Ursula Le Guin, grand dame of speculative fiction, and resident of Portland, died yesterday at 88, reports the New York Times.

We'll have more to say about Le Guin soon, who was immensely influential in both her writing, and her steadfast approach to the value of books beyond commercialism.

In her 2014 acceptance of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, she said:

Books aren’t just commodities; the profit motive is often in conflict with the aims of art. We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable – but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words.

Our sympathies to her family, and to her many friends and fans.