At Helen's insistence, I reread this wonderful collection of essays by the master. Her essay about the vast majority of writing awards going to men is infuriating; the title essay about the wave of creativity is extremely valuable. ( )

A collection of essays, mostly brief, on a wide variety of subjects, mostly those we've come to associate with LeGuin: writing, reading, women, aging. Some deeper looks into the importance of rhythm in writing are fascinating, as are her thoughts on trusting your material, interacting with the reader, and liposuction. The topics are more scattered than in The Language of the Night, and not as specific to the fantasy genre, reflecting LeGuin's interest in a wider range of ideas. ( )