Ursula K. Le Guin’s writing meant everything to me. I keep finding new meaning in her works every time I revisit them, like a few years ago when I re-read “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and it gave me new insights into the nature of systemic injustice. I read the entire Earthsea series in one go, and was astounded to see how it evolved and deepened as the characters aged and the world opened out. When I first read The Dispossessed, I was speechless at how well she captured the complexity and anguish of real-life politics, while telling a deep story about physics and interplanetary relations. I honestly can’t even imagine what my writing would be like if I hadn’t read her work when I did -- and I’m certain that many of my favorite works by other authors might not exist in the same form without her. She’s a cornerstone of speculative fiction, and so much of our best storytelling traces its roots back to her. The more I write, and the more I think about fictional politics and societies, the more I find myself in awe of her singular powers. Nobody else can ever equal Le Guin, but many of us will spend our whole careers striving to build on her incredible legacy.

Am so sad.