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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 2011

 

Press Contact: Tony Valenzuela (323) 376-6801, info@lambdaliterary.org

  

Three-time Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright Edward Albee &

Award-Winning Crime Writer Val McDermid to be Honored at

23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards

 

Comedienne Lea DeLaria to Host Stellar Line up of Presenters

 

Los Angeles, CA -- Three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Edward Albee and Gold Dagger Award-winning crime fiction writer Val McDermid will be special honorees at the 23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards ceremony to be hosted by comedienne Lea DeLaria on Thursday, May 26 in New York City at the School of Visual Arts Theater. Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally will introduce Albee, and pioneering lesbian mystery writer Katherine V. Forrest will introduce McDermid.  

 

Historically one of the most glamorous LGBT literary events in the country, this ceremony brings together over 400 attendees, sponsors, and celebrities to celebrate excellence in LGBT literature.

 

"At this year's ceremony, the Foundation has the incredible honor of bestowing its Pioneer Awards on the greatest living playwright of our time, Edward Albee, and on one of our great crime writers, Val McDermid, who will be coming to New York all the way from her home in the U.K.," says LLF Executive Director, Tony Valenzuela.  "Lambda's Pioneer Awards are important because they pay tribute to those who, through their considerable achievements and passionate commitment, have contributed to our literary community in significant and tangible ways."

 

The Lambda Awards glamour quotient will reach a new high with this year's stellar roster of presenters who represent a diverse cross section from the worlds of film, television, theatre, politics, religion, sex, and of course literature. Gracing the stage will be film and television actress Stefanie Powers, former New Jersey Governor and Episcopal priest in training Jim McGreevey, comedienne Kate Clinton, transgender photographer Amos Mac, feminist porn actress and director Tristan Taormino, former speech writer for Billy Graham Mel White, Mr. Gay USA Eddie Rabon, and female beauty queen Claire Buffie, Miss New York. (See below for the complete list of presenters and award finalists.)

 

Immediately following the awards ceremony will be a VIP after-party at Chelsea's Cheim & Read, the legendary art gallery that has exhibited Robert Mapplethorpe, Don Barchardy, and Diane Arbus. Louise Burgeois: The Fabric Works will currently be on exhibit. The performance troop Unitard (Mike Alboof the Underminer, Nora Burns, of the Nellie Olesons, and David Ilku, of the Dueling Bankheads) will provide their twisted and sardonic brand of entertainment.

 

"Everyone's talking about Terrence McNally presenting a Pioneer Award to Edward Albee, but wait until they see Stefanie Powers present Best Gay Fiction wearing Alexander McQueen," says Chris Shirley, New York City Host Committee Co-Chair.   "Our host, Lea DeLaria is a riot, and where else can you see Miss New York and Mr. Gay USA walk the red carpet then appear on the same stage? For the safety of our audience members, we may install seatbelts."

 

"R�KK Vodka is thrilled to partner with the Lambda Literary Awards this year, working alongside such a prestigious organization that shares R�KK Vodka's passion for creativity and inclusivity," says Adam Rosen, Brand Director, R�KK Vodka. "We congratulate all the nominees and cannot wait to share a responsible celebratory toast with some of the world's leading LGBT literary minds."

 

Alex S�nchez, Mexican-American author of award-winning novels for teens and adults, and

Susan Stinson, winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award in Fiction, will receive the Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prizes, and the University of Wisconsin Press will receive a special Publisher's Service Award.

 

Ceremony Sponsors:

Sponsors of the event include: R�KK Vodka, Harper Perennial (all at Benefactor level); Kensington Publishing (Patron level); Northwest Press (Mentor level); Cleis Press, Blind Eye Books, Arsenal Pulp Press, Seal Press, Bywater Books, The American Institute of Bisexuality, Rainbow Book Fair (all at Friend level); and FLUX Books (Gift Bag level).

