Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced

Thirsty for some good ol' fashioned queer literature to sink your teeth into? One reliable source for your summer reading list has to be the annual Lambda Literary Awards, now in their 24th year, celebrating achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender writing for books published in 2011. The 119 finalists for this year's Lammys (yeah, not sure if that title is really gonna stick) were announced today, with a record number of submissions-- more than 600 titles represented from about 250 publishers (see bottom of page for a full listing of this year's finalists).

"For three consecutive years we have broken the records for both book nominees and publishers, which is extremely heartening in a time of uncertainty for the publishing industry as a whole, and LGBT publishing, in particular," said LLF Board of Trustees Co-Chair, David McConnell.

Good on ya, Lambda Literarians-- who says there's no more room for the hallowed written word in today's plugged-in world? If you're in the NYC area, you can get your tickets now for the 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards Ceremony & afterparty on June 4th. And who knows-- you may end up rubbing shoulders with the next Kate Bornstein...or, you know, the actual Kate Bornstein. 

24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists 

Lesbian Debut Fiction

The Girls Club, by Sally Bellerose, Bywater Books

Megume and the Trees, by Sarah Toshiko Hasu, Megami Press

My Sister Chaos, by Lara Fergus, Spinifex Press

Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation, by Christine Stark, Modern History Press

Zipper Mouth, by Laurie Weeks, The Feminist Press at CUNY

 

Lesbian General Fiction

The Dirt Chronicles, by Kristyn Dunnion, Arsenal Pulp Press

The Necessity of Certain Behaviors, by Shannon Cain, University of Pittsburgh Press

Six Metres of Pavement, by Farzana Doctor, Dundurn Press

When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan, Algonquin Books

Wingshooters, by Nina Revoyr, Akashic Books

 

Lesbian Memoir/Biography

How to Get a Girl Pregnant, by Karleen Pendleton Jimenez, Tightrope Books

Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet, by Catherine Friend, Da Capo Press/Lifelong Books

Small Fires: Essays, by Julie Marie Wade, Sarabande

Taking My Life, by Jane Rule, Talonbooks

When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love & Revolution, by Jeanne Córdova, Spinsters Ink

 

Lesbian