Lambda Literary

Lambda Literary is the nation’s premier organization dedicated to nurturing LGBTQ+ writers, celebrating queer literature, and elevating the place queer stories hold in cultural life. Founded in 1989 in Washington, DC and headquartered in New York City, the organization has spent more than three decades championing queer voices and building an enduring literary community.

The organization’s flagship program is the annual Lambda Literary Awards, affectionately known as the Lammys, which stands as the most prestigious and comprehensive literary award ceremony celebrating LGBTQ+ books across fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, and young adult literature. In author development, the agency operates the renowned Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, a week-long intensive residency that pairs emerging queer writers with distinguished faculty mentors in fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, speculative fiction, and poetry.

Youth literacy and community engagement are cultivated through the LGBTQ Writers in Schools initiative, which brings published queer authors into public school classrooms and donates LGBTQ+ literature to school libraries, combating censorship and book bans. The organization also publishes the Lambda Literary Review, a trusted online journal featuring book reviews, author interviews, and literary essays. Writers can apply for fellowship retreats and submit works for Lammy nominations online. Literary enthusiasts, readers, and supporters can get involved by attending the annual awards gala, reviewing books, or making charitable contributions.