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Biographical
Information
About Past Alice B Medal Winners
Alison Bechdel (2007 Medal
Winner), the
writer of the comic strip "Dykes To Watch Out For,"
has become a countercultural institution since it began in
1983. The strip is syndicated in dozens of newspapers, translated
into several languages and collected in a series of award-winning
books. Utne Magazine has listed DTWOF as "one
of the greatest hits of the twentieth century." And
Comics Journal says, "Bechdel's art distills the
pleasures of Friends and The Nation; we recognize
our world in it, with its sorrows and ironies." In addition
to her comic strip, Bechdel has also done exclusive work for
a slew of publications, including Ms., Slate, The Village
Voice, The Advocate, Out, and many other newspapers, websites,
comic books, and Ezines. In 2006, Houghton Mifflin published
her graphic memoir, Fun Home: FamilyTragicomic. The
bestselling coming-of-age tale has been called a "mesmerizing
feat of familial resurrection and a rare, prime example of
why graphic novels have taken over the conversation about
American literature." Fun Home was named "best
book of the year" by TIME magazine. Bechdel lives near
Burlington, Vermont, and you can find out more about her work
at her website.
Gerri Hill
(2007 Medal Winner) has
published multiple works, including Lambda finalists Gulf
Breeze and Artist's Dream, and GCLS finalist Hunter's
Way. She is published by Bella Books, and has three titles,
The Target, The Cottage, and In the Name of the
Father - a sequel to Hunter's Way - scheduled for
release in 2007. She began writing lesbian romance as a way
to amuse herself while snowed in one winter in the mountains
of Colorado, and hasn't looked back. Her first published work
came in 2000 with One Summer Night. Hill's love of
nature and of being outdoors usually makes its way into her
stories as her characters often find themselves in beautiful
natural settings. When she isn't writing, Hill and her longtime
partner, Diane, can be found at their home in East Texas,
where their vegetable garden, orchard, and five acres of woods
keep them busy. They share their lives with two labs, Max
and Zack, and an assortment of furry felines. You can find
out more about her work at her website.
Lori L. Lake
(2007 Medal Winner) is the author of six
novels, a collection of short stories, and the editor of two
anthologies including the Lambda Literary Award Finalist The
Milk of Human Kindness: Lesbian Authors Write About Mothers
& Daughters. Her latest offering, Snow Moon Rising,
won the 2007 Golden Crown Literary Award in General/Dramatic
Fiction as well as the 2007 Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award.
She has been the recipient of nine Stonewall Society Literary
Awards, and her suspense thriller, Have Gun We'll Travel
(2005), was a 2006 Golden Crown Literary Award Finalist.
With her partner of 25 years, Lori lives south of the Twin
Cities. She teaches fiction-writing courses at The Loft Literary
Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation.
Lori also presents seminars and workshops on writing topics
such as character building, plot, the writing process, the
writing life, mystery structure, and form and structure in
the modern novel. Her next book is a collection of short stories
that will be published in November 2007, and she's currently
at work on her next novel. When she's not working at her computer,
you can find her either at the local movie house or curled
up in a chair reading. For more information about her work,
see her website.
Lee Lynch (2007 Medal Winner)
started writing lesbian fiction and non-fiction in the 1960s
when she was a frequent contributor to "The Ladder,"
the only lesbian publication at the time. Since then she has
published thirteen books, her stories have appeared in a number
of anthologies, and she has written reviews and feature articles
for The Lambda Book Report and many other publications.
Her syndicated column, "The Amazon Trail," has been
running in papers across the country since 1986. She lives
on the Oregon Coast where she earns a living as a researcher.
In 2006 she was inducted into the Saints and Sinners Literary
Hall of Fame in New Orleans, and her novel Sweet Creek,
from Bold Strokes Books, was named one of the top ten fiction
books of the year by the Q Syndicate. You can find out more
about Lee at her publisher's website.
Marijane Meaker
(2007 Medal Winner) arrived
in New York City, fresh out of the University of Missouri,
in 1949. She could not find a literary agent to represent
her and so became an agent herself by having stationery with
her name. She had to invent pseudonyms to be her clients:
Vin Packer, Ann Aldrich, Laura Winston (who wrote slicks),
Edgar and Mamie Stone (confession writers). All were Marijane
Meaker. After Packer and Aldrich were successful enough for
Marijane to abandon her agency, she free-lanced for many years.
Her acquaintance with children's writer Louise Fitzhugh inspired
her to write her first young adult novel, Dinky Hocker
Shoots Smack, and to choose a new pseudonym: M.E. Kerr.
She also wrote adult novels under her own name, her most successful
being Shockproof Sydney Slate, which Fox plans to turn
into a movie. She was born in Auburn, New York, and now lives
in East Hampton, New York. You can learn more about Marijane
and the work she's done under all her pen names at her
website.
