sorve and Obsle, allusions to Arek/Therem
Rating: PG
Summary: Therem Harth tells no love stories; yet there are other stories, some of which are Estraven's to tell.

1670 words.

( 'Why, Lord Estraven, are you come so young out of Kerm Land?' )

8:27AM - Mieville interview now on UKL's website

If you missed the short window to hear it on the BBC website, the interview can now be found here:

http://www.ursulakleguin.com/UKL_info.html#New

5:39PM - Podfic: Other Kinds of Men, by Karanguni

Title: Other Kinds of Men
Author: karanguni
Reader: luzula
Fandom: Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness
Pairing: Therem/Arek
Rating: PG-13
Format: mp3, 192 kbps
Length: 22 m 32 s
Notes: This is backstory for Therem Harth rem ir Estraven, and I found it beautiful and moving. Thanks to the author for letting me record it!

Download at Sendspace.

4:22PM - Ursula le Guin at 80 - BBC radio

17 Mar 2009, 11:30 GMT on BBC Radio 4

Writer China Mieville talks to American science fiction writer Ursula Le Guin.

Le Guin was a trailblazer - writing in the 1960s, her series of books about the adventures of a boy wizard, Ged, included characters of every race and colour. Her fiction has been acutely concerned with politics, portraying worlds destroyed by environmental catastrophe that prefigured modern concerns about global warming, and societies without gender just as modern-day feminism began to take off.

Featuring contributions and tributes from Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood.

The 30 minute programme is available for 7 days following the original broadcast date on the BBC iPlayer.

10:43AM - Sci-Fi Two Cows Jokes

In my inbox this morning, Sci-Fi 'Two Cows' Jokes

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Trilogy – You have two cows. You can only get milk out of them if you know their real names.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness - You have two cows. Sometimes you have two bulls instead.

Lord of the Rings - Two cows to rule them all.

Sword of Shannara - Two cows to rule them all.

Mad Max - Two cows enter. One cow leaves.

George Orwell - You have two cows, and the big one is always watching.

Source (with several more jokes): Sci-fi 'Two Cows' jokes

8:24PM - [fic]The Left Hand of Darkness: Shadows cast behind you (Estraven)

Shadows cast behind you

Fandom: The Left Hand of Darkness
Characters: Estraven; mentions of Ashe, Arek.
Rating: PG13
Summary: In the kemmerhouse.

( Love is love, as they say in Rer where nothing has changed for a thousand years and where, if its citizens - proud, communal, fiercely bonded and stubborn - have their say, nothing will change for a thousand more. )

11:46AM - Fic: ride a white horse

Title: ride a white horse
Rating: g
Fandom: The Lathe of Heaven
Summary: She never used to be like this, never wanted to spend her Saturday mornings on the sofa, the newspaper scattered on the floor and her hands clipped neatly together while she tried to piece together the memories that shouldn’t be hers.
Disclaimer: Characters are copyright Ursula K. Le Guin.
Warnings: Spoilers for the book.
Author's Note: For an English survey course I'm taking, we're encouraged to write continuations or missed scenes based on the books we read. This is my first go at it. If fanfiction posting isn't allowed, please let me know.

When the light turns into darkness, will he turn up to explain us?

7:18PM - Catwings, Winged Cats

Hey there! I recently drew a series of three Winged Cats -- though not directly based on any of the characters in the Catwings books, I thought some of you might find them enjoyable.

2:12AM - Always Coming Home bk of honor at Potlatch 18, 2009

Global footprint or no, I'm attending the fannish convention Potlatch 18 in 2009, in Sunnyvale, California.

This is not only because it is just down the street from where we live, and is, in fact, accessible to me via the VTA 22 bus on El Camino Real, but also because _Always Coming Home_ has been picked as one of the two books of honor - that is, it will be one of the main topics of programming and discussion.

That means there will be panels, and discussions, and room parties, and meetings in the hallways, and other delightful opportunities, to discuss the book that I think is the single most valuable book in all of American literature, because it looks at us while appearing to be looking at something else entirely.   And because I might be going to have lived in the Valley of the Na somewhen.

I'm looking forward to throwing a room party, and catering it with Kesh food favorites like Dur m Drevi.

I'm looking forward to rereading the book for the bazillionth time, and listening to the tape that came with my hardcover copy.

I'm looking forward to relearning how to use Livejournal, so that I can *properly* post the link to the convention.  Sorry, everyone, it has been three years.  I promise to get my blogging chops up properly this time.

2:21PM - Ursula Le Guin interview

I really recommend "Lavinia," Le Guin's most recent novel. It's based on the "Aeneid," except Le Guin tells it from Lavinia's point of view. I really recommend it if you like classical history or historical fiction. I interviewed Le Guin about it on my new literature blog. I welcome all feedback on my writing, and suggestions for authors to interview. My blog is at:

http://inkwellreview.blogspot.com/

11:43PM - Left Hand of Darkness Wallpapers

 Hey, I'm new to this comm. :)

I admit I haven't read a lot of Le Guin's works (yet, that is - I'm planning on rectifying that soon...) However, The Left Hand of Darkness is one of my all-time favourite novels, while the journey across the ice towards the end of the book is my favourite section of any book, ever. I'm glad I've found a community where a lot of you agree!

I thought some of you might be interested that I made two graphic-y, wallpapery  type things, using a couple of quotes from LHoD (and by "made", I mean "added text to photos", so it didn't take much talent on my part...)

Anyway here are the links to the "wallpapers":

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc282/waverleysteps/lefthand_joy.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc282/waverleysteps/lefthand_journeys_end.jpg

I lay no claim to the pictures -  all I did was add text to them. The lovely photos themselves are from this site: http://www.duluthstreams.org/understanding/iceVolcanoes.html

(As it's an educational site, and the photos are used as examples, I figured it was ok to use them without permission.) Apologies for the quality level. I made them using MS Paint :D