 

Event and Ticket Information:

The 23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards ceremony will be held Thursday, May 26, 2011 at the School of Visual Arts Theater in New York City (333 W. 23rd St), followed by a private after-party at Cheim & Read art gallery. Tickets for the Lambda Literary Award ceremony and After-Party can be purchased via www.lambdaliterary.org/awards.

 

LGBT Anthologies: Presented by Justin Torres & Rhiannon Argo

Best Lesbian Romance, edited by Radclyffe, Cleis Press

Gay Shame, edited by David M. Halperin & Valerie Traub University of Chicago Press

Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, edited by Kate Bornstein & S. Bear Bergman, Seal Press

Kicked Out, edited by Sassafras Lowrey, Homofactus Press

War Diaries, edited by Tisa Bryant & Ernest Hardy, AIDS Project Los Angeles and the Global Forum on MSM & HIV

 

LGBT Children's/Young Adult: Presented byAndrew Tobias

Christian, the Hugging Lion, by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell, illustrated by Amy June Bates, Simon & Schuster

God Loves Hair, by Vivek Shraya, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld, Vivek Shraya

Jumpstart the World, by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Random House Children's Books

Love Drugged, by James Klise, Flux Books

Wildthorn, by Jane Eagland, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

 

LGBT Drama: Presented by Michael J. Burg

The Brother/Sister Plays, by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Theatre Communications Group

Lydia, by Octavio Solis, Samuel French, Inc

Oedipus at Palm Springs: A Five Lesbian Brothers Play, by Maureen Angelos, Dominique Dibbell, Peg Healey, & Lisa Kron Samuel French, Inc

Slipping, by Daniel Talbott, Dramatists Play Service

With Bated Breath, by Bryden MacDonald, Talonbooks

 

LGBT Nonfiction: Presented by Kevin Sessums

Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community, by Noach Dzmura, North Atlantic Books

Ex-Gay No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse, by Jallen Rix, Findhorn Press

Inseparable, by Emma Donoghue, Alfred A. Knopf

King Kong Theory, by Virginia Despentes, The Feminist Press

The Right To Be Out: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in America's Public Schools, by Stuart Biegel, University of Minnesota Press

 

LGBT SF/Fantasy/Horror: Presented by Samuel R. Delany

Diana Comet and Other Improbable Stories, by Sandra MacDonald, Lethe Press

Disturbed By Her Song, by Tanith Lee, Lethe Press

Flowers of Edo: A Ghost Story, by Nene Adams, Black Car Publishing

Wilde Stories 2010: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction, edited by Steve Berman, Lethe Press

Wolfsbane Winter, by Jane Fletcher, Bold Strokes Books

 

LGBT Studies: Presented by Jack Halberstam

Another Country: Queer Anti-Urbanism, by Scott Herring, New York University Press

Assuming a Body: Transgender and Rhetorics of Materiality, by Gayle Salamon, Columbia University Press

Backward Glances: Contemporary Chinese Cultures and the Female Homoerotic Imaginary, by Fran Martin, Duke University Press

Citizen Invert Queer: Lesbianism and War in Early Twentieth-Century Britain, by Deborah Cohler, University of Minnesota Press

Queering the Public Sphere in Mexico and Brazil: Sexual Rights Movements in Emerging Democracies, by Rafael de la Dehesa, Duke University Press

 

Bisexual Fiction: Presented by Tristan Taormino

Fall Asleep Forgetting, by Georgeann Packard, The Permanent Press

If You Follow Me, by Malena Watrous, Harper Perennial

Krakow Melt, by Daniel Allen Cox, Arsenal Pulp Press

The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet, by Myrlin A. Hermes, Harper Perennial

Pride/Prejudice, by Ann Herendeen, Harper Paperback

 

Bisexual Nonfiction: Presented by Tristan Taormino

Border Sexualities, Border Families in Schools, by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli, Rowman & Littlefield

Dear John, I Love Jane: Women Write about Leaving Men for Women,edited by Candace Walsh & Laura Andre, Seal Press

Just Kids, by Patti Smith, Ecco Press

Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead, by Paula Byrne, HarperCollins/It Books

