22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards

By Tony Adams

On Thursday, May 27, 2010, in Manhattan, the Lambda Literary Foundation recognized excellence in LGBT writing  at their 22nd annual Lambda Literary Awards. The best parts of the evening are always the socializing before the ceremony, the speeches of the Pioneer Award winners and the afterparty. Before entering the School of Visual Arts Theatre on 23rd Street, I crashed into the most spirited group in attendance, the ladies of Bold Strokes Books, an independent LGBTQ publishing house. (L to R: Collette Moody, Paula Tige, Carson Tate, Trinity Tam, Nell Starke, Radclyffe,  Polly Earnest, Lee Liggett. Hope I haven't butchered the names too badly)

Eddie Sarfaty (rare combination of handsome and hilarious) was The Master of Ceremonies. (Photo below) This year's Pioneer Award went to Larry Kramer and Kate Clinton. Larry surprised everyone by delivering a touching speech about his love of writing and appreciation of a good editor. Not a drop of vitriol. Kate said that she and Larry represent comedy and tragedy - and that it is up to us to make the correct assignments. She also stated that she and her partner are the last lesbian unmarried petless couple of 20+ years  east of the Mississippi. 

At the afterparty held at the gracious home of David McConnell and Darrell Crawford, I met a man from Seattle who is partner to an ex-Dominican monk. They both appear in fisting videos. He showed me some stills kept on his phone.

Here is a set of photos from the evening that does not include the above mentioned images. You'll see that the author of the shocking and now vintage Mad Man, Samual Delaney, is now looking like Santa Clause. He said he actually played Santa last December and we laughed about him bouncing small children on his disreputable knees. This set also contains pictures of pretty Kate and charmant Larry.

After the jump, you'll find a complete list of the winners by category. A great way to structure your summer reading list!

Winners of the 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards Lesbian Fiction A Field Guide to Deception, by Jill Malone (Bywater Books)   Gay Fiction Lake Overturn, by Vestal McIntyre (HarperCollins)   Lesbian Debut Fiction The Creamsickle, by Rhiannon Argo (Spinsters Ink)   Gay Debut Fiction Blue Boy, by Rakesh Satyal (Kensington Books)   LGBT Children's/Young Adult Sprout, by Dale Peck (Bloomsbury USA)   Lesbian Mystery Death of a Dying Man, by J.M. Redmann (Bold Strokes Books)   Gay Mystery What We Remember, by Michael Thomas Ford (Kensington Books)   Lesbian Erotica Lesbian Cowboys, edited by Sacchi Green & Rakelle Valencia (Cleis Press)   Gay Erotica Impossible Princess, by Kevin Killian (City Lights)                Bisexual Fiction - A Tie! Holy Communion, by Mykola Dementiuk (Synergy Press) Love You Two, by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli (Random House Australia)   Bisexual Nonfiction Leaving India: My Family's Journey From Five Villages to Five Continents, by Minal Hajratwala (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)   Transgender Lynnee Breedlove's One Freak Show, by Lynn Breedlove (Manic D Press)   LGBT Anthology Portland Queer: Tales of the Rose City, edited by Ariel Gore (Lit Star Press) LGBT Drama The Collected Plays Of Mart Crowley, by Mart Crowley (Alyson Books)   LGBT SF/Fantasy/Horror Palimpsest, by Catherynne M. Valente (Bantam/Spectra Books)   Lesbian Romance The Sublime and Spirited Voyage of Original Sin, by Colette Moody (Bold Strokes Books)   Gay Romance Drama Queers!, by Frank Anthony Polito (Kensington Books)   Lesbian Poetry Zero at the Bone, by Stacie Cassarino (New Issues Poetry & Prose)   Gay Poetry Sweet Core Orchard, by Benjamin S. Grossberg (University of Tampa Press)   LGBT Studies The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth Century America, by Margot Canaday (Princeton University Press)   LGBT Nonfiction The Greeks and Greek Love, by James Davidson (Random House)   Lesbian Memoir/Biography The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith, by Joan Schenkar (St. Martin's Press)   Gay Memoir/Biography Ardent Spirits: Leaving Home, Coming Back, by Reynolds Price (Scribner Books)