The Lambda Literary Awards, the country’s most prestigious prizes for LGBTQ authors, have canceled their ceremony, which was planned for June in New York.
Sue Landers, the executive director of Lambda Literary, made the announcement in an email, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason behind the cancellation of the ceremony.
“The good news, though, is that this year’s Lammy winners will still be announced in June, in an online format to be determined,” Landers wrote. “We also will bring our beautiful community of LGBTQ book lovers together for a fabulous, in-real-life celebration later this fall.”
Lambda Literary announced the finalists for their annual awards earlier this month. Among the finalists for the prizes are Jacqueline Woodson, Bryan Washington, Ocean Vuong ,and Kristen Arnett.
The foundation is the latest in a string of groups who have been forced to postpone or cancel their literary award ceremonies. On Tuesday, PEN America canceled its World Voices Festival, which was to be held in May.
And earlier this month, the National Book Critics Circle announced that their awards ceremony in New York had been canceled. The prizes were announced on social media instead.
Landers urged supporters of Lambda Literary to donate to the organization to help them “continue our work to honor this year’s finalists and winners.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic means that this year’s celebration must take a new form, rest assured that Lambda Literary’s mission remains unchanged,” Landers wrote. “We will continue championing LGBTQ authors, whose books feel especially life-affirming right now.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
