Congratulations to debut novelist Robert Westfield (left), who took home both the gay fiction and gay debut fiction prizes (inset) at last week’s Lambda Literary Awards (which we would have eagerly attended if we hadn’t had party hosting duties of our own.) Westfield, seen here with Josh Kilmer-Purcell and their mutual publisher, Carrie Kania of HarperPerennial, describes his reaction to the event on his blog: “Thrilled that the award was presented early in the evening and I was able to relax, I enjoyed the serenity of just sitting on the floor and listening to the presenters and subsequent recipients,” he says of winning the first award. “Then there we were again. Twenty-three categories after my acceptance speech. No nerves this time…I was not remotely prepared for what followed.”
Among the winners in the other 25 categories, Lilian Faderman & Stuart Timmons were doubly honored for Gay LA in both the arts-and-culture and LGBT nonfiction categories, Sarah Waters took lesbian fiction yet again, this time for The Night Watch, Ellis Avery won the lesbian debut fiction category for The Teahouse Fire, and Alison Bechdel won the lesbian memoir prize for Fun Home. By the way, add Bernard Cooper‘s win for his gay memoir The Bill From My Father to the Waters and Avery, and that’s three books that editor Geoff Kloske shepherded to market, first at Simon & Schuster and then at Riverhead…