The United States Postal Service announced today it will issue a stamp featuring one of the greats of science fiction, the late Ursula K. Le Guin, in 2021. The stamp portrays Le Guin in front of a scene from one of her Hugo-winning novels The Left Hand Of Darkness. And how appropriate is it that the art for the stamp was done by three-time Hugo winner Donato Giancola?
The 33rd stamp in the Literary Arts series honors Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018), who expanded the scope of literature through novels and short stories that increased critical and popular appreciation of science fiction and fantasy. The stamp features a portrait of Le Guin based on a 2006 photograph. The background shows a scene from her landmark 1969 novel “The Left Hand of Darkness,” in which an envoy from Earth named Genly Ai escapes from a prison camp across the wintry planet of Gethen with Estraven, a disgraced Gethenian politician. The artist for this stamp was Donato Giancola. The art director was Antonio Alcalá. The words “three ounce” on this stamp indicate its usage value. Like a Forever stamp, this stamp will always be valid for the value printed on it.
But it’s America, so in the press release Le Guin gets named after Yankee catcher Yogi Berra who’s getting a stamp this year, too.
[Thanks to Olav Rokne for the story.]
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I have a sudden need for some stamps
Sweet!
“A Postal Worker of Earthsea”
“The Ones Who Send Postcards From Omelas”
“The DisPOSTsessed”
I’m so into this stamp. Le Guin was a visiting professor at my university in the mid-1990s, and I had the pleasure of taking one class from her. I have nothing but good things to say about her as a person, and as an educator.
Whatever happened to the Clarke/Heinlein/Asimov/Bradbury quad stamp that was pushed a few years ago but apparently rejected???
I’m so happy about this!
Wonderful! Giancola’s artwork is beautiful.
Not Donato’s first stamp .
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-112310a.html
WAHOO!!!!
Excellent news!
Finally a cancel culture act we can like
Astounding, amazing, and fantastic! I’m gonna buy lots of these!
And the prepaid postcard in the press release has a mallard drake on it!
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Wish it was a regular stamp I could actually use. I’ll probably buy a sheet to keep. I’ve just about used up all the Edgar Rice Burroughs stamps I bought years ago, and I’d love to buy a bunch of Le Guin sheets. But not @ 85 cents.
I learn something new every day.
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