A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story

With an introduction by Theo Downes-Le Guin, Karen Joy Fowler, Molly Gloss and Kelly Link

Steering the Craft is Ursula K. Le Guin’s carrier bag of the tools of a writer’s craft: how – and why – to write. From the sound of language to tenses to point of view, Le Guin offers a comprehensive and generous guide to the fundamental components of narrative, illustrating her incisive analysis with examples from some of her favourite writers. Revised and updated for the twenty-first century, this handbook includes exercises that the writer can do alone or in a group.

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) was a celebrated author of twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve children’s books, six volumes of poetry and four of translation. The breadth and imagination of her work earned her six Nebulas, nine Hugos and SFWA’s Grand Master, along with the PEN/ Malamud and many other awards. In 2014 she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016 joined the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America.

“One of the literary greats of the 20th century.” Margaret Atwood

“An anarchic destabilizer of established power structures and a ferocious critic of racist and sexist narratives.” Maria Dahvana Headley

“great teacher. great spirit.” adrienne maree brown

“A literary icon.” Stephen King

“A crafter of fierce, focused, fertile dreams.” David Mitchell

“A deepener and clarifier of possibility.” Nicola Griffith