When women speak truly they speak subversively — they can’t help it: if you’re underneath, if you’re kept down, you break out, you subvert. We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experience as our truth, as human truth, all the maps change. There are new mountains. That’s what I want – to hear you erupting. You young Mount St Helenses who don’t know the power in you – I want to hear you.”
— Bryn Mawr College commencement speech, 1986,
Ursula K. Le Guin wrote in a genre that was male dominated and lent a gentle feminist perspective and gentle buddhist thought to her writing. Her creativity will be missed but at least we have her books to read and to give to our children to read and learn a way of thinking about gender that seems finally coming into its own time.
I live in the small town of Haddonfield, NJ. I am at an age in my life when I seem to spend time thinking and musing about life. These musings are usually stimulated by my walks through Haddonfield, my reading of books and fellow bloggers, and my interaction with my group of fabulous family and friends.
I was saddened to hear about her passing earlier in the week but since saw nothing about her life. Your post here is comprehensive and fascinating… although I’ve never read her book I have the highest regard for her and it’s interesting how she brought her Buddhist belief gently into her work. I smiled at her comment about being a writer,it is indeed a ‘pleasant duty’!
As others have said, thank you for introducing me to a writer whose work sounds fascinating. As a life-long student of anthropology, it’s interesting to consider how her writing was influenced by her parents’ careers. I look forward to reading “The Left Hand of Darkness”!
What an amazing woman! Thanks for this post.
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I was saddened to hear about her passing earlier in the week but since saw nothing about her life. Your post here is comprehensive and fascinating… although I’ve never read her book I have the highest regard for her and it’s interesting how she brought her Buddhist belief gently into her work. I smiled at her comment about being a writer,it is indeed a ‘pleasant duty’!
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I learned about her through another blogger and have added her name to my “Authors to Read List.
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She was an amazing woman. Her work is fascinating and brilliant. She will be missed.
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Thank you Bernadette. Ursula is a new author on my radar. She sounds incrddibly inspiring. 🌼
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Thank you for introducing me to another amazing woman and author, Sally!
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I received your book and love it. Wonderful work Bette
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Thanks so much for your support and kind words, Bernadette! ❤ xo
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Wow such and amazing woman!
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I’m just in awe and I must read her book. Thanks for sharing this Bernadette.
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Thanks for doing this, Bernadette! Her new book is on my list!
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As others have said, thank you for introducing me to a writer whose work sounds fascinating. As a life-long student of anthropology, it’s interesting to consider how her writing was influenced by her parents’ careers. I look forward to reading “The Left Hand of Darkness”!
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