Jane Rule (2007 Medal Winner)
was born in New Jersey, March 28, 1931, and received
a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in 1952. She
did graduate work at University College, London, England and
Stanford University. She taught at Concord Academy in Massachusetts
from 1954 through 1956 where she met Helen Sonthoff with whom
she lived until Ms. Sonthoff's death in 2000. They moved to
Vancouver, B.C. in 1956 and taught at the University of British
Columbia until they retired to Galiano Island in 1976. Ms
Rule has published 12 books , including 7 novels, 3 collections
of short stories, a collection of essays, and the critical
work, Lesbian Images. Her novel Desert of the Heart
was made into the film "Desert Hearts." Several
documentary films have been made about her and her work, including
"Fiction and Other Truths." Her work has been translated
into French, German, Dutch, Italian, and Spanish. She has
received an honorary degree from the University of British
Columbia and holds both the Order of British Columbia and
the Order of Canada.
Jennifer Fulton (2006 Medal
Winner) grew up in New Zealand and now lives in
the Midwest with her partner and a menagerie of animals. Jennifer
began publishing with the Naiad Press fifteen years ago and
is the author of twelve novels under three pen names: Jennifer
Fulton, Rose Beecham, and Grace Lennox. Her book trade experience
dates back twenty years: starting out as a librarian, she
became a bookstore owner, literary critic, editor, author,
screenwriter, and teacher of writing. In 2005 Jennifer added
two new works to her acclaimed Moon Island romance series:
The Sacred Shore and Guarded Heart and also kicked off a new
thriller/romance series with Dark Dreamer. As Rose
Beecham, she published Grave Silence, the first in
a new mystery series featuring a Colorado county Sheriff's
detective, Jude Devine. Not content with four new novels,
Jennifer added Chance, written as Grace Lennox. She
describes this as a contemporary story of a young woman's
quest for a new life as "lesbian chick-lit." No
matter what pen name she uses, Jennifer's writing is always
fresh, witty, and thought provoking. She says of her work,
"my first aim is always to provide top notch entertainment
to my readers." Currently RCE's Yellow Rose Books and
Bold Strokes Books publish Jennifer's work and you can find
out more about her at her website.
Claire McNab (2006 Medal
Winner) Transplanted from Australia to Los Angeles,
Claire McNab continues to be one of the top detective novelists
in the genre. Her sixteen-novel Carol Ashton series, six-novel
Denise Cleever series, and the new three-novel Kylie Kendall
series, as well as two romance novels, certainly make her
one of the most prolific writers around. Couple this with
a writer with a keen sense of what's topical, an ability to
make characters real, a knowledge of investigative methods
and procedure, and excellent writing skills, and you've got
the promise of a good mystery. Claire's newest series is set
in Los Angeles and involves a transplanted Aussie who inherits
her dad's private-eye business. For those of us who are a
little klutzy, Kylie is a refreshing change from all those
other PI's who know what they're doing and always look great
doing it. Here's a PI that we can get behind! We might even
know her. Alyson publishes the Kylie Kendall series. Bella
Books publishes the Carol Ashton and Denise Cleever series.
New mystery novels and romances are in the works, and you
can find out more about her work at her website.
Ann Allen Shockley (2006
Medal Winner) Ann Allen Shockley is an academic
librarian of note. As a librarian, she long ago noted a gap
in black fiction with regard to black lesbians. Her response
was to write the novel Loving Her (1974), and a book
of short stories, The Black and White of It (1980).
Subsequently, she added a second novel, Say Jesus and Come
To Me (1982). Naiad reissued all three books in 1987.
Of Ann's work, Alice Walker (The Color Purple) wrote:
"In its exploration of a daring subject boldly shared,
I think [Loving Her] enables us to see and understand,
perhaps for the first time, the choices certain women have
made about how they will live their lives… [I]t offers
the reader an opportunity to develop a new way of seeing and
caring." A young black male reviewer's reaction wasn't
quite so positive: "This bullshit should not be encouraged!"
That too, says it all. Ann also wrote Living Black American
Authors: A Biographical Directory (with Sue P. Chandler),
A Handbook of Black Librarianship (with E.J.Josey),
and edited Afro-American Women Writers 1746-1933: An Anthology
& Critical Guide. Her short stories have appeared
in Essence, African Americana Review,
Negro Digest, Black World, Feminary, Sinister Wisdom, Azalea,
New Letters, Freedomways, and more. Ann's latest novel,
Celebrating Hotchclaw, was published in 2005 by A &
M Books. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and can be reached
in care of her publisher.
Sheila Ortiz-Taylor (2006
Medal Winner) Sheila Ortiz Taylor is a "pioneer"
writer selected for her versatility and outstanding work.
Faultline (1982) was the first novel ever to feature an out
lesbian Chicana sleuth. Along with Southbound (1990) and Spring
Forward, Fall Back (1985), all published by Naiad, these three
novels are probably the funniest books you'll ever read. Naiad
also published her book of poetry, Slow Dancing at Miss Polly's.
