80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin

Last year on Ursula Le Guin's birthday-- her eightieth-- Karen Joy Fowler and Debbie Notkin presented Ursula with a handmade book, green leather-bound book they'd assembled for her birthday present from themselves and thirty-four other friends, colleagues, and admirers. This year on Ursula's birthday, Aqueduct Press will be releasing a published version of that gift, 80! Memories & Reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin.

Contributions include fiction from John Kessel, Andrea Hairston, Sheree Renee Thomas, Ama Patterson, and Pan Morigan, and essays and poetry from Richard Chwedyk, Debbie Notkin, Eileen Gunn, Kim Stanley Robinson, Lynn Alden Kendall, Brian Attebery, Gwyneth Jones, Vonda N. McIntyre, Karen Joy Fowler, MJ Hardman, Ellen Eades, Paul Preuss, Molly Gloss, Sarah LeFanu, Victoria McManus, Jed Hartman, Ellen Kushner, Pat Murphy, Nancy Kress, Jo Walton, Una McCormack, Julie Phillips, Patrick O'Leary, Eleanor Arnason, Deirdre Byrne, Suzette Haden Elgin, Lisa Tuttle, Judith Barrington, Nisi Shawl, Elisabeth Vonarburg, and Sandra Kasturi. Book design and cover design are by John Berry.

Among the many treats in the volume, one of my favorites is Julie Phillips's 20-page biographical piece. It begins with Ursula's childhood and stops with her first fiction publications and her arrival in Portland. Fascinating stuff, trust me. Another is Karen Joy Fowler's "Ursula's Eightieth: A Sonnet Upon It." And Vonda N. McIntyre's piece? It begins, "First of all, she likes robot toys."

It's a lovely volume-- as I can say, who had no editorial role in its production. We'll be releasing it on October 21, 2010, but per our usual practice will be making it available at a reduced price on our website up until the official release date. You can purchase it now, here.