On the occasion of accepting an award from the National Book Foundation—the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters—Ursula K. Le Guin offered some cautionary words on the future of publishing and some inspiring words on why the world needs imaginative writers more than ever before.
…letting commodity profiteers sell us like deodorant and tell us what to publish, what to write. Books are not just commodities. The profit motive is often in conflict with the aims of art.
She is as eloquent and well spoken in person as in her many fictional works and she draws the line without hesitation between art and commerce.
Lead photo by kkendall, Creative Commons licensed.