Katherine V. Forrest (born 1939) is a Canadian-born American writer, best known for her novels about lesbian police detective Kate Delafield. Her books have won and been finalists for

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted ...

twelve times, as well as other awards. She has been referred to by some "a founding mother of lesbian fiction writing."

Personal life

Forrest was born in 1939 in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the southe ...

. She currently lives with her wife, Jo Hercus, in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by la ...

Career

Forrest is best known for her nine novels about Kate Delafield, the first lesbian police detective in the American lesbian mystery genreForrest, Katherine V., Interviewed by Malinda Lo, AfterEllen.co
"Interview with Katherine V. Forrest,"
August 2004. and is described as "

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of ...

with

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the son ...

, Sherlock Holmes with

Candace Gingrich Candace Gingrich (; born June 2, 1966) is an American LGBT rights activist at the Human Rights Campaign. Candace is the half-sibling of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.Seelye, KatharineSpeaker's Sister Now Speaking Out ''The New York T ...

, and you've got Kate Delafield: ex-Marine, homicide detective for the LAPD, queer-as-the-day-is-long heroine."First, Debra, Boston Phoenix
"Sister in Crime," November 1999
The second novel in the series, ''Murder at the Nightwood Bar,'' was optioned for film by director Tim Hunter. The screenplay had been written and roles cast with

Mary-Louise Parker Mary-Louise Parker (born August 2, 1964) is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas' '' Prelude to a Kiss'' in 1990 (for which she received a Tony Award nomination), Parker came to prominence for film roles ...

as Delafield and Tom Arnold as her police partner,Victoria Brownworth
The Advocate; May 17, 1994
p50-52 but the project was ultimately shelved. Her romance ''Curious Wine'' is considered a classic of American lesbian literature. In discussion of the "light" element of the lesbian romance Forrest said, "I think it's political as hell... Here were two women who had a lot of choices in life, a lot of options, and out of all of those options they chose the hardest one, which was to love each other." The novel is credited as one that "broke through many misconceptions about lesbians and lesbian relationships." Of her personal political sensibilities, Forrest said, "We are the only subculture that incorporates both genders, all races, all colors, all creeds... Being visible can make us free...and give us a power we have never known." After relocating from Los Angeles to San Francisco, near

The Castro The Castro District, commonly referred to as the Castro, is a neighborhood in Eureka Valley in San Francisco. The Castro was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States. Having transformed from a working-class neighborhood through ...

district, she said, "It would be impossible to live here and not be political." This was a marked departure from her early life, of which she wrote, "Even after I committed the Big Sin and made that irrevocable passage, and even though I thereafter found women who loved me, and even though I had loving relationships, I remained essentially in the grip of all the early shame and my own powerful homophobia." Her work is also noted for unprecedented eroticism and display of lesbian sexuality. Forrest noted that classic mysteries such as Agatha Christie might not even contain a hug. "Sexuality is a part of life and it's something that readers are interested in as far as characters... Love scenes are unparalleled opportunities to characterize a major character and bring out aspects of them that you can't in normal everyday scenes." Forrest had a ten-year tenure as fiction editor at Naiad Press. She founded and currently serves as Supervising Editor at Spinsters Ink, as well as serving as the editor at large at

Bella Books Bella Books is a small press publisher of lesbian literature based in Tallahassee, Florida. History Kelly Smith, along with other investors, created the corporation in Michigan in 1999 as an outgrowth of Smith's long relationship with ''A Woman ...

. She has also written science fiction novels and edited numerous anthologies of gay and lesbian interest. As an editor, she worked with hundreds of writers, including

Jane Rule Jane Vance Rule (28 March 1931 – 27 November 2007) was a Canadian writer of lesbian-themed works. Her first novel, ''Desert of the Heart'', appeared in 1964, when gay activity was still a criminal offence. It turned Rule into a reluctant m ...

and Lee Lynch, who wrote of Forrest's fiction, "Her stories embrace and strengthen us, and give us permission to live our lives fully just as we are." Also known for her reviews and articles about lesbian and gay publishing, Forrest authored book reviews appearing in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' and ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...

''. Articles have appeared in ''

Brother and Sister "Brother and Sister" (also "Little Sister and Little Brother"; German: ''Brüderchen und Schwesterchen'') is a European fairy tale which was, among others, written down by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 11). It is a tale of Aarne–Thompson Type 450. I ...

, The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review'' and '' The Lambda Book Report''.

