Ursula K Le Guin, the prominent author known for her science fiction and fantasy novels, in particular A Wizard of Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness, had a very particular creative process as she began writing a new story. The American creative would kick-start her journey by drawing a map. These imaginative cartographs are known to capture the essence of her fantasy worlds and give life to her novels.
'The Rivers That Run into the Inland Sea', published in Always Coming Home, 1985
Enter the world of Ursula K Le Guin
‘The Word for World: The Maps of Ursula K Le Guin’ is a new exhibition presented by The Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture in London, which charts the author’s drawings of these fictional worlds. Many of these original artworks and drawings have never been seen before, having been kept in a personal archive. Now, visitors can explore them and mentally travel through the archipelagos of Earthsea to the talismanic maps of Always Coming Home.
“The Names of the Houses of Sinshan”, 1985. Ink on paper
Le Guin's works don’t just push the boundaries of how we create maps, but extend beyond known terrain and how a map is read and made, highlighting the writer's own approach to narrative and place.
‘Le Guin’s maps ground and give life to the worlds in her novels, as well as frame the philosophical questions they raise,' explains Ingrid Schroder, director of the AA. ‘They help reveal her process of thinking through drawing, acting as blueprints for potential and real landscapes, and for the societies that inhabit them. They are at once an act of world-building, a form of deep engagement with land and landscape, and a reflection on our engagement with the planet.’
“Talismanic map of the Valley, with place names”, 1985. Ink on paper
The exhibition also coincides with the release of The Word for World, a book edited by author So Mayer and writer Sarah Shin, and co-published by Spiral House (a new imprint of Silver Press) and AA Publications. This publication is a celebration of Le Guin and her work, bringing together poems, stories, interviews, recipes and essays by contributors from a variety of perspectives, to enquire into the relationship between worlds and the imagination.
'Orsinia, the Ten Provinces', unpublished, for Malafrena, 1979, Ink and typewriter text on tracing paper,
Both the exhibition and book 'The Word for World' will launch together at the AA in London's Bedford Square on Friday 10 October 2025
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