Sal Mineo, by Michael Gregg Michaud, Crown Archetype

 

Transgender Fiction: Presented by Amos Mac

Holding Still For as Long as Possible,by Zoe Whittall, House of Anansi Press

Glamazonia: The Uncanny Super Tranny,by Justin Hall with Diego Gomez, Fred Noland & Jon Macy, Northwest Press

Jumpstart the World, byCatherine Ryan Hyde, Random House Children's Books

 

Transgender Nonfiction: Presented by Amos Mac

Assume Nothing, by Rebecca Swan, Soft Skull Press

Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community, by Noach Dzmura, North Atlantic Books

The Color of Sunlight, by Michelle Alexander, CreateSpace

Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, edited by Kate Bornstein and S. Bear Bergman, Seal Press

Just One of the Guys? Transgender Men and the Persistence of Inequality, by Kristin Schilt, University of Chicago Press

 

Lesbian Debut Fiction: Presented by Terry DeCrescenzo

Alcestis, by Katharine Beutner, Soho Press

Fall Asleep Forgetting, by Georgeann Packard, The Permanent Press

One More Stop, by Lois Walden, Arcadia Books

The More I Owe You, by Michael Sledge, Counterpoint Press

Sub Rosa, by Amber Dawn, Arsenal Pulp Press

 

Gay Debut Fiction: Presented by Terry DeCrescenzo

Bob the Book, by David Pratt, Chelsea Station Editions

The Palisades, by Tom Schabarum, Cascadia Publishing

Passes Through, by Rob Stephenson, University of Alabama Press/FC2

Probation, by Tom Mendicino, Kensington Books

XOXO Hayden, by Chris Corkum, P.D. Publishing

 

Lesbian Erotica: Presented by Staceyann Chin

Best Lesbian Erotica 2011, edited by Kathleen Warnock & selected by Lea DeLaria, Cleis Press

Sometimes She Lets Me: Best Femme/Butch Erotica, edited by Tristan Taormino, Cleis Press

This is How We Do It: A Raw Mix of Lesbian Erotica, by D. Alexandria, RedThorn Art

 

Gay Erotica: Presented by Eddie Rabbon, Mr. Gay USA

Best of the Best Gay Erotica 3, edited by Richard Labonte, Cleis Press

Tented: Gay Erotic Tales from Under the Big Top, edited by Jerry Wheeler, Lethe Press

Teleny and Camille, by Jon Macy, Northwest Press

A Twist of Grimm: Erotic Fairy Tales for Gay Men, by William Holden, Lethe Press

Vancouver Nights, by Hank Edwards, Lethe Press

 

Lesbian Fiction: Presented by Emma Donoghue

Big Bang Symphony, by Lucy Jane Bledsoe, University of Wisconsin Press

Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle, by Zelda Lockhart, LaVenson Press

Holding Still For as Long as Possible, by Zoe Whittall, House of Anansi Press

Homeschooling, by Carol Guess, PS Press

Inferno (A Poet's Novel), by Eileen Myles, OR Books

 

Gay Fiction: Presented by Stefanie Powers

By Nightfall, by Michael Cunningham, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Children of the Sun, by Max Schaefer, Soft Skull Press

Consolation, by Jonathan Strong, Pressed Wafer

The Silver Hearted, by David McConnell, Alyson Books

Union Atlantic, by Adam Haslett, Doubleday          

 

Lesbian Memoir/Biography: Presented by Kate Clinton

Blood Strangers: A Memoir, by Katherine A. Bricetti, Heyday

Hammer! Making Movies Out of Sex and Life, by Barbara Hammer, The Feminist Press

Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer, by Chely Wright, Pantheon Books

She Looks Just Like You: A Memoir of (Nonbiological Lesbian) Motherhood, by Amie Klempnauer Miller, Beacon Press

Wishbone: A Memoir in Fractures, by Julie Marie Wade, Colgate University Press

 

Gay Memoir/Biography: Presented by Jim McGreevey

Beyond Normal: The Birth of Gay Pride, by Gale Chester Whittington, BookLocker.com

