Los Angeles, CA - The 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards - or the "Lammys," as they are affectionately known - kick off another record-breaking year with today's announcement of the finalists. They were chosen from a record 818 submissions ( up from 746 last year ) from 407 publishers ( up from 352 last year ). Submissions came from major mainstream publishers and from academic presses, from both long-established and new LGBT publishers, as well as from emerging publish-on-demand technologies. Pioneer and Trustee Award honorees, the master of ceremonies, and presenters will be announced in April. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on Monday evening, June 1, 2015 in New York City.
"Each year, the Lammys bring national attention to the best LGBTQ books, which are often overlooked by the mainstream media and might otherwise be forgotten," said Lambda Literary Board President, S. Chris Shirley. "This critical program of Lambda Literary not only recognizes the outstanding work of these talented authors, but also underscores the importance of LGBTQ stories, which are fundamental to the preservation of our culture."
Now in their twenty-seventh year, the Lambda Literary Awards celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT ) writing for books published in 2014. The awards ceremony on June 1, 2015, will be held for the third straight year at the historic Great Hall at Cooper Union ( 7 East 7th Street, New York City 10003 ). A VIP After-Party presented by Scholastic at its SOHO rooftop space will follow. For more information and to buy tickets, please visit LL's website.
More than 100 literary professionals, including booksellers, book reviewers, librarians, authors, and previous Lammy winners and finalists volunteered countless hours of reading, critical thinking, and invigorating discussion to select the finalists in 24 categories.
"On behalf of Lambda's staff and board, we congratulate this year's finalists for their outstanding achievement among a field of submissions chock-full of talent," said Lambda Literary Executive Director, Tony Valenzuela. "I'd also like to thank our deeply dedicated judges who read and deliberate the submitted books. Theirs is a tremendous contribution to our literary communities."
Tickets for the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony and after-party go on sale today. For information, visit lambdaliterary.org/awards/buy-tickets/ and join the conversation by following the hashtag #Lammys on Twitter. Early bird tickets at discounted prices are available for the entire month of March. Tickets for the ceremony only are $125. Tickets for the ceremony plus VIP after-party are $225. Prices will increase by $25 beginning April 1st.
Lambda Literary Awards Corporate Sponsors
The Lammys are annually blessed by generous corporate sponsors. The 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards Corporate Sponsors to date are: President's Circle Level: Scholastic; Benefactor Level: Random House/Ballantine Bantam Dell, Ketel One Vodka; Patron Level: American Institute of Bisexuality, Barnes & Noble, Penguin Random House; Friend Level: Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Bold Strokes Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Riptide Publishing, Samhain Publishing. For corporate sponsorship information, visit LL's website.
For general information visit Lambda Literary's website at www.lambdaliterary.org/awards/ .
2015 Lambda Literary Awards Host Committee Co-Chairs:
Jerome Murphy, Amy Scholder, John Bateman, Kevin Brannon, Jamie Brickhouse, Michael Carosone, Michael Carroll, Paul Dierkes, Dick Donahue, Michael Fauver, Paul Florez, Roman Freeser, David Gale, Antonio Gonzalez, David Groff, William Johnson, Michele Karlsberg, Elizabeth Koke, Melanie LaRosa, Joseph A. LoGuidice, Mario Lopez-Cordero, Bill Miller, Dan Manjovi, Nick Nicholson, Angelo Nikolopoulos, Julia Pastore, Lori Perkins, Charles Rice-Gonzalez, Patrick Ryan, Eddie Sarfaty, Karen Schechner, S. Chris Shirley, Rachel Simon, Bob Smith, Jason Wells
27th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists
Note: The number of finalists in a category is determined by the number of submissions in that category.
