Conversations on Writing

A definitive collection of reflections on writing from Ursula K. Le Guin, now available in a refreshed edition. 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.