Lambda Literary, an organisation advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) literature, has announced the winners of the 29th Annual Lambda Literary Awards at a ceremony at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
The Johannesburg Review of Books is proud to announce that a member of our Editorial Advisory Panel, Rabih Alameddine, won the Gay Fiction Award for his novel The Angel of History.
Lebanese-American writer and artist Alameddine is one of the Middle East’s most celebrated voices. His latest novel is set over the course of one night in the waiting room of a psychiatric clinic in San Francisco, following the story of Yemeni-born poet Jacob as he revisits the haunting events of his life, and struggles with the memories of lovers and friends who died during the height of the Aids epidemic in the 1980s.
Other Lambda Literary Award winners included Jacqueline Woodson and Jeanette Winterson, who were honoured with lifetime achievement awards, and Nicole Dennis-Benn, who won the Lesbian Fiction Award for her debut novel Here Comes the Sun.
‘In a year of great political turmoil, the Lammys were a reminder that our LGBTQ writing community remains at the forefront of resistance to attacks on our communities,’ Lambda Literary Executive Director Tony Valenzuela said. ‘Congratulations to all the winners and honorees. You inspire us.’
29th Annual Lambda Literary Award Winners
Lesbian Fiction
- Here Comes the Sun, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Liveright Publishing Corporation
Gay Fiction
- The Angel of History, Rabih Alameddine, Atlantic Monthly Press
Bisexual Fiction
- Marrow Island, Alexis M. Smith, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Bisexual Nonfiction
- Black Dove: Mama, Mi’jo, and Me, Ana Castillo, The Feminist Press
Bisexual Poetry
- Mouth to Mouth, Abigail Child, EOAGH
Transgender Fiction
- Small Beauty, jia qing wilson-yang, Metonymy Press
LGBT Nonfiction
- How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS, David France, Knopf
Transgender Nonfiction
- Life Beyond My Body: A Transgender Journey to Manhood in China, Lei Ming and Lura Frazey, Transgress Press
Lesbian Poetry (TIE)
- play dead, francine j. harris, Alice James Books
- The Complete Works of Pat Parker, edited by Julie R. Enszer, Sinister Wisdom/A Midsummer Night’s Press
Gay Poetry
- Thief in the Interior, Phillip B. Williams, Alice James Books
Transgender Poetry
- Reacquainted with Life, KOKUMO, Topside Press
Lesbian Mystery
- Pathogen, Jessica L. Webb, Bold Strokes Books
Gay Mystery
- Speakers of the Dead: A Walt Whitman Mystery, J. Aaron Sanders, Plume
Lesbian Memoir/Biography
- The Wind is Spirit: The Life, Love and Legacy of Audre Lorde, Dr. Gloria Joseph, Villarosa Media
Gay Memoir/Biography
- When We Rise, Cleve Jones, Hachette Books
Lesbian Romance
- The Scorpion’s Empress, Yoshiyuki Ly, Solstice Publishing
Gay Romance
- Into the Blue, Pene Henson, Interlude Press
LGBT Erotica
- Soul to Keep, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Bold Strokes Books
LGBT Anthology
- The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Health Care, Zena Sharman, Arsenal Pulp Press
LGBT Children’s/Young Adult
- Girl Mans Up, M.E. Girard, Harper Teen
LGBT Drama
- Barbecue/Bootycandy, Robert O’Hara, Theatre Communications Group
LGBT Graphic Novels
- Wuvable Oaf: Blood & Metal, Ed Luce, Wuvable Oaf: Blood & Metal, Fantagraphics Books
LGBT SF/F/Horror
- The Devourers, Indra Das, Del Rey
LGBT Studies
- Sex Museums: The Politics and Performance of Display, Jennifer Tyburczy, University of Chicago Press
