The 28th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, honoring the best LGBTQ books of 2015, were handed out last night in 25 categories at a ceremony at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. The organization received a record-breaking 933 submissions from 321 publishers.
On hand for the awards were host Kate Clinton, Style Rookie editor Tavi Gevinson, Hilton Als, Natalie Diaz, and Eileen Myles, who received Lambda's Pioneer Award. Richard Blanco, Kate Bornstein, Natalie Diaz, Tim Federle, Silas Howard, Paul Rudnick, Ira Sachs, Rakesh Satyal and Pamela Sneed also presented.
Three of this year's nominees were featured as part of our TowleREAD series which gives Towleroad readers audio preview of great new LGBT books. Recap some of this year's best and take a listen as Brad Gooch reads from his memoir Smash Cut, Christoper Bollen reads from his novel Orient (which Towleroad's book critic Garth Greenwell raved about), and James Sie reads from his book Still Life Las Vegas.
And check out the winners (with RED asterisks) and nominees of this year's Lammy's, as they're known, below.
Lesbian Fiction
- Apocalypse Baby, Virginie Despentes, The Feminist Press
- Blue Talk and Love, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Riverdale Avenue Books
- The Cherokee Rose, Tiya Miles, John F. Blair
- The First Bad Man, Miranda July, Scribner
- Jam on the Vine: A Novel, LaShonda Katrice Barnett, Grove Press
- Like a Woman, Debra Busman, Dzanc Books
- Thérèse and Isabelle, Violette Leduc, The Feminist Press
- Under the Udala Trees, Chinelo Okparanta, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ***
Gay Fiction
- Breathing Lessons, Andy Sinclair, Véhicule Press
- The Early Stories of Truman Capote, Truman Capote, Random House
- God in Pink, Hasan Namir, Arsenal Pulp Press ***
- Immaculate Blue, Paul Russell, Cleis Press
- JD: A Novel, Mark Merlis, Terrace Books
- A Poet of the Invisible World, Michael Golding, Macmillan/Picador
- The Rise and Fall of the Yellow House, John Whittier Treat, Big Table Publishing Company
- Still Life, Las Vegas, James Sie, St. Martin's Press
Bisexual Literature (Fiction & Nonfiction)
- Irrepressible:The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham, Emily Bingham, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, Anna North, Penguin Random House/Blue Rider Press ***
- The Gap of Time, Jeanette Winterson, Hogarth
- Eat My Heart Out, Zoe Pilger, The Feminist Press
- My Riastrad, Kevin Hogan, Antrim House
Transgender Fiction
- Defiant, Michael Scott Monje, Jr., Autonomous Press
- Lost Boi, Sassafras Lowry, Arsenal Pulp Press
- Tiny Pieces of Skull, or a Lesson in Manners, Roz Kaveny, Team Anjelica Publishing ***
LGBT Debut Fiction
- The Brink, Austin Bunn, Harper Perennial
- Do U., Mark S. Luckie, Amazon/CreateSpace
- His Steadfast Love and Other Stories, Paul Brownsey, Lethe Press
- Hotel Living, Ioannis Pappos, Harper Perennial
- Life is Wonderful, People are Terrific, Meliza Bañales, Ladybox Books
- A Love Like Blood, Victor Yates, Hillmont Press ***
- Lovesick, James Driggers, Kensington Publishing
- Lum: A Novel, Libby Ware, She Writes Press
LGBT Nonfiction
- Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics, Kay Whitlock and Michael Bronski, Beacon Press
- Fading Scars: My Queer Disability History, Corbett Joan O'Toole, Autonomous Press
- Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science, Alice Dreger, Penguin Press
- The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle, Lillian Faderman, Simon & Schuster
- Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship, Joshua Gamson, NYU Press
- Namibia's Rainbow Project, Robert Lorway, Indiana University Press
- “No One Helped”: Kitty Genovese, New York City, and the Myth of Urban Apathy, Marcia M. Gallo, Cornell University Press ***
- What Color Is Your Hoodie? Essays on Black Gay Identity, Jarrett Neal, Chelsea Station Editions
Transgender Nonfiction
- Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family, Amy Ellis Nutt, Random House
- Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency, Willy Wilkinson, Hapa Papa Press ***
