Lambda Literary Awards finalists

The Lambdas have many award categories, so I'm only going to list the sf/f/h categories. You can find the full list (which has, as usual, lots of interesting titles, including Robert Duncan's H.D.) at the URL provided in the following press release:

24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced

Los Angeles, CA - Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards were announced today by the Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) in Los Angeles.  Books from major mainstream publishers and from academic presses, from both long-established and new LGBT publishers, as well as from emerging publish-on-demand technologies, make up the 119 finalists for the "Lammys."  The finalists were selected from a record number of nominations.

The awards, now in their twenty-fourth year, celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) writing for books published in 2011. Winners will be announced at a Monday evening, June 4th ceremony in New York at the CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue) with an after-party at Slate (54 West 21st Street).  

Lambda set a record in 2010 for both the number of LGBT books nominated (520) and the number of publishers participating (about 230). That record has been surpassed this year, with more than 600 titles represented from about 250 publishers.

"For three consecutive years we have broken the records for both book nominees and publishers, which is extremely heartening in a time of uncertainty for the publishing industry as a whole, and LGBT publishing, in particular," said LLF Board of Trustees Co-Chair, David McConnell.  

More than 90 booksellers, book reviewers, librarians, authors, previous Lammy winners and finalists, and other book professionals volunteered many hours of reading time, critical thinking, and invigorating shared discussion to select the finalists in 24 categories.

"The Lambda Literary Awards would not be possible without the time, energy, and intelligence of our volunteer judges who put countless hours of reading into selecting our finalists," said Lambda Executive Director, Tony Valenzuela. "Because of their hard work, this day is a celebration of our finalists, whose outstanding books extend the fabric of our literature and enrich our community.  Congratulations to these talented authors on their tremendous achievement."

Pioneer Award honorees, the master of ceremonies, and presenters will be announced the second week of April.

Tickets for the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony and after-party go on sale today.  For information visit our website.

LGBT SF/F/H

The German, by Lee Thomas, Lethe Press
Paradise Tales: and Other Stories, by Geoff Ryman, Small Beer Press
Static, by L.A. Witt, Amber Allure/Amber Quill Press
Steam-powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft, Torquere Press
Triptych, by J.M. Frey, Dragon Moon Press

A New Interview and a New Review

A new interview: Gwyneth Jones is interviewed by Charles Tan for the Nebula Awards site. Her Buonarotti tale "The Tomb Wife," which is reprinted in The Buonarotti Quartet, was a finalist in the short story category this year.





A new review: What Remains, Ellen Klages and Geoff Ryman's WisCon GoH chapbook, is reviewed by Steve Fahnestalk for Tangent. The reviewer, who was unfamiliar with both Ellen's and Geoff's work going into the review, enjoyed the book. And to answer his question at the end: yes, What Remains can still be purchased through Aqueduct's website.

What Remains

What Remains, which until now had been sold only at WisCon 33, is at last available through Aqueduct's site, where it can be purchased for $12. Published in conjunction with the appearance of Ellen Klages and Geoff Ryman as the Guests of Honor at WisCon 33, What Remains features three tales, two short tales by Geoff Ryman and an original novelette by Ellen Klages.

In Ryman’s “No Bad Thing,” a certain brilliant, world-famous scientist has become a vampire and duly turns hi intellectual gifts in a new direction; and in “Care,” a story set in the fascinating world of Belo Horizonte created by Sheldon Brown and the Experimental Game Lab, a little boy’s father stands with him on the Edge of the world looking down at Rio, shows him how to walk off the Edge, then disappears.

In Ellen Klages’s original novelette “Echoes of Aurora,” Jo Norwood goes back to her hometown to bury her father and meets a lovely, mysterious woman named Aurora, and through the summer, Jo and Rory make passionate love, poetry, and a story together—a story that begins “Once upon a time, you kissed me.”

What Remains also includes Eileen Gunn’s interview of Geoff Ryman and Debbie Notkin’s interview of Ellen Klages.

PS For more about the fictional world of Belo Horizonte, check out this trailer.