Le Guin will speak with Margaret Atwood at Portland Arts & Lectures on September 23. I’ll be traveling north once again to interview Ms. Atwood about Ms. Le Guin. Atwood’s review of Le Guin’s story collection Birthday of the World is one of my favorite pieces of Le Guin criticism. For her part, Le Guin has taken Atwood to task for evading the term “science fiction” to describe her last novel, the enthusiastically welcomed The Year of the Flood. Their discussion is sure to be thought-provoking, and if I were you, and anywhere nearby, I’d be sure not to miss it.
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Arwen speaking on BAVC fundraising panel Tuesday
I’ll be speaking about doc film fundraising on a panel this Tuesday, April 13 with acclaimed n…
Report: March 2010 shoot with UKL
My latest shoot with Ursula went great. Someone is trying to include her invented word for a faster…
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Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
Le Guin will speak with Margaret Atwood at Portland Arts & Lectures on September 23. I’ll be traveling north once again to interview Ms. Atwood about Ms. Le Guin. Atwood’s review of Le Guin’s story collection Birthday of the World is one of my favorite pieces of Le Guin criticism. For her part, Le Guin has taken Atwood to task for evading the term “science fiction” to describe her last novel, the enthusiastically welcomed The Year of the Flood. Their discussion is sure to be thought-provoking, and if I were you, and anywhere nearby, I’d be sure not to miss it.
The best breakfast Paul’s ever eaten.
Paul's best breakfast
Arwen speaking on BAVC fundraising panel Tuesday
I’ll be speaking about doc film fundraising on a panel this Tuesday, April 13 with acclaimed non-profit arts consultant Morrie Warshawski for the third installment of BAVC’s “Art of Fundraising” series. Moderator Jeff Perlstein of GFEM, Danae Ringelman of IndieGoGo and Ellen Schneider of Active Voice will join me. Hope to see you there, but please RSVP as soon as you can, because it’s filling up (or maybe already filled). More here: http://www.bavc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1721&Itemid=1878
Report: March 2010 shoot with UKL
My latest shoot with Ursula went great. Someone is trying to include her invented word for a faster-than-light communication device, the ansible, in the OED. More details to come!
Robert Darnton Reflects on the Google Settlement in the NYRB
Google & the Future of Books
By Robert Darnton How can we navigate through the information landscape that is only beginning to come into view? The question is more urgent than ever following the recent settlement between Google and the authors and publishers who were suing it for alleged breach of copyright. For the last four years, Google has been digitizing millions of books, including many covered by copyright, from the collections of major research libraries, and making the texts searchable online. The authors and publishers objected that digitizing constituted a violation of their copyrights. After lengthy negotiations, the plaintiffs and Google agreed on a settlement, which will have a profound effect on the way books reach readers for the foreseeable future. What will that future be?
Read the complete article here: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22281
Ursula K. Le Guin Resigns from the Authors Guild over Google Settlement
Resignation letter from Ursula Le Guin18 December 2009To whom it may concern at the Authors Guild:I have been a member of the Authors Guild since 1972. At no time during those thirty-seven years was I able to attend the functions, parties, and so forth offered by the Guild to members who happen to live on the other side of the continent. I have naturally resented this geographical discrimination, reflected also in the officership of the Guild, always almost all Easterners. But it was a petty gripe when I compared it to my gratitude to the Guild for the work you were doing in defending writers’ rights. I went on paying top dues and thought it worth it. And now you have sold us down the river.I am not going to rehearse any arguments pro and anti the “Google settlement.” You decided to deal with the devil, as it were, and have presented your arguments for doing so. I wish I could accept them. I can’t. There are principles involved, above all the whole concept of copyright; and these you have seen fit to abandon to a corporation, on their terms, without a struggle.So, after being a loyal if invisible member for so long, I am resigning from the Guild. I am, however, retaining membership in the National Writers Union and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, both of which opposed the “Google settlement.” They don’t have your clout, but their judgment, I think, is sounder, and their courage greater.Yours truly,Ursula K. Le GuinThis letter may be quoted or copied, with attribution.
California Documentary Project awards development grant to Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin
December 2008: California Documentary Project, a joint program of the California Council for the Humanities and the Skirball Foundation, awarded the Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin film a Research & Development Grant. This funding will allow me to work with humanities experts to develop the California story that informs so much of Le Guin’s work. In addition, our team is using the grant to create a funding trailer incorporating interviews with Ursula, her fans, and archival footage and photographs.
Arwen Lee Curry Awarded SFFS Filmhouse Residency
Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin (working title) has a new home by the bay. View the press release here:
The San Francisco Film Society announced today the first ten filmmakers who have been awarded SFFS FilmHouse Residencies. This innovative new program, developed in partnership with the San Francisco Film Commission, supports local independent filmmaking by making office space available free of charge to filmmakers actively engaged in various stages of film production. The initial recipients include writers and directors, working on narrative features and documentaries, from the earliest stages of development to postproduction. FilmHouse, opening on November 1, will function as a vibrant workshop and community-builder for local filmmakers of all stripes.
October Fundraiser
Our October fundraiser at Needles & Pens bookstore in San Francisco was a great inauguration to the project. Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin and the Le Guin-curious came to enjoy the fine sounds of the Top Critters (see photo). Anna Brown and Brontez read two of Le Guin’s short stories: “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” and “The Author of the Acacia Seeds.” I gave a short introduction to the project, and we did a short but very engaging Q&A. Thanks to everyone who helped out and donated their time and money, for making this a successful event!
Donate Now!
Donate to Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin (working title).