LESBIAN FICTION
- Adult Onset, Ann-Marie Macdonald, Tin House Books
- Last Words of Montmartre, Qiu Miaojin, Translated by Ari Larissa Heinrich, New York Review Books
- Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932, Francine Prose, Harper Collins/Harper
- Miracle Girls, MB Caschetta, Engine Books
- New York 1, Tel Aviv 0, Shelly Oria, FSG Originals/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- The Palace Blues, Brandy T. Wilson, Spinsters Ink
- The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters, Riverhead Books, Penguin Random House
- Yabo, Alexis De Veaux, RedBone Press
GAY FICTION
- All I Love and Know, Judith Frank, HarperCollins/William Morrow
- Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas, Hogarth
- Bitter Eden: A Novel, Tatamkhulu Afrika, Macmillan/Picador USA
- The City of Palaces, Michael Nava, University of Wisconsin Press
- I Loved You More, Tom Spanbauer, Hawthorne Books
- Little Reef and Other Stories, Michael Carroll, Terrace Books, an imprint of the University of Wisconsin Press
- Next to Nothing: Stories, Keith Banner, Lethe Press
- Souljah, John R. Gordon, Angelica Entertainments Ltd/Team Angelica Publishing
BISEXUAL FICTION
- Best Bi Short Stories: Bisexual Fiction, Sheela Lambert editor, Gressive Press, an imprint of Circlet Press
- Extraordinary Adventures of Mullah Nasruddin, Ron J. Suresha, Lethe Press
- Finder of Lost Objects, Susie Hara, Ithuriel's Spear
- Give It to Me, Ana Castillo, The Feminist Press
- She of the Mountains, Vivek Shraya, Arsenal Pulp Press
TRANSGENDER FICTION
- Everything Must Go, La JohnJoseph, ITNA PRESS
- For Today I Am a Boy, Kim Fu, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Moving Forward Sideways like a Crab, Shani Mootoo, Doubleday Canada
- Revolutionary: A Novel, Alex Myers, Simon and Schuster
- A Safe Girl To Love, Casey Plett, Topside Press
LGBT DEBUT FICTION
- Death in Venice, California, Vinton Rafe McCabe, The Permanent Press
- Kill Marguerite and Other Stories, Megan Milks, Emergency Press
- A Map of Everything, Elizabeth Earley, Jaded Ibis Press
- The Music Teacher, Bob Sennett, Lethe Press
- Nochita, Dia Felix, City Lights/Sister Spit
- Part the Hawser, Limn the Sea, Dan Lopez, Chelsea Station Editions
- Unaccompanied Minors, Alden Jones, New American Press
- The Walk-In Closet, Abdi Nazemian, Curtis Brown Unlimited
LGBT NONFICTION
- An American Queer: The Amazon Trail, Lee Lynch, Bold Strokes Books
- Hold Tight Gently: Michael Callen, Essex Hemphill, and the Battlefield of AIDS, Martin Duberman, The New Press
- The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality, Julie Sondra Decker, Skyhorse Publishing/Carrel Books
- Nevirapine and the Quest to End Pediatric AIDS, Rebecca J. Anderson, McFarland
- Robert Gober: The Heart Is Not a Metaphor, Hilton Als, Ann Temkin, Claudia Carson, Robert Gober, Paulina Pobocha, Christian Scheidemann, The Museum of Modern Art
- Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange, How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos, Robert Hofler, It Books/HarperCollins
- The Transgender Archives: Foundations for the Future, Aaron H. Devor, University of Victoria Libraries
- The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973, Clayton Delery-Edwards, McFarland
BISEXUAL NONFICTION
- Fire Shut Up In My Bones, Charles M. Blow, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Not My Father's Son, Alan Cumming, HarperCollins Publishers/Dey Street Books
- Recognize: The Voices of Bisexual Men, Editors: Robyn Ochs & H. Sharif Williams, Bisexual Resource Center
TRANSGENDER NONFICTION
- Man Alive: A True Story of Violence, Forgiveness and Becoming a Man, Thomas Page McBee, City Lights/Sister Spit
- Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More, Janet Mock, Atria Books
- Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community, Laura Erickson-Schroth, Oxford University Press
LESBIAN POETRY
- Haiti Glass, Lenelle Moise, City Lights/Sister Spit
- Janey's Arcadia, Rachel Zolf, Coach House Books
- Last Psalm at Sea Level, Meg Day, Barrow Street Press
- Like a Begger, Ellen Bass, Copper Canyon Press
