Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula K. Le Guin was an American novelist, primarily in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. Much of her adult writing relates to issues of gender and sexuality. 
Several of her SF stories mention a faster-than-light communications device, the Ansible (an anagram of "lesbian", though Le Guin anecdotally told a fan that she coined it by shortening "answerable". Published by World Wide Words in 1999. and this name has become common in other authors' works, most notably in Ender's Game and its sequels by Orson Scott Card. It's also used as the title of the British fanzine Ansible.
As were many science fiction writers of her time, Le Guin was a contributor to zines. One example is The Witch and the Chameleon.
==Some Well-Known Works==
* the Earthsea universe, starting with: A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), The Tombs of Atuan (1970), and The Farthest Shore (1972)
* The Hainish Cycle, a number of Le Guin's sci-fi novels and stories that take place in the same alternate history. The connections within the Cycle are not meant to form a coherent chronology.
* the novel The Left Hand of Darkness, which won the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1970
* The Dispossessed (1974). which won a Nebula Award, Hugo Award; Locus Award. Involves themes of anarchism.
* "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," a short story and parable.
* "A Fisherman of the Inland Sea" (1994). A short story set in the Hainish universe that originated the sedoretu trope.
==The Left Hand of Darkness==
The Left Hand of Darkness is an early example of feminist science fiction and genderfuck: its Gethenian people are genderless and can become either male or female during mating periods.
Some fans cite this book as a slashy source of inspiration. The first issue of Hanky Panky had a list of recommended reading with queer content, and this one was on it. 
==The Earthsea Universe==
See Earthsea for information on the fandom and examples of fanworks and fan communities.
==The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas==
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a short story by Le Guin. A quote from this short story will sometimes be brought up in discussions regarding media, particularly in regards to themes and endings, perceived as bleak, dark or mean-spirited, particularly in modern media:
One fan's response to this quote is astolat's Transformers Generation One fanfiction, Victory Condition, which explores the themes of this quote in Le Guin's story.astolat, in response to a tumblr ask by oldtestleper. Jan 8, 2018.Victory Condition, astolat. Jan 5, 2018.
Omelas has also inspired plenty of pro-writers to publish response stories or rewrites over the years, including some by fans who also write professionally, like N.K. Jemisin."The Ones Who Stay and Fight" by N.K. Jemisin. Jan 2020. Lightspeed. (archive link) These stories are often divisive: many, such as Jemisin's piece or the 2024 response story by Isabel J. Kim,"Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole" by Isabel J. Kim. Feb 2024. Clarkesworld. (archive link) receive widespread accolades, but Kurt Schiller wrote a 2022 essay criticizing such stories (including, at length, Jemisin's) that was itself very popular among SFF fans."Omelas, Je T'Aime" by Kurt Schiller. Jul 8, 2022. Blood Knife. (archive link) Schiller wrote:
==Legacy==
Le Guin is well regarded by science fiction fans and media fans after her passing.
===On the Internet===
Since that quote was published, LeGuin's popularity online may have risen. -- e.g. r/UrsulaKLeGuin subreddit founded in 2017, has 5900 members, which isn't large as subreddits go but isn't tiny. (There are also regular discussions of her books on the much larger subreddits r/Books, r/scifi, and r/printSF, and it's trivial to find blog posts discussing her books with a modern search engine.)
==Links==
* Wikipedia:Usula K. Le Guin
* #ursula k le guin on Tumblr
* r/UrsulaKLeGuin subreddit
*TODO: any particular fansites or fannish meta to link here?
==References==
Category:Science Fiction Authors