A Larger Reality with Theo Downes-Le Guin

To mark the conclusion of The Word For World exhibition in the AA Gallery, Theo Downes-Le Guin will reflect on the life and work of Ursula K Le Guin.

Theo will discuss Ursula’s family life in the Napa Valley and consider how the landscape influenced her upbringing, sense of place and her interest in map-making. He will touch upon the A Larger Reality exhibition, currently on display at Oregon Contemporary, which presents a biographical and poetical portrait of Le Guin, examining important moments and themes in her life and oeuvre. He will also discuss the maps and original sketches on show in the AA's The Word for World exhibition and consider how the parallels and differing focuses of the two exhibitions allow us to engage with the acclaimed author and her ideas.

Theo will be joined in conversation with Sarah Shin and So Mayer, editors of The Word For World: The Maps of Ursula K Le Guin, which will be available to purchase at the event.

Theo Downes-Le Guin is President of the Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation, which continues Le Guin’s legacy of supporting writers and readers of fiction and poetry through programmes such as an annual book prize. Downes-Le Guin also consults on adaptations of his mother’s work. From 2013 to 2020, Downes-Le Guin directed a contemporary art gallery, curating more than 80 exhibitions; he continues to curate independently. Previously he worked in public policy and technology market research. Downes-Le Guin holds degrees in art history and applied social research methods.

So Mayer is a writer, editor, bookseller and organiser. With Sarah Shin, they co-edited Ursula K Le Guin, Space Crone (Silver Press, 2023), winner of the 2024 Locus Award for Non-Fiction. They are the author of two works of creative non-fiction, Bad Language (Peninsula, 2025) and A Nazi Word for a Nazi Thing (Peninsula, 2020); a Republic of Consciousness-longlisted collection of speculative (non)-fiction, Truth & Dare (Cipher, 2023); and poetry projects including The God Files: Yentling (2024) with Sarah Crewe, raising funds for #Valentines-4Palestine. They are the editor of catflap #5 for Outburst Arts, and of Culture Club, the webzine of queer feminist film curation collective Club Des Femmes.

Sarah Shin explores dreams, myth, cosmic speculation and transformation through writing, research, publishing, curation and creation. Her current collaborations include: with Irene Revell, the Bodies of Sound book and curatorial project (Silver Press, 2024); with Sammy Lee, Mirror, a video game that journeys through a mythical world of correspondences; and Concrete Poetry with Mark Lowe. She is a founder of Silver Press, the feminist publisher, and Spiral House, a new imprint for art, poetry and ways of knowing; Ignota, the creative publishing and curatorial house that closed in 2024; New Suns literary festival at the Barbican Centre; and Standard Deviation.

Please get in touch to let us know of any access requirements that you might have and how we can best accommodate these. If you are unable to attend physically but would like to participate in the event remotely please email publicprogramme@aaschool.ac.uk