In addition, University of New Mexico Press published a novel,
Coachella (1996) and a memoir, Imaginary Parents (1998). Sheila's
newest book, OutRageous (2006) from Spinsters Ink is the fourth
in the Benbow Series. In addition to writing, Sheila and her
partner have been in the vanguard fighting for our civil rights.
They sued a retirement community in Florida for admission
a few years back and won. A mystery featuring an older sleuth,
Assisted Living, will be published by Spinsters Ink in 2007.
When you select a book written by Sheila Ortiz Taylor, you
never know what it will be about, or what type a story you'll
get, but you know that it'll be well written and entertaining!
Sheila is a poet, essayist, teacher, and now retired as professor
emerita from Florida State University. You can find out more
about her work at her website.
Sarah Dreher (2005 Medal
Winner) Best known for her Stoner McTavish series,
Sarah Dreher lives in Amherst, Massachusetts and is a clinical
psychologist, playwright, and speaker. She has published nine
books including the seven-book Stoner McTavish series, a book
of five plays called Lesbian Stages, and a romance
novel set in pre-Stonewall days called Solitaire and Brahms.
The latest in the Stoner series garnered a Lambda Literary
Award for Best Mystery. Sarah loves animals and has an eighty-pound
dog, a Husky/Shepherd named Luna, who sleeps on her bed (or
anywhere else she wants). Sarah likes to putter in her garden,
and she spends quiet time at her cabin in the wilds of the
Berkshires with the resident bear and coyotes. A new Stoner
mystery called Love Murders is currently in the works.
You can find out more about Sarah at her website.
Katherine V. Forrest (2005
Medal Winner) is the internationally known author
of 15 works of fiction, including the lesbian-feminist utopian
trilogy that began with Daughters of the Coral Dawn
and the Kate Delafield mystery series, which is a three-time
winner of the Lambda Literary Award and was the very first
novel in the American lesbian mystery genre. She has also
written a number of romance and science fiction novels, and
her romance A Curious Wine is considered a classic
of American lesbian literature.. She has edited numerous anthologies,
and her stories, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications
worldwide. She was senior editor at Naiad Press for ten years,
and continues to edit as well as teach classes in the craft
of fiction. She was a recipient of the Lambda Literary Foundation's
Pioneer Award and lives with her partner in San Francisco.
You can find out more about her work at her website.
Ellen Hart (2005 Medal
Winner) After spending twelve years as a kitchen
manager at a large sorority in the Midwest, it was either
do the real thing or commit murder on paper. Hence, Ellen
Hart became a crime writer. Since 1989, she has penned twenty-three
mysteries in two different series. Ellen is a five-time winner
of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time
winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Crime & Detective
Fiction, and a two-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary
Award for Best Lesbian Mystery/Adventure. Entertainment Weekly
has named her one of one-hundred-and-one "movers and
shakers in the gay entertainment industry." She teaches
mystery writing through the The Loft Literary Center, the
largest independent writing community in the nation, and lives
in Minneapolis with her partner of twenty-nine years. You
can find out more about her work at her website.
Peggy J. Herring (2004
Medal Winner) lives on 7 acres in south Texas with
her cockatiel, hermit crabs, 2 wooden cats and several chickens.
When she isn't writing, Peggy enjoys traveling. She is the
author of Once More With Feeling, Love's Harvest, Hot Check,
A Moment's Indiscretion, Those Who Wait, To Have and to Hold,
Calm Before the Storm, The Comfort of Strangers, Beyond All
Reason, Distant Thunder, White Lace and Promises, Midnight
Rain, and Shelter From
the Storm. Her next romance is titled All That Glitters
and should be released in the fall of 2007. Her current project
is a romance titled Forsaking All Others to be released
in 2008. You can contact Peggy through Bella Books, her publisher.
Karin Kallmaker (2004 Medal
Winner) is the author of more than twenty romances
and fantasy-science fiction novels, and recently expanded
her repertoire to include explicit erotica. As Karin says,
"Nice Girls Do." Her works include the award-winning
Just Like That, Maybe Next Time, and Sugar,
as well as numerous other Lambda Award and Golden Crown Literary
Award finalists. Her short stories have appeared in anthologies
from publishers such as Alyson, Circlet, Haworth, and Regal
Crest Enterprises. She began her writing career with the venerable
Naiad Press and continues with Bella Books. She and her partner
are the mothers of two and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She is descended from Lady Godiva, a fact which she'll share
with anyone who will listen. She likes her Internet fast,
her iPod loud, and her chocolate real. You can find out more
about her work at her
website.
Radclyffe (2004 Medal Winner)
is the author of more than two dozen lesbian romances and
novels of intrigue and of multiple erotica anthologies. Her
short fiction appears in the Erotic Interlude series (ed.
with Stacia Seaman), and selections in multiple anthologies
including Call of the Dark and The Perfect Valentine
(Bella Books), Best Lesbian Erotica 2006 and 2007,
After Midnight (Cleis), First-Timers and Ultimate
Undies: Erotic Stories About Lingerie and Underwear (Alyson),
and