- MxT, Sina Queyras, Coach House Books
- Mysterious Acts by My People, Valerie Wetlaufer, Sibling Rivalry Press
- Only Ride, Megan Volpert, Sibling Rivalry Press
- Termination Dust, Susanna Mishler, Red Hen Press/Boreal
GAY POETRY
- [insert] boy, Danez Smith, YesYes Books
- Clean, David J. Daniels, Four Way Books
- Don't Go Back To Sleep, Timothy Liu, Saturnalia Books
- ECODEVIANCE: ( Soma )tics for the Future Wilderness, CAConrad, Wave Books
- The New Testament, Jericho Brown, Copper Canyon Press
- Prelude to Bruise, Saeed Jones, Coffee House Press
- This Life Now, Michael Broder, A Midsummer Night's Press
- This Way to the Sugar, Hieu Minh Nguyen, Write Bloody Publishing
LESBIAN MYSTERY
- The Acquittal, Anne Laughlin, Bold Strokes Books
- Done to Death, Charles Atkins, Severn House Publishers
- The Old Deep and Dark-A Jane Lawless Mystery, Ellen Hart, Minotaur Books
- Slash and Burn, Valerie Bronwen, Bold Strokes Books
- UnCatholic Conduct, Stevie Mikayne, Bold Strokes Books
GAY MYSTERY
- Blackmail, My Love: A Murder Mystery, Katie Gilmartin, Cleis Press
- Boystown 6: From the Ashes, Marshall Thornton, MLR
- Calvin's Head, David Swatling, Bold Strokes Books
- DeadFall, David Lennon, BlueSpike Publishing
- Fair Game, Josh Lanyon, Carina Press
- A Gathering Storm, Jameson Currier, Chelsea Station Editions
- Moon Over Tangier, Janice Law, Open Road Media
- The Next, Rafe Haze, Wilde City Press
LESBIAN MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
- Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around: Forty Years of Movement Building with Barbara Smith, Alethia Jones and Virginia Eubanks, with Barbara Smith, SUNY Press
- Cease - a memoir of love, loss and desire, Lynette Loeppky, Oolichan Books
- Eating Fire: My Life as a Lesbian Avenger, Kelly Cogswell, The University of Minnesota Press
- The End of Eve, Ariel Gore, Hawthorne Books
- Under This Beautiful Dome: A Senator, A Journalist, and the Politics of Gay Love in America, Terry Mutchler, Seal Press
GAY MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
- Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS, and Survival, Sean Strub, Scribner
- Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance, Brent Phillips, University Press of Kentucky
- Closets, Combat and Coming Out: Coming Of Age As A Gay Man In The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Army, Rob Smith, Blue Beacon Books by Regal Crest
- Inside a Pearl: My Years in Paris, Edmund White, Bloomsbury
- Letter to Jimmy, Alain Mabanckou, translated by Sara Meli Ansari, Counterpoint/Soft Skull Press
- The Prince of Los Cocuyos, Richard Blanco, HarperCollins/Ecco
- Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh, John Lahr, W. W. Norton & Company
- Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe, Philip Gefter, W. W. Norton & Company/Liveright
LESBIAN ROMANCE
- Christmas Crush, Kate McLachlan, Regal Crest
- The Farmer's Daughter, Robbi McCoy, Bella Books
- The Heat of Angels, Lisa Girolami, Bold Strokes Books
- Jolt, Kris Bryant, Bold Strokes Books
- Nightingale, Andrea Bramhall, Bold Strokes Books
- Seneca Falls, Jesse J. Thoma, Bold Strokes Books
- Tangled Roots, Marianne K. Martin, Bywater Books
- That Certain Something, Clare Ashton, Breezy Tree Press
GAY ROMANCE
- The Companion, Lloyd A. Meeker, Dreamspinner Press
- Everything's Coming Up Roses: Four Tales of M/M Romance, Barry Lowe, Lydian Press
- Foolish Hearts: New Gay Fiction, Timothy Lambert and R.D. Cochrane, Cleis Press
- Like They Always Been Free, Georgina Li, Queer Young Cowboys
- Message of Love, Jim Provenzano, Myrmidude Press/CreateSpace
- The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus, A Novel of Truth, David Reddish, DoorQ Publishing
- Pulling Leather, L.C. Chase, Riptide Publishing
- Salvation: A Novel of the Civil War, Jeff Mann, Bear Bones Books
LESBIAN EROTICA
- All You Can Eat. A Buffet of Lesbian Erotica and Romance, Andi Marquette and R.G. Emanuelle, Ylva Publishing
- Forbidden Fruit: stories of unwise lesbian desire, Cheyenne Blue, Ladylit Publishing
- Lesbian Sex Bible, Diana Cage, Quiver Books
GAY EROTICA
