Wanting It

[susanstinson]

All three of the novels that Firebrand published this year have been nominated for Lambda Literary Awards.

That's Dish It Up, Baby
Crybaby Butch
(which I read not long ago and got all stirred up about. It's got a lot of toughness and beauty and went deep into butch identity and power and sex and reading and mourning. It's lingering with me.)
and mine, Venus of Chalk.

So, first the novel was suggested to be nominated -- by many of you -- thanks again. And now it's on the list of nominated books. Then they choose five finalists, and then there is a winner, announced in June in New York City at a big dinner awards ceremony. I'm picturing a whole table of fatshionistas, rocking the queer literary world. Somebody would teach me how to measure correctly, and I would finally get a strapless bra for the occasion. (A fat girl can dream, can't she?)

You know, I've judged literary awards and prizes. I know that there are lots of variables (including the judges' moods, health and sheer reading fatigue) that influence these choices, and that, even under ideal conditions, they can be pretty arbitrary. Sometimes I think the choices are great and sometimes I've thought that they were biased, bland or insensitive. There's no money that comes with this. But my beloved books have never been among the finalists, and it would make me very deliciously happy if this one were. It would be even more fun to be on these lists with friends. So, knocking on wood, fingers crossed, and don't forget to get your black-eyed peas now to eat for prosperity on New Year's Day. (I've just learned that collard greens are for health and cornbread is for happiness, too.)

Comments

[beatgoddess.livejournal.com]

I really support all the amazing work they do for survivors of breast cancer, and for that I applaud them. There are just a few things that make me less able to shop there. Their lingerie and foundation garment choices really don't appeal to my sense of taste, particularly so in the last few years. More significant to my resistance is my unwillingness to be girlified while shopping or getting fitted for a foundation garment; the counterperson was a wee little flustered when I asked which sales associate had experience properly treating and fitting fat, trans people. She said, "either of the owners have experience with...trans." I couldn't stop giggling.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

I bet that's a seriously tough environment for not being girlified.

[beatgoddess.livejournal.com]

True dat.