GLBTRT launches Stonewall Book Awards fundraising campaign

CHICAGO - The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association has announced a new fundraising campaign to support the Stonewall Book Awards program, the first and most enduring award for GLBT books.

Since Isabel Miller's “Patience and Sarah” received the first award in 1971, the Stonewall Book Awards have honored the best gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender literature and the authors who have brought GLBT experiences to light. In their 40-year history, the Stonewall Book Awards have grown to include fiction, nonfiction and youth categories and have gained national attention.

This new fundraising campaign will help ensure the long-term success of the awards program and support the recently inaugurated Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award.

“As the Round Table continues to build our Stonewall Book Awards program—from its origins as the grassroots Gay Book Award to the non-fiction and literature award categories introduced in the 1990s and the newest Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award introduced in 2010—we are grateful for the contributions of members and friends that make this recognition of GLBTQ literature possible,” said Anne Moore, chair of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table.

“The addition of our Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award has increased the visibility of these books for young people, parents, librarians and teachers as they look for relevant, high-quality materials to read and share. It literally changes lives,” said Lewis Day, chair of the Stonewall Book Awards Committee.

Donations are accepted online. All donors will be recognized in the Stonewall Book Awards Brunch program at the ALA Annual Conference, and donors of $50 or more will be recognized on a special Web page. For more information on the fundraising campaign, including additional ways to donate, please visit www.ala.org/glbtrt/fundraising/stonewall40.

The Stonewall Book Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience and include the Stonewall Book Awards - 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. The 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 www.ala.org/glbtrt.