She is also pretty much a fixture within the science fiction community, actively involved in keeping the work alive for the next generation. She is no hermit, that's for sure, hosts the Locus awards, appears at conventions, edits collections, publishes new work, runs the gamut.

The only thing that might account for your experiences may be that she was a female writer in the genre who arrived before the explosion of female writers hit the marketplace after her. Sometimes, those who pave the way for others do not get due credit.