Mike Morgan and Larry Romans offer up to $15,000 in match challenge to grow the Stonewall Book Awards

CHICAGO — During the Stonewall Book Awards Brunch at ALA’s 2013 Annual Conference in Chicago, Mike Morgan and Larry Romans announced that they will match contributions of $25 or more ($10 for text donations) to the Stonewall Book Awards up to $15,000 in a year-long effort to grow the Stonewall Book Awards Endowment Fund. Donations to the endowment will be matched from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014.

The endowment supports the Stonewall Book Awards, the first and longest enduring book award series for LGBT literature. The award recognizes English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience in children’s and young adult literature, adult literature, and non-fiction. Since the award’s inception in 1971, more than 50 titles have been honored. The Stonewall Book Awards are administered by the ALA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table, and include the Stonewall Book Awards-Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award, the Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature award, and the Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award.

Since January 2012, the Stonewall Children’s Award has been named for Romans, a long-time GLBTRT member and former member of ALA’s Executive Board, and his partner of over 40 years, Mike Morgan in recognition of a significant gift to the GLBTRT endowment. This latest contribution is a continuation of their commitment to sustain the Awards. Larry Romans and Mike Morgan are new members of the ALA Legacy Society. Carse McDaniel, John Mitchell and Ann and John Symons have also designated GLBTRT as a beneficiary in their estate plans.

To donate to the Stonewall Book Awards, please visit www.ala.org/giveala. Donors can also make $10 donations via SMS by texting “ALASTONE” to 20222.

Given annually, the Stonewall Book Awards are announced at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in January and are presented to the winning authors or editors at the American Library Association Annual Conference in June.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table provides its members, other American Library Association divisions, members, and affiliates, and the library and information science field as a whole with a forum for discussion and an environment for education and learning regarding the needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender professional community and population at large. To learn more about GLBTRT, please visit http://www.ala.org/glbtrt.