2023 Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced

The best of LGBTQ literature.

The Lambda Literary Awards just announced the finalists for their 35th annual ceremony. I could just give you a list of the finalists, but I don't want to rob you of the joy of discovering them for yourself. Also, it’s late at night as I’m writing this, and as much as I’d love to give this my full attention right now, I need to go to bed. So, head on over to their website and check it out for yourself.

I do want to take a moment to talk about why this is so important. Lambda Literary is an organization that advocates for LGBTQ writers and their stories. In a world where the LGBTQ+ community is under attack and having the rights they’ve already had to fight for systemically stripped away by fascists, representation matters more than ever.

As a writer myself, I believe in the power of storytelling to build empathy and understanding for those who are different from us. And when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community, that's particularly important. These are people who have been historically silenced and marginalized, but whose stories deserve to be heard and celebrated.

That's why the Lambda Literary Awards are so crucial. They elevate the voices of LGBTQ+ writers and help to create a community where their stories are valued and affirmed. In doing so, they're preserving the legacies of humanity and making sure that their stories are a part of our larger cultural conversation.

More than that, these awards are a reminder that good literature is good literature, no matter who it's written by or who it's about. That should be empowering for everyone. We all deserve to see ourselves reflected in the stories we read, and we all deserve to feel like our lives and experiences are worthy of being written about.

So, as we celebrate the finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards, let's remember why this matters. Let's remember that LGBT rights are human rights, and that everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the freedom to be themselves. And let's remember that reading can be a powerful tool for building empathy and understanding for those who are different from us.

I hope you’re doing well today.