The Lambda Literary Awards were presented last night. It sounds like a wonderful evening. There's a write-up, including a full list of the winners, here.
I took part in it, from the other coast, via Twitter, following the official LLF account, @LambdaLiterary (run last night by @annericefights, a former student of mine), Cecilia Tan (@ceciliatan, wonderful writer and editor of erotica), Sassafras Lowrey (@sassafraslowrey, another great writer), and Charlotte Abbott (@charabbott, who edited The Blue Place--yes, it's a small world...)
Anyway, for me some of the best moments were quotes from honorees:
@charabbott: "This award matters to me more than any other recognition I could have" - Armistead Maupin, accepting Pioneer Award
@sassafraslowrey: "We're opening up the world to each other and testifying about out lives" Armistead Maupin
@sassafraslowrey: "We all have someone further down the line from us that reaches out to us... " Armistead Maupin
@sassafraslowrey: "there was a moment when all we had was our words to each other " Armistead Maupin
@ceciliatan: "We're all so connected to each other. This revolution was led by writers." -Armistead Maupin
@charabbott: Justin Torres so inspiring about his LLF fellowship & how it helped him become a confident writer as young gay man.
@LambdaLiterary: "Books told me I wasn't alone in the world." Rahul Mehta
@LambdaLiterary: "#LGBT writing saved my life." - Kate Clinton
They all come down to the same thing: writers need community--and writers create wider community; we create culture. Books save lives. Queer books save queer lives.
So, if you're wondering, this is why I spend so much time talking about the Lambda Literary Foundation and Clarion West. Thank you to everyone who reads, who writes, who supports both. Words matter.
This blog has moved.
My blog now lives here:
http://nicolagriffith.com/blog/
