The best LGBT authors are celebrated one night a year at the Lamda awards.
Since 1989, the Lambda Literary Awards (known as the “Lammys”) have been presented to the finest books published in the United States that celebrate or explore LGBT themes. These awards honor exceptional writing across multiple genres.
The books are categorized both by genre, and by “identification” (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender). Controversially, there is only one category broadly labeled “Transgender,” and only two labeled “Bisexual” (fiction and non-fiction). The “Bisexual” category was not added until 2006, after a multi-year struggle led by the American Institute of Bisexuality, BiNet USA and other bisexual rights activists.
Despite controversy, the award celebrates authors in a field that is often still marginalized on LGBT Bookshelves, and is considered the most prestigious award in the category of LGBT books.
The nominees this year include National Book Award winner Marilyn Hacker, for her book Names which has been nominated in the category of Lesbian Poetry, as well as Edmund White for City Boy: My Life in New York During the 1960s and ’70s in Gay Memoir/Biography, and Ariel Schrag in Lesbian Memoir/Biography for Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag.
The Publishing Triangle, an association of gay men and women in publishing, named award winners last week for LGBT fiction, poetry and non-fiction, a number of whom are nominees for the Lamda awards including Lori Ostlund for The Bigness of the World, nominated in Lesbian Debut Fiction, Stacie Cassarino for Zero At The Bone nominated in Lesbian Poetry, and James Davidson for The Greeks and Greek Love, nominated in LGBT Nonfiction. Also, among the nominated are Kate Moira Ryan and Linda S. Chapman for their dramatic adaptation of the lesbian pulp series The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, which had a successful run off-Broadway in New York City last year.
The 113 finalists in 23 categories were selected from 462 book published in 2009. The selection panel is comprised of writers, booksellers, librarians, and journalists.
The award winners will be announced on May 27 at the School of Visual Arts Theater in New York City.