- Hiding in Plain Sight, Zane Thimmesch-Gill, Avenue Books
Lesbian Poetry
- The Devastation, Melissa Buzzeo, Nightboat Books
- Everybody's Bread, Claudia Rodriguez, Korima Press
- Experience in the Medium of Destruction, Sara Jane Stoner, Portable Press@Yo-Yo Labs
- Girls Like You, Margot Douaihy, Clemson University Press
- Life in a Box is a Pretty Life, Dawn Lundy Martin, Nightboat Press ***
- Pelvis with Distance, Jessica Jacobs, White Pine Press
- Say/Mirror: Poems and Histories, JP Howard, The Operating System
- Shorthand and Electric Language Stars, Stephanie Gray, Portable Press@Yo-Yo Labs
Gay Poetry
- Angel Park, Roberto F. Santiago, Lethe Press/Tincture
- Boy with Thorn, Rickey Laurentiis, University of Pittsburgh Press
- Canto Hondo/Deep Song, Francisco X. Alarcón, University of Arizona Press
- Crevasse, Nicholas Wong, Kaya Press ***
- Otter, Ben Ladouceur, Coach House Books
- Reconnaissance, Carl Phillips, Farrar, Straus and Giroux ***
- Steep Tea, Jee Leong Koh, Carcanet
- Teaching a Man to Unstick His Tail, Ralph Hamilton, Sibling Rivalry Press
Transgender Poetry
- Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul, Ryka Aoki, Biyuti Publishing
- Impersonation, Joy Ladin, The Sheep Meadow Press
- succubus in my pocket, kari edwards, EOAGH Books ***
Lesbian Mystery
- The Grave Soul, Ellen Hart, Minotaur Books
- Illicit Artifacts, Stevie Mikayne, Bold Strokes Books
- Ordinary Mayhem, Victoria Brownworth, Bold Stroke Books ***
- No Good Reason, Cari Hunger, Bold Strokes Books
- The Red Files, Lee Winter, Ylva Publishing
- Relatively Rainey, R.E. Bradshaw, R.E. Bradshaw Books
- Tarnished Gold, Ann Aptaker, Bold Strokes Books ***
- The Tattered Heiress: Volume Two of the Charlotte Olmes Mystery Series, Debra Hyde, Riverdale Avenue Books
Gay Mystery
- After the Horses, Jeffrey Round, Dundurn
- The Boys from Eighth and Carpenter, Tom Mendicino, Kensington Publishing
- Boystown 7: Bloodlines, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books ***
- Cheap as Beasts, Jonathon Wilson, Bold Strokes Books
- Introducing Sunfish & Starfish: Tropical Drag Queen Detectives, Wallace Godfrey, Strand Hill Books
- Murder and Mayhem, Rhys Ford, Dreamspinner Press
- Orient, Christopher Bollen, Harper
- The Swede, Robert Karjel, Harper
Lesbian Memoir/Biography
- Cooking as Fast as I Can: A Chef's Story of Family, Food, and Forgiveness, Cat Cora, Scribner
- Dirty River, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Arsenal Pulp Press
- Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, Carrie Brownstein, Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House
- Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear, Kate Carroll de Gutes, Ovenbird Books ***
- You're Not Edith, Allison Gruber, George Braziller
Gay Memoir/Biography
- Chasing Lost Time: C.K. Scott Moncrieff: Soldier, Spy, and Translator, Jean Findlay, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Exiled for Love: The Journey of an Iranian Queer Activist, Arsham Parsi and Marc Colbourne, Roseway Publishing
- The House in St. John's Wood, Matthew Spender, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- James Merrill: Life and Art, Langdon Hammer, Alfred A. Knopf ***
- My Avant-Garde Education: A Memoir, Bernard Cooper, W.W. Norton & Company
- My Body Is Yours, Michael V. Smith, Arsenal Pulp Press
- Smash Cut, Brad Gooch, Harper
- Until My Heart Stops, Jameson Currier, Chelsea Station Editions
Lesbian Romance
- Autumn Spring, Shelley Thrasher, Bold Strokes Books
- The Chameleon's Tale, Andrea Bramhall, Bold Strokes Books
- Full Circle, Dillon Watson, Bella Books
- Heart of the Game, Rachel Spangler, Bold Strokes Books
- Infiltration, Jackie D, Bold Strokes Books
- Making A Comeback, Julie Blair, Bold Strokes Books ***
- My Best Friend's Girl, Blythe H. Warren, Bella Books
- The Renegade, Amy Dunne, Bold Strokes Books
Gay Romance
- Blueberry Boys, Vanessa North, Riptide Publishing
- Brothers, Ralph Josiah Bardsley, Bold Strokes Books
- For Real, Alexis Hall, Riptide Publishing
- General Misconduct, L.A. Witt, Samhain Publishing
- Misfits, Garrett Leigh, Riptide Publishing
- Something Like Stories, Volume One, Jay Bell, Jay Bell Books
