Milkweed Live: Ursula K. Le Guin Conversations on Writing with David Naimon & Lidia Yuknavitch

Ursula K. Le Guin titled her introduction to Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing “Fear and Loathing in the Interview,” and in it she said: “The good interview is like a good badminton rally: you know right away that the two of you can keep that birdie in the air, and all you have to do is watch it fly. Facing each other for the first time in one of KBOO’s lovable, terminally funky recording rooms, David and I were a bit stiff and shy, but we soon got going, and I knew our bird was on the wing.”

Lidia Yuknavitch, whose own life, like mine, intersected with Ursula’s, and whose writing engages with and is enlivened by Ursula’s work, joined me at Powell’s Bookstore in downtown Portland to celebrate the launch of the reissue of this book. Together we explore Ursula’s thoughts on craft, on prose versus poetry, fantasy versus realism, the political in relation to the artistic, and her fascinating relationship to her own imperfections, namely how she enacted self-revision while facing her reading public.

If you enjoy today’s conversation consider joining the Between the Covers community as a listener-supporter. You can find out about all the potential rewards and benefits of doing so at the show’s Patreon page.

Finally, here is the conversation-specific BookShop for today’s episode (and for your more general book shopping needs don’t miss Milkweed Editions Bookshop bookstore as well).