Waywords Studio Full Slate

Vaster Than Empires – Le Guin


Listen Later

20 June 2025

Episode 6.02 – “Vaster Than Empires” – Le Guin

What does it mean to embrace “Other”? And how might we understand carpe diem if we truly had “world enough and time?” Le Guin shows us in her famous science fiction short story.

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Listener Survey Available!  Please let me know what you thought of Season 5, and get some free stuff, too!

  • https://forms.gle/rZEaGFhniuv78BwF7
  • Reading Ahead, Journey 6:

    • Ursula K. Le Guin: “Vaster Than Empires and More Slow”:  https://eyeofmidas.com/scifi/LeGuin_VasterThanEmpires.pdf
    • Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf
    • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

      CHAPTERS

      00:00     Pastoral Splendour

      04:29     Opening Theme
      05:03     Living Fast and Slow
      12:05     The Story: “Vaster Than Empire and More Slow”
      18:13     Le Guin and Marvell
      28:50     Veggie Minds and The Other
      40:58     Green Silences
      47:42    Closing Theme and Credits

      ===

      Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/transcript-6-02-vaster-than-empires-le-guin/

      Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8 

      ===

      Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

      Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

      Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com

      Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

      Instagram: @WaywordsStudio

      Facebook: Waywords.Studio

      YouTube: Waywords Studio

      LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio

      CREDITS:

      Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

      Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

      USING THIS WORK:

      This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

      MLA CITATION:

      Chisnell, Steve. “Vaster Than Empires – Le Guin” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 20 June 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      Waywords Studio Full SlateBy Steve Chisnell