Chike Frankie Edozien wins Lambda Literary Award for ‘Lives of Great Men’

Chike Frankie Edozien has a won a Lammy!

The Nigerian author and journalist took home the Lambda Literary Award’s Gay Memoir/Biography Prize for his book, Lives of Great Men: Living and Loving as an African Gay Man. Edozien’s book is one of the few memoirs about living as a Nigerian gay man and was released to critical acclaim.

 

Chike Frankie Edozien receives his award. Credit: Lambda Literary.

 

On Monday, June 4th, Lambda Literary, the nation’s leading organization advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) literature, announced the winners of the 30th Annual Lambda Literary Awards (the “Lammys”). Comedian Kate Clinton hosted the ceremony at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City where attendees, sponsors, and celebrities celebrated thirty years of groundbreaking LGBTQ literature.

 

Comedian Kate Clinton hosted the 30th Annual Lambda Literary Awards (the “Lammys”) in New York City where attendees, sponsors, and celebrities celebrated thirty years of groundbreaking LGBTQ literature. Credit: Lambda Literary

 

Roxane Gay and Edmund White were honored with Lambda’s Trustee and Visionary Awards, respectively. Rick Whitaker introduced Edmund White with a tribute composed entirely from sentences found in Mr. White’s books. Accepting the Visionary Award, White shared, “Contained in the word novel is novelty and lesbian and gay writers have been lucky to write about this new world.”

 

Lambda Literary, the nation’s oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, awarded Edmund White with Lambda’s Pioneer Awards at the 30th Annual Lambda Literary Awards (“Lammys”) on Monday, June 4th in New York City. Credit: Lambda Literary

 

Later, Rebecca Solnit introduced Roxane Gay, who won the Trustee Award. “The word encourage literally means to instill courage, and Roxane’s work is marked by both courage and encouragement,” said Solnit. During her acceptance speech, Gay said “As a woman, as a black woman, as a queer woman, writing has offered me salvation and sanctuary.” She later said, “I want queer writers to create the work that they want to put into the world, regardless if all of the work does or does not meet the expectations of those who read it.”

 

Lambda Literary, the nation’s oldest and largest literary arts organization advancing LGBTQ literature, awarded Roxane Gay, pictured with Executive Director Tony Valenzuela, the Trustee Award at the 30th Annual Lambda Literary Awards (“Lammys”) on Monday, June 4th in New York City. Credit: Lambda Literary

 

“What I want to leave with you tonight,” said Tony Valenzuela during his remarks on his ninth and final year as Lambda Literary Executive Director, “is that, despite our continued challenges, you have a community through Lambda Literary that has your back. I feel deeply grateful to have spent the last nine years with the help of so many of you, to make Lambda Literary into a space where more of us will be seen and can thrive.”

Other winners of the night included Carmen Maria Machado, John Rechy, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Barbara Browning, Bogi Takács, and more.

Lambda Literary’s incoming Executive Director, Sue Landers, was acknowledged from the stage and begins a new chapter in the organization in July.

 

Outgoing Executive Director Tony Valenzuela with Lambda Literary’s incoming Executive Director, Sue Landers at the 30th Annual Lambda Literary Awards (“Lammys”) on Monday, June 4th in New York City. Credit: Lambda Literary

 

View the complete winner list below.

Lesbian Fiction

Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado, Graywolf Press

Gay Fiction

After the Blue Hour, John Rechy, Grove Press

Bisexual Fiction

The Gift, Barbara Browning, Coffee House Press

Bisexual Nonfiction

Hunger, Roxane Gay, HarperCollins

Transgender Fiction

Transcendent 2: The Year’s Best Transgender Speculative Fiction, Bogi Takács (ed), Lethe Press

LGBTQ Nonfiction

How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Haymarket Books

Transgender Nonfiction

Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity, C. Riley Snorton, University of Minnesota Press

Lesbian Poetry

Rock | Salt | Stone, Rosamond S. King, Nightboat Books

Gay Poetry

While Standing in Line for Death, CA Conrad, Wave Books

Transgender Poetry

recombinant, Ching-In Chen, Kelsey Street Press

Lesbian Mystery

Huntress, A.E. Radley, Heartsome Publishing

Gay Mystery

Night Drop, Marshall Thornton, Kenmore Books

Lesbian Memoir/Biography

The Fact of a Body, Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, Flatiron Books

Gay Memoir/Biography

Lives of Great Men: Living and Loving as an African Gay Man, Chike Frankie Edozien, Team Angelica Publishing

Lesbian Romance

Tailor-Made, Yolanda Wallace, Bold Strokes Books

Gay Romance

Love and Other Hot Beverages, Laurie Loft, Riptide Publishing

LGBTQ Erotica

His Seed, Steve Berman, Unzipped Books

LGBTQ Anthology

¡Cuéntamelo! Oral Histories by LGBT Latino Immigrants, Juliana Delgado Lopera, Aunt Lute Books

LGBTQ Children’s/Young Adult

Like Water, Rebecca Podos, Balzer + Bray

LGBTQ Drama

The Gulf, Audrey Cefaly, Samuel French

LGBTQ Graphic Novels

My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Emil Ferris, Fantagraphics Books

LGBTQ SF/F/Horror

Autonomous, Annalee Newitz, Tor Books

LGBTQ Studies

Punishing Disease: HIV and the Criminalization of Sickness, Trevor Hoppe, University of California Press

The views expressed in the comment section are those of the individuals sharing them and The Rustin Times takes no position on the comments.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More Stories
Watch the trailer for ‘Walking With Shadows’ based on the 2005 book by Jude Dibia