Fans of author Ursula K. Le Guin can send their snail mail in true sci-fi style with new US postage stamps honoring her impressive literary legacy.
The United States Postal Service revealed Friday that the 33rd stamp in its Literary Arts series honors Le Guin, who increased critical and popular appreciation of sci-fi and fantasy books. She died in 2018. The collectible stamp features a portrait of Le Guin by artist Donato Giancola that’s based on a 2006 photograph. The background shows a scene from her 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness. In it, an envoy from Earth named Genly Ai escapes from a prison camp on the snowy planet of Gethen with a disgraced Gethenian politician.
Le Guin had a 60 year career and won 6 Nebula Awards, 8 Hugos, and the National Book Award. She is the only science fiction and fantasy author in the series.
The stamp will be officially released later this year, with the words “three ounce” on it to indicate its usage value. As with Forever stamps, this one will always be valid for the value printed on it.
In 2013 the US Post Office had commissioned stamps to commemorate 5 leading authors: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein and Frank Herbert. However, the plan was postponed because of concerns they were not sufficiently representative of the field.
Kyrgyzstan also released a Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, in 2017. Clarke lived in Sri Lanka much of his life.
In 2012 the US postal service released an Edgar Rice Burroughs stamp
72 years ago Edgar Allen Poe was honored.
Maybe it’s time to release more US science fiction and fantasy author stamps ?
Additionally, the Postal Service commemorates sun science (and tap dance and issues a new 2021 postcard featuring an illustration of a mallard drake.)
Sun Science
These 10 new stamps in a pane of 20 highlight stunning images of the sun that celebrate the science behind the ongoing exploration of our nearest star. The striking colors do not represent the actual colors of the sun as perceived by human eyesight. Instead, each image is colorized by NASA according to different wavelengths that reveal or highlight specific features of the sun’s activity. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps with digital images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, a spacecraft launched in February 2010 to keep constant watch on the sun from geosynchronous orbit over the craft’s ground station in New Mexico.
The USPS has many series of science and space themed stamps, from the Apollo missions to a T. Rex stamp.
This collectors site has a large collection of scifi themed stamps from around the world.
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David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel.
He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center Award. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail).
His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.
