Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction

The Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation to a debut work of fiction on LGBT themes. Formerly presented in two separate categories for gay male and lesbian debut fiction, since the 25th Lambda Literary Awards in 2013 a single award, inclusive of both male and female writers, has been presented.

The award is presented based on themes in the work, not the sexuality or gender of the writer; heterosexual writers are eligible for the award, and writers could be nominated in the "cross-gender" category based on the work.

Winners and nominees

Year	Winner	Nominated
1988	Gay: Alan Hollinghurst, The Swimming Pool Library	C.F. Borgman, River Road Stan Leventhal, Mountain Climbing in Sheridan Square Joe Keenan, Blue Heaven Russell A. Brown, Sherlock Holmes and the Mysterious Friend of Oscar Wilde
	Lesbian: Madelyn Arnold, Bird-Eyes	Joyce Bright, Sunday’s Child Judy Grahn, Mundane’s World Denise Ohio, The Finer Grain Katherine Sturtevant, A Mistress Moderately Fair
1989	Gay: John Weir, The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket	Randall Kenan, A Visitation of Spirits Mickey C. Fleming, About Courage David B. Feinberg, Eighty-Sixed M.S. Hunter, The Buccaneer
	Lesbian: Patricia R. Schwartz, The Names of the Moons of Mars	Nisa Donnelly, The Bar Stories: A Novel After All Ruthann Robson, Eye of a Hurricane Roz Perry, Rose Penski Paula Martinac and Carla Tomaso, Voyages Out
1990	Gay: Lev Raphael, Dancing on Tisha B’av	Allen Barnett, The Body and Its Dangers Bo Huston, Horse and Other Stories Matthew Stadler, Landscape: Memory Patrick Moore, This Every Night
	Lesbian: Cherry Muhanji, Her	Vickie Sears, Simple Songs Renee Hansen, Take Me to the Underground Karen Marie Christa Minns, Virago Julie Blackwomon and Nona Caspers, Voyages Out 2
1991	No award presented
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004	Gay: Blair Mastbaum, Clay's Way	Damian McNicholl, A Son Called Gabriel Aaron Krach, Half-Life Marc Acito, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater Brian Leung, World Famous Love Acts
	Lesbian: Judith Frank, Crybaby Butch	Mary Vermillion, Death by Discount Kristie Helms, Dish It Up, Baby! Laurinda D. Brown, Fire & Brimstone Bridget Bufford, Minus One: A Twelve-Step Journey
2005	Gay: Vestal McIntyre, You Are Not the One	Mack Friedman, Setting the Lawn on Fire Richard McCann, Mother of Sorrows Barry McCrea, The First Verse Sulayman X, Bilal’s Bread
	Lesbian: Ali Liebegott, The Beautifully Worthless	Katia Noyes, Crashing America Michelle Embree, Manstealing for Fat Girls Ronica Black, In Too Deep Fiona Zedde, Bliss
2006	Gay: Robert Westfield, Suspension	Martin Hyatt, A Scarecrow’s Bible Alex MacLennan, The Zookeeper Patrick Ryan, Send Me Timothy Williams, 5 Minutes and 42 Seconds
	Lesbian: Ellis Avery, The Teahouse Fire	Kirsten Dinnall Hoyte, Black Marks Ana-Maurine Lara, Erzulie’s Skirt Leslie Larson, Slipstream Peggy Munson, Origami Striptease
2007	Gay: Christopher Kelly, A Push and a Shove[1]	James Canon, Tales from the Town of Widows Michael Quadland, That Was Then Kemble Scott, SoMa James St. James, Freak Show
	Lesbian: Aoibheann Sweeney, Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking	Holly Farris, Lockjaw Myriam Gurba, Dahlia Season Lu Vickers, Breathing Underwater Corrina Wycoff, O Street
2008	Gay: Shawn Stewart Ruff, Finlater	Daniel Allen Cox, Shuck Evan Fallenberg, Light Fell Drew Ferguson, The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie the Second Mike Hoolboom, The Steve Machine
	Lesbian: Magdalena Zurawski, The Bruise	Jill Malone, Red Audrey & the Roping Linda Villarosa, Passing for Black Meri Weiss, Closer to Fine Chavisa Woods, Love Does Not Make Me Gentle or Kind
2009	Gay: Rakesh Satyal, Blue Boy	James Hannaham, God Says No G. Winston James, Shaming the Devil: Collected Short Stories James Magruder, Sugarless Lance Reynald, Pop Salvation
	Lesbian: Rhiannon Argo, The Creamsickle	Z Egloff, Verge Barb Johnson, More of This World or Maybe Another Lori Ostlund, The Bigness of the World Maida Tilchen, Land Beyond Maps
2010	Gay: David Pratt, Bob the Book	Chris Corkum, XOXO Hayden Tom Mendicino, Probation Tom Schabarum, The Palisades Rob Stephenson, Passes Through
	Lesbian: Amber Dawn, Sub Rosa	Katharine Beutner, Alcestis Georgeann Packard, Fall Asleep Forgetting Michael Sledge, The More I Owe You Lois Walden, One More Stop
2011	Gay: Rahul Mehta, Quarantine	Justin Chin, 98 Wounds Michael Graves, Dirty One Garth Greenwell, Mitko Katherine Scott Nelson, Have You Seen Me
	Lesbian: Laurie Weeks, Zipper Mouth	Sally Bellerose, The Girls Club Lara Fergus, My Sister Chaos Sarah Toshiko Hasu, Megume and the Trees Christine Stark, Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation
2012	Mia McKenzie, The Summer We Got Free	Lania Knight, Three Cubic Feet Alex Leslie, People Who Disappear E. J. Levy, Love, In Theory Lydia Perovic, Incidental Music Kristen Ringman, Makara Carter Sickels, The Evening Hour Lysley Tenorio, Monstress Jeanne Thornton, The Dream of Doctor Bantam William Sterling Walker, Desire: Tales of New Orleans
2013	Nik Nicholson, Descendants of Hagar[2]	Guy Mark Foster, The Rest of Us Jane Hoppen, In Between Laura Krughoff, My Brother’s Name Amy Grace Loyd, The Affairs of Others Derek Palacio, How to Shake the Other Man Ronald Palmer, Prick Queasy Charles L. Ross, Inside Andrea Routley, Jane and the Whales Abigail Tarttelin, Golden Boy
2014	Abdi Nazemian, The Walk-In Closet[3]	Vinton Rafe McCabe, Death in Venice, California Megan Milks, Kill Marguerite and Other Stories Elizabeth Earley, A Map of Everything Bob Sennett, The Music Teacher Dia Felix, Nochita Dan Lopez, Part the Hawser, Limn the Sea Alden Jones, Unaccompanied Minors
2015	Victor Yates, A Love Like Blood[4]	Austin Bunn, The Brink Mark S. Luckie, Do U. Paul Brownsey, His Steadfast Love and Other Stories Ioannis Pappos, Hotel Living Meliza Bañales, Life is Wonderful, People are Terrific James Driggers, Lovesick Libby Ware, Lum

References

1. "Fort Worth journo wins Lammy: Star-Telegram movie critic honored for Best Gay Debut Fiction". Dallas Voice, June 5, 2008.
2. "Looking for summer reading? Lambda Literary Awards rain down a host of choices". Times-Picayune, June 3, 2014.
3. "Lambda Literary Awards laud best gay, lesbian and transgender books". Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2015.
4. "The Lambda Literary Awards Honor Hilton Als and Eileen Myles, Name Winners in 26 Categories". Slate, June 7, 2016.

External links

• Lambda Literary Awards