Ursula Le Guin

It always makes me happy when science fiction authors acknowledge Classics, such as Ursula Le Guin does in her acceptance speech for the Maxine Cushing Gray award. I've always looked upon science fiction (loosely broadening this definition to include comic book superheroes also) as modern mythology, and thus I find the two heavily intertwined. It's nice when other people acknowledge that (directly or indirectly, as the case may be).

And if there's any doubt, we always have Lucian's Vera Historia. That piece never ceases to astound me. I need to reread it some day.