From memoirs to young adult novels, 2019 brought with it a bounty of books published by LGBTQ authors. If you want to get into reading one of them but feel intimidated by the onslaught of options, don’t fret. Lambda Literary, the premier organization promoting the development of emerging queer writers, recently relased its annual list of Lammy Award Recipients.
The foundation has been issuing the awards since 1987. This year, 24 books earned Lammy awards, spanning distinct categories ranging from transgender poetry to lesbian romance. William Johnson, deputy director of Lambda Literary, explains Lammy Award categories could change depending on which books readers nominate.
Queer writers are changing the master narrative
William Johnson, deputy director of Lambda Literary
“A lot of the categories are submitted by the community, which is how we can track trends throughout the years,” Johnson told NBC News. “Humor used to be a category, but now it’s no longer, and we’re finding that the number of young adult books has been exploding each year, so there’s a lot more to select from.”
Johnson added that each category is judged by a panel of three or so authors who write in the same genre they judge.
“Queer writers are changing the master narrative,” Johnson said, adding that as a result, more mainstream media organizations have been taking note of LGBTQ authors’ contributions. “But at Lambda Literary we continue to provide a platform for the truly transgressive and outsider voices because highlighting these voices can help readers feel less alone.”
As 2019 closes, here are Lambda Literary’s awardees — a list that denotes some of the most impactful, provocative LGBTQ literature of the past year, according to the foundation.