"So what I hope for you is that you live there not as prisoners, ashamed of being women, consenting captives of a psychopathic social system, but as natives. That you will be at home there, keep house there, be your own mistress, with a room of your own. That you will do your work there, whatever you’re good at, art or science or tech or running a ( Read more... )

Crossposted to Flaming Culture 
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My head is wet
My head is wet

Something
Something
I forget

I did not want to wash my hair

Something terrible
unbearable
or maybe not

Sometimes babies are born dead

It doesn't matter
in the water
what I wanted or forgot

Sinister little poem from Le Guin which I saw posted on greatpoets lj.

This entry was originally posted at Read more... )

The Left Hand of Darkness is not only my favourite book by Ursula K Le Guin, but also one of my favourite books period. This must be at least the fourth time I’ve read it.  On its publication The Left Hand of Darkness was received as a groundbreaking piece of science fiction, winning the Nebula Award in 1969 and the Hugo Award in 1970.  Compelling ( Read more... )

"Success is somebody else’s failure. Success is the American Dream we can keep dreaming because most people in most places, including thirty million of ourselves, live wide awake in the terrible reality of poverty.  No, I do not wish you success. I don’t even want to talk about it. I want to talk about failure.

Because you are human beings you are ( Read more... )

( Read more... )