Awards and honors

Forrest was a recipient of the

Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

's Pioneer Award in 1999 and currently serves on their board of trustees. She received the Alice B Readers Award in 2005 and in 2008, received the

Golden Crown Literary Society The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) is an American non-profit organization established in February 2004 as a literary and educational organization for the study, discussion, enjoyment, and enhancement of Lesbian literature. In 2020, in order ...

's Trailblazer Award, as well as the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from

Publishing Triangle The Publishing Triangle, founded in 1988 by Robin Hardy, is an American association of gay men and lesbians in the publishing industry. They sponsor an annual National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, and have sponsored the annual Triangle Awards pro ...

Publications

Coral Dawn trilogy

* ''Daughters Of A Coral Dawn''. 1984, * ''Daughters Of An Amber Noon''. 2002, * ''Daughters Of An Emerald Dusk''. 2005,

Kate Delafield Mysteries

* ''Amateur City''. 1984, * ''Murder At The Nightwood Bar''. 1987, * ''The Beverly Malibu''. 1989, * ''Murder By Tradition''. 1991, * ''Liberty Square''. 1996, * ''Apparition Alley''. 1997, * ''Sleeping Bones''. 1999, * ''Hancock Park''. 2004, * ''High Desert''. 2013, * ''Delafield'', 2022.

Other novels

* ''Curious Wine''. 1983, * ''An Emergence of Green''. 1986, * ''Flashpoint''. 1994, * ''Lethal Care.'' 2017, with

Claire McNab Claire McNab (born 1940 in Melbourne, Australia) is the pseudonym of Claire Carmichael, an Australian writer. While pursuing a career as a high school teacher in Sydney, she began her writing career with comedy plays and textbooks. She left tea ...

, .

Short story collections

* ''Dreams And Swords''. 1987, * ''The Gift'' * ''Jessie: A Kate Delafield Story'' * ''Benny's Place'' * ''Xessex'' * ''Force Majeur'' * ''Mother Was an Alien'' (excerpt from ''Daughters of a Coral Dawn'') * ''Mandy Larkin'' * ''Survivor'' * ''O Captain, My Captain.'' 2013. * ''The Test''

Anthology contributions

* ''Mom: Candid Memoirs by Lesbians about the First Woman in Their Life'', edited by

Nisa Donnelly Nisa Donnelly (November 11, 1950 – January 30, 2021) was an American writer. She was most noted for her 1989 novel ''The Bar Stories: A Novel After All'', which won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction at the 2nd Lambda Literary Awards ...

, 1998. . * "Jeanie," in ''The Milk of Human Kindness: Lesbian Authors Write About Mothers and Daughters'', edited by

Lori L. Lake Lori L. Lake (born February 9, 1960) is an American writer of fiction, mainly about lesbian protagonists. She is also an editor, writing instructor, and former publisher. Personal life Lake was born in Portland, Oregon, the oldest of five daught ...

. 2005, . * ''Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam'', edited by

and

Jessie Chandler Jessie Chandler (born August 16, 1968) is an American author of mystery and humorous caper fiction, most of which is about lesbian protagonists. Her work includes the Shay O'Hanlon Caper Series, many short stories, and other novels. Chandler has ...

, 2015.

Anthologies edited

* ''The Erotic Naiad: Love Stories by Naiad Press Authors''. 1992, with

Barbara Grier Barbara Grier (November 4, 1933 – November 10, 2011) was an American writer and publisher. She is credited for having built the lesbian book industry. After editing '' The Ladder'' magazine, published by the lesbian civil rights group Daugh ...

, * ''Diving Deep: Erotic Lesbian Love Stories''. 1993, with

, * ''The Romantic Naiad: Love Stories by Naiad Press Authors''. 1993, with

, * ''The Mysterious Naiad: Love Stories by Naiad Press Authors''. 1994, with

, * ''Diving Deeper: More Erotic Lesbian Love Stories''. 1994, with

, * ''Deeply Mysterious: Erotic Lesbian Stories''. 1995, with

, * ''All in the Seasoning: And Other Holiday Stories''. 2002, * ''Women of Mystery''. 2005, . * ''Lesbian Pulp Fiction: The Sexually Intrepid World of Lesbian Paperback Novels 1950-1965''. 2005, * ''Love, Castro Street: Reflections of San Francisco''. 2007, with Jim Van Buskirk, ,

References

External links

*
Katherine V. Forrest web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest, Katherine V. 1939 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American mystery writers American women novelists Lambda Literary Award winners Canadian lesbian writers American LGBT writers Writers from Windsor, Ontario Canadian emigrants to the United States Women mystery writers Canadian LGBT novelists 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers