Short Synopsis
Words Are My Matter is a collection of talks, essays, introductions to beloved books, and book reviews by Ursula K. Le Guin, one of our foremost public literary intellectuals.

Full Synopsis
Words Are My Matter gathers talks, essays, introductions to beloved books, and book reviews by Ursula K. Le Guin, one of our foremost public literary intellectuals. A must-listen collection, Words Are My Matter is a manual for investigating the depth and breadth of contemporary fiction—and, through the lens of deep considerations of contemporary writing, a way of exploring the world we are all living in.

"We need writers who know the difference between production of a market commodity and the practice of an art. Developing written material to suit sales strategies in order to maximize corporate profit and advertising revenue is not the same thing as responsible book publishing or authorship." *

Le Guin is one of those authors, and this is another of her moments. She has published more than sixty books ranging from fiction to nonfiction, children's books to poetry, and has received many lifetime achievement awards, including the Library of Congress Living Legends award.

* From "Freedom," a speech in acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

"What she says of poetry—'Its primary job is simply to find the words that give it its right, true shape'—might well be said of all the shapely pieces in this generous, edifying, and invaluable collection." ---Booklist Starred Review


"In fact, it was the mainstream that ended up transformed. By breaking down the walls of genre, Le Guin handed new tools to twenty-first-century writers working in what Chabon calls the 'borderlands,' the place where the fantastic enters literature." ---The New Yorker

"Narrator Laural Merlington provides a subtle and strong reading of these assorted nonfiction pieces by the late, great Ursula K. Le Guin." ---AudioFile

"Laural Merlington is the ideal reader for Le Guin's material. Her ability to blend gravitas and enthusiasm seamlessly mimics Le Guin's wordplay and style." ---Library Journal Audio Review

Booklist Review