At the Lambda Literary Awards on Monday night I gave a short speech. Several people have asked me to publish the text. Here it is:
I've spent my whole writing life feeling like a stranger in a strange land: the foreigner, the cripple, the queer. But tonight this award says: You belong here. We value who you are and what you do. We see you, we know you, you're one of us. And I like that. A lot. So thank you.
Thank you to the Lambda Literary Foundation--for hosting and administering all these awards. To Jim Duggins for the generous endowment that funds this particular prize. To those who supported my nomination, and to the judges. And thank you, Kelley, for 25 years of showing me what belonging, what home, really means. But mostly, thanks to you, all of you, for supporting this miracle that is literature. Story changes lives. Story saves lives. Story makes us who we are--as individuals and a culture. Thank you, very much, for making me part of this one.As I've said, it is short. I'm a big believer in brevity. But people seemed to like it. I mean every word.
At some point there might be video (I hope so). And photos. And a lovely long blow-by-blow report of the evening, not to mention my entire week-long trip. Now, though, the laundry is calling...
This blog has moved.
My blog now lives here:
http://nicolagriffith.com/blog/