- When Skies Have Fallen, Debbie McGowan, Beaten Track ***
- Yes, Brad Boney, Dreamspinner Press
Lesbian Erotica
- Desire Behind Bars: Lesbian Prison Erotica, Salome Wilde and Talon Rihai (editors), Hillside Press
- The Muse, Meghan O'Brien, Bold Strokes Books ***
- Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, Sinclair Sexsmith, Maverick Press
Gay Erotica
- Charming: Modern Gay Fairytales, Jennifer Levine and Rian Darcy, Circlet Press
- College Dive Bar, 1 AM, Natty Soltesz, Go Deeper Press
- Érotiques Suprèmes, Miodrag Kojadinovic, Choose the Sword Press ***
- Grave Desires, William Holden, Lethe Press
- Green Eyes – an erotic novel (sort-of), Michael Ampersant, Lust Spiel Book
LGBT Anthology
- Beyond: The Queer Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comic Anthology, Sfé R. Monster (Editor) & Taneka Stotts (Assistant Editor), Beyond Press
- Glitter and Grit: Queer Performance from the Heels on Wheels Femme Galaxy, Edited by Damien Luxe, Heather M. Ács, and Sabina Ibarrola, Publication Studio ***
- Memories of the Revolution, Holly Hughes, Carmelita Tropicana, and Jill Dolan, Editors, University of Michigan Press
- Out of the Closet, Into the Archives: Researching Sexual Histories, Amy L. Stone and Jaime Cantrell, SUNY Press
- A Pride of Poppies: Modern GLBTQI fiction of the Great War, Julie Bozza (editor), Manifold Press
- Soy Lesbiana y Que! Out Latina Lesbians, Nívea Castro with Geny Cabral, Sinister Wisdom
- Speak My Language, and Other Stories: An Anthology of Gay Fiction, Edited by Torsten Højer, Little, Brown Book Group/Robinson
- Videogames for Humans: Twine Authors in Conversation, Merritt Kopas, Instar Books
LGBT Children's/Young Adult
- About a Girl: A Novel, Sarah McCarry, St. Martin's Griffin
- Anything Could Happen, Will Walton, Push
- Gay and Lesbian History for Kids: The Century-Long Struggle for LGBT Rights, Jerome Pohlen, Chicago Review Press
- George, Alex Gino, Scholastic Press ***
- The Marvels, Brian Selznick, Scholastic Press
- More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera, Soho Teen
- None of the Above, IW Gregorio, Balzer + Bray/ Harper Collins
- Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli, Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins
LGBT Drama
- Bright Half Life, Tanya Barfield, Dramatists Play Service ***
- Fun Home, Music by Jeanine Tesori, Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron, Based on the Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel, Samuel French
- Hir, Taylor Mac, Northwestern University Press
- Love Alone, Deborah Salem Smith, Dramatists Play Service
- The Mystery of Love and Sex, Bathsheba Doran, Samuel French
LGBT Graphic Novels
- Curveball, Jeremy Sorese, Nobrow
- Honor Girl, Maggie Thrash, Candlewick Press
- The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ & Amala, EK Weaver, Iron Circus Comics ***
- O Human Star: Volume One, Blue Delliquanti, Self-published
- Wuvable Oaf, Ed Luce, Fantagraphics Books
LGBT SF/F/Horror
- The Boys on the Mountain, John Inman, DSP Publications
- The Caphenon (Chronicles of Alsea – Book #1), Fletcher DeLancey, Ylva Publishing
- Down, Ally Blue, Riptide Publishing
- The Glittering World, Robert Levy, Gallery Books
- The Gracekeepers, Kirsty Logan, Crown Publishers ***
- Minotaur, J.A. Rock, Riptide Publishing
- Sacrati, Kate Sherwood, Riptide Publishing
- Wonder City Stories, Jude McLaughlin, Createspace
LGBT Studies
- Arresting Dress: Cross-Dressing, Law, and Fascination in Nineteenth-Century San Francisco, Clare Sears, Duke University Press
- Funk the Erotic: Transaesthetics and Black Sexual Cultures, L.H. Stallings, University of Illinois
- Gay Fathers, Their Children, and the Making of Kinship, Aaron Goodfellow, Fordham University Press
- Indifference to Difference: On Queer Universalism, Madhavi Menon, University of Minnesota Press
- Not Gay: Sex between Straight White Men, Jane Ward, NYU Press
- Queer Marxism in Two Chinas, Petrus Liu, Duke University Press
- A Taste for Brown Bodies: Gay Modernity and Cosmopolitan Desire, Hiram Pérez, NYU Press ***
- Thinking Sex with the Early Moderns, Valerie Traub, University of Pennsylvania Press
