The Stonewall Book Award is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize "exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience" in English-language books published in the U.S. They are sponsored by the

Rainbow Round Table The Rainbow Round Table (RRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) is dedicated to supporting the information needs of LGBTQIA+ people, from professional library workers to the population at large. Founded in 1970, it is the nation's first g ...

(RRT) of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

(ALA) and have been part of the American Library Association awards program, now termed ALA Book, Print & Media Awards, since 1986 as the single Gay Book Award. The three award categories are fiction and nonfiction in books for adults, distinguished in 1990, and books for children or young adults, from 2010. The awards are named for

Barbara Gittings Barbara Gittings (July 31, 1932 – February 18, 2007) was a prominent American activist for LGBT equality. She organized the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) from 1958 to 1963, edited the national DOB magazine '' The La ...

, Israel Fishman, and (jointly) Mike Morgan and Larry Romans. In full they are the Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award, the Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award, and the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award. Finalists have been designated from 1990, and termed "Honor Books" from 2001. Currently a panel of librarians selects five finalists in each award category and subsequently selects one winner. The winners are announced in January and each receives a plaque and $1000 cash prize during the ALA Annual Conference in June or July. Winners are expected to attend and to give acceptance speeches. The ALA solicits book suggestions each to be accompanied by a brief statement in favor of the book. Anyone may suggest a title for consideration. However, the publisher of a proposed title, agents or representatives of the author, or anyone else who may stand to gain directly from the nomination of the book should disclose this information via the online form. Eligible books should be original works published in the U.S. and Canada during the preceding year, including "substantially changed new editions" and "English-language translations of foreign-language books".

History

The Gay Book Award was inaugurated in 1971, recognizing ''

Patience and Sarah ''Patience and Sarah'' is a 1969 historical fiction novel with strong lesbian themes by Alma Routsong, using the pen name Isabel Miller. It was originally self-published under the title ''A Place for Us'' and eventually found a publisher as '' ...

'', a

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

Alma Routsong Alma Routsong (November 26, 1924 – October 4, 1996) was an American novelist best known for her lesbian fiction, published under the pen name Isabel Miller. Early life Alma Routsong was born Elma Louise Routsong in Traverse City, Michigan, on ...

(writing as Isabel Miller), which had been self-published by Routsong in 1969. Originally it was a "grassroots acknowledgment" of GLBT publishing, and there were "only a handful" of books to consider annually. By 1995, there were more than 800. In 2002, the awards, then two, were jointly named after the site of the 1969

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of ...

. ;Award name and categories * 1971–1986 Gay Book Award * 1987–1989 Gay and Lesbian Book Award * 1990–1993 Gay and Lesbian Book Award (nonfiction and literature categories) * 1994–1998 Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Book Award (nonfiction and literature) * 1999–2001 Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Book Award (nonfiction and literature) * 2002–2010 Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award and the Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award. * 2010–present Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award, the Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award, and the Stonewall Book Award-Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award. From 1986, the Gay Book Award and its descendants have been part of the American Library Association awards program, now termed ALA Book, Print & Media Awards.

Recipients

Notes

References

External links

Stonewall Book Awards ListAmerican Library Association's Rainbow Round Table (RRT)
{{American Library Association American literary awards LGBT literature in the United States LGBT literary awards Awards established in 1971 American Library Association awards American librarianship and human rights 1971 establishments in the United States English-language literary awards

History

Recipients

See also

Notes

References

External links