Grant Wood: A Life, by R. Tripp Evans, Alfred A. Knopf

Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist and Sexual Renegade, by Justin Spring, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham, by Selina Hastings, Random House

She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother, by Bryan Batt, Harmony Books

 

Lesbian Mystery: Presented by Irene Monroe

The Cruel Ever After, by Ellen Hart, Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press

Fever of the Bone, by Val McDermid, HarperCollins

Missing Lynx, by Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou, Bold Strokes Books

Parallel Lies, by Stella Duffy, Bywater Books

Watermark, by J.M. Redmann, Bold Strokes Books

 

Gay Mystery: Presented by David Mixner

Cockeyed, by Richard Stevenson, MLR Press

Echoes, by David Lennon, Blue Spike Publishing

Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, by I.E. Woodward, iUniverse

Smoke, by Garry Ryan, NeWest Press

Vieux Carre Voodoo, by Greg Herren, Bold Strokes Books

 

Lesbian Poetry: Presented by Eileen Miles

The Inquisition Yours, by Jen Currin, Coach House Books

Money for Sunsets, by Elizabeth J. Colen, Steel Toe Books

The Nights Also, by Anna Swanson, Tightrope Books

The Sensual World Re-Emerges, by Eleanor Lerman, Sarabande Books

White Shirt, by Laurie MacFayden, Frontenac House

 

Gay Poetry: Presented by Tom Healy

darkacre, by Greg Hewett, Coffee House Press

Other Flowers: Uncollected Poems, by James Schuyler, Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Pleasure, by Brian Teare, Ahsahta Press

The Salt Ecstasies: Poems, by James L. White, The Graywolf Poetry Re/View Series

then, we were still living, by Michael Klein, GenPop Books

 

Lesbian Romance: Presented by Claire Buffie, Miss New York

Above Temptation, by Karin Kallmaker, Bella Books

Awakening to Sunlight, by Lindsey Stone, Bold Strokes Books

Beacon of Love, by Ann Roberts, Bella Books

River Walker, by Cate Culpepper, Bold Strokes Books

Starting from Scratch, by Georgia Beers, Brisk Press

 

Gay Romance: Presented by Mel White

Normal Miguel, by Erik Orrantia, Cheyenne Press

Three Wrong Turns in the Desert, by Neil Plakcy, Loose ID

The Road Home, by Michael Thomas Ford, Kensington Books

 

23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards Committee Members

 

Honorary Host Committee

Ann Bannon

Don Bachardy

Bill Clegg

Kate Clinton

Mart Crowley

Michael Cunningham

Stacey D'Erasmo

Jim McGreevey

David Mixner

Ann Patchett

Stefanie Powers

Andrew Tobias

Edmund White

 

New York Host Committee

David McConnell - Co-Chair

Don Weise - Co-Chair

S. Chris Shirley - Co-Chair

Jamie Brickhouse

J. Brooks

Benoit Denizet-Lewis

Dick Donahue

Jessica Falvo

David Gale

Charles Rice-Gonzalez

Nicholas Nicholson

Heather Aimee O'Neill

Julia Pastore

Lori Perkins

Patrick Ryan

Rakesh Satyal

Liz Scheier

Bob Smith

Jerl Surratt

Linda Villarosa

Paul Whitlatch

 

About the Lambda Literary Foundation: The Foundation nurtures, celebrates, and preserves LGBT literature through programs that honor excellence, promote visibility and encourage development of emerging writers. LLF's programs include the Lambda Literary Awards, the Writers' Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices, and our web magazine at www.lambdaliterary.org.

 

For information:

Tony Valenzuela

Lambda Literary Foundation

5482 Wilshire Blvd, #1595

Los Angeles, CA 90036

phone/fax 213-568-3570 . cell 323-376-6801

info@lambdaliterary.org

www.lambdaliterary.org

Richard Labont�

Lambda Literary Awards Administrator

richardlabonte@lambdaliterary.org

 

 

 

 

 

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