- Bears of Winter, Jerry Wheeler, Bear Bones Books
- Incubus Tales, Hushicho, Circlet Press
- The King, Tiffany Reisz, MIRA Books
- Leather Spirit Stallion, Raven Kaldera, Circlet Press
- The Thief Taker, William Holden, Bold Strokes Books
LGBT ANTHOLOGY
- Black Gay Genius: Answering Joseph Beam's Call, Charles Stephens and Steven G. Fullwood, Vintage Entity Press
- A Family by Any Other Name: Exploring Queer Relationships, Bruce Gillespie, TouchWood Editions
- Outer Voices Inner Lives, Mark McNease and Stephen Dolainski ( co-editors ), MadeMark Publishing
- The Queer South: LGBTQ Writers on the American South, Douglas Ray, Editor, Sibling Rivalry Press
- Understanding and Teaching US Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History, Leila J. Rupp & Susan K. Freeman, University of Wisconsin Press
LGBT CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT
- Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Susan Kuklin, Candlewick Press
- Double Exposure, Bridget Birdsall, Sky Pony Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing
- Five, Six, Seven, Nate!, Tim Federle, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Forgive Me If I've Told You This Before, Karelia Stetz-Waters, Ooligan Press
- Lies We Tell Ourselves, Robin Talley, Harlequin Teen
- Pukawiss the Outcast, Jay Jordan Hawke, Dreamspinner Press/Harmony Ink Press
- This is Not a Love Story, Suki Fleet, Dreamspinner Press/Harmony Ink Press
- When Everything Feels like the Movies, Raziel Reid, Arsenal Pulp Press
LGBT DRAMA
- The Beast of Times, Adelina Anthony, K�"rima Press
- Bootycandy, Robert O'Hara, Samuel French
- A Kid Like Jake, Daniel Pearle, Dramatists Play Service
- The Whale, Samuel D. Hunter, Samuel French
- Wolves, Steve Yockey, Samuel French
LGBT GRAPHIC NOVELS
- 100 Crushes, Elisha Lim, Koyama Press
- Band Vs. Band Comix Volume 1, Kathleen Jacques, Paper Heart Comix
- Pregnant Butch: Nine Long Months Spent in Drag, A.K. Summers, Soft Skull, an imprint of Counterpoint
- Second Avenue Caper, Joyce Brabner; Art by Mark Zingarelli, Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Snackies, Nick Sumida, Youth in Decline
LGBT SF/F/HORROR
- Afterparty, Daryl Gregory, Tor Books
- Bitter Waters, Chaz Brenchley, Lethe Press
- Butcher's Road, Lee Thomas, Lethe Press
- Child of a Hidden Sea, A. M. Dellamonica, Tor Books
- Full Fathom Five, Max Gladstone, Tor Books
- FutureDyke, Lea Daley, Bella Books
- Skin Deep Magic, Craig Laurance Gidney, Rebel Satori Press
LGBT STUDIES
- After Love: Queer Intimacy and Erotic Economies in Post-Soviet Cuba, Noelle M. Stout, Duke University Press
- Charity & Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America, Rachel Hope Cleves, Oxford University Press
- Delectable Negro: Human Consumption and Homoeroticism within US Slave Culture, Vincent Woodard, Ed. Justin A. Joyce and Dwight McBride, New York University Press
- Queen for a Day: Transformistas, Beauty Queens, and the Performance of Femininity in Venezuela, Marcia Ochoa, Duke University Press
- The Queerness of Native American Literature, Lisa Tatonetti, The University of Minnesota Press
- Sexual Futures, Queer Gestures, and Other Latina Longings, Juana Maria Rodriguez, New York University Press
- The Sexuality of History: Modernity and the Sapphic, Susan S. Lanser, University of Chicago Press
- Under Bright Lights: Gay Manila and the Global Scene, Bobby Benedicto, University of Minnesota Press
About Lambda Literary:
Lambda Literary believes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer literature is fundamental to the preservation of our culture, and that LGBTQ lives are affirmed when our stories are written, published and read. LL's programs include: the Lambda Literary Awards, the Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, LGBTQ Writers in Schools, and our web magazine The Lambda Literary Review at www.LambdaLiterary.org . For more information call ( 323 ) 643-4281 or e-mail admin@lambdaliterary.org .
Join the conversation by following the Twitter hashtag #Lammys. Learn more at www.LambdaLiterary.org and connect with us on facebook.com/LambdaLiterary and twitter.com/LambdaLiterary.
