Photo by Oregon Live
Thanks to all the interesting and friendly people who stopped by our table, and all the other literary presses/magazines for their brilliant readings, presentations, and panels! We had a blast this year at AWP, and Seattle is hands-down the most mystical and inspiring city on this side of the world. Then again, we are going to Minneapolis next year…
We spent our last day at AWP listening to renowned science fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin and Molly Gloss, speaking about literature, feminism, science fiction, and women in the American West.
We wanted to share some of our favorite quotes from their readings and conversation.
From Ursula K. Le Guin:
“Every adolescent is a stranger in a strange land. They don’t know the language yet, or how to be a citizen.”
“On the sci-fi community: “A writing retreat sounds to me like you just lost a battle.”
“We didn’t call it ‘sci-fi’. We called it ‘science fiction’.”
On invented places: “They are metaphors for strangers. And there’s a great deal of pleasure in creating them.”
“I was writing feminism before the reinvented feminism…. It was not a feminist movement to me. It was just a taking over.”
From Molly Gloss:
“I intend to write the stories of women in the west. Those stories have been left out.”
On recurring themes: “The human response to wilderness, how the cowboy has shaped American culture… I wrestle with this.”
Broad Street at AWP 2014. We had a superb time meeting each of you; be in touch and look for us next year!
