A piece in The Conversation by Mike Duggan of King's College, London explores the maps in the books of Ursula K le Guin.
An exhibition of maps from her books is on in London at the moment and runs until early December.
The Word for World exhibition is free to visit in the AA Gallery from 10 October – 6 December 2025, Monday to Saturday, 11am–7pm.
When Ursula K Le Guin was writing a new story, she would begin by drawing a map.
The Word for World presents a selection of these images by the celebrated author, many of which have never been exhibited before, to consider how her imaginary worlds enable us to re-envision our own.
Le Guin’s maps offer journeys of consciousness beyond conventional cartography, from the archipelagos of Earthsea to the talismanic maps of Always Coming Home. Rather than remaining within known terrain, they open up paradigms of knowledge, exemplified by the map’s edges and how a map is read, made and remade together.
The Word for World
Date:
Friday 10 October 2025 to Saturday 6 December 2025
Time:
11:00 -19:00
Location:
AA Gallery, 36 Bedford Square, WC1B 3ES
I will be heading to see this in late November.
An archive of maps drawn by Ursula can be seen here.
They are available under Creative Commons license.
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