The 2024 Lambda Literary Awards Shortlists Are Here

The finalists across 26 categories for the 36th annual Lambda Literary Awards are here. The Lambdas–colloquially known as the Lammys–celebrate the best of queer literature. This year, 130 different titles are being named as finalists across the categories, which include everything from LGBTQ+ comic books to gay memoir, lesbian fiction to LGBTQ+ children’s books and more. Winners of the award will be announced at Sony Hall in New York City on June 11, 2024. Check out the finalists in 12 of the 26 categories below. You can access the full lists at the Lambda Literary website .
LGBTQ+ Comics

A Guest in The House  by Emily Caroll
Belle of the Ball  by Mari Costa
Blackward  by Lawrence Lindell
Roaming  by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki
The Chromatic Fantasy  by H.A.


LGBTQ+ Nonfiction

Black on Black: On Our Resilience and Brilliance in America  by Daniel Black
Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City  by Elyssa Maxx Goodman
Hi Honey, I’m Homo  by Matt Baume
Otherwise by Julie Marie Wade
Out: A Parent’s Guide to Supporting Your LGBTQIA+ Kid Through Coming Out and Beyond   — John Sovec, LMFT


LGBTQ+ Children’s Books

The Apartment House on Poppy Hill   by Nina LaCour; illustrator Sonia Albert
Door by Door  by Meeg Pincus and Meridth Mckean Gimbel
Gender Identity for Kids  by Andy Passchier
Grandad’s Pride  by Harry Woodgate
The Wishing Flower  by A. J. Irving and Kip Alizadeh



LGBTQ+ Middle Grade Books

Dear Mothman  by Robin Gow
Ellie Engle Saves Herself  by Leah Johnson
Just Lizzie  by Karen Wilfrid
Matteo  by Michael Leali
The Beautiful Something Else  by Alden Van Otterloo



LGBTQ+ YA Books

Cold Girls  by Maxine Rae
Only This Beautiful Moment  by Abdi Nazemian
Pritty by Keith F. Miller, Jr.
That Self-Same Metal (The Forge & Fracture Saga, Book 1)  by Brittany N. Williams
The Wicked Bargain  by Gabe Cole Novoa



LGBTQ+ Speculative Fiction

Bang Bang Bodhisattva by Aubrey Wood
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself: A Novel  by Marisa Crane
The Archive Undying  by Emma Mieko Candon
The Saint of Bright Doors  by Vajra Chandrasekera
The Thick and the Lean  by Chana Porter




LGBTQ+ Mystery

A Calculated Risk  by Cari Hunter
Don’t Forget the Girl  by Rebecca McKanna
The Good Ones by Polly Stewart
Transitory  by J. M. Redmann
Where the Dead Sleep  by Joshua Moehling




LGBTQ+ Romance and Erotica

A Tight Squeeze: Smutty Trans and Queer Stories  by laura q
Chef’s Choice  by TJ Alexander
Fly with Me: A Novel  by Andie Burke
Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date  by Ashley Herring Blake
The Fiancee Farce  by Alexandria Bellefleur



Lesbian Fiction

Big Swiss  by Jen Beagin
Biography of X  by Catherine Lacey
Organ Meats  by K-Ming Chang
Our Hideous Progeny  by C E McGill
Pomegranate  by Helen Elaine Lee


Gay Fiction

American Scholar  by Patrick E. Horrigan
Blackouts  by Justin Torres
Brother & Sister Enter the Forest: A Novel   by Richard Mirabella
Family Meal  by Bryan Washington
I Will Greet the Sun Again  by Khashayar J. Khabushani



Bisexual Fiction

All-Night Pharmacy: A Novel  by Ruth Madievsky
Endpapers  by Jennifer Savran Kelly
Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen  by Sarah James
Natural Beauty  by Ling Ling Huang
Old Enough  by Haley Jakobson



Transgender Fiction

Bellies  byNicola Dinan
Girlfriends  by Emily Zhou
The Rage Letters  by Valérie Bah; translator Kama La Mackerel
Trash  by Sylvia Aguilar Zéleny
Wild Geese  by Soula Emmanuel

Interested in attending the Lammys? You can–this year’s new event space can hold 450 guests. Details about attending and forthcoming announcements about presenters and speakers are at the Lambda Literary website . Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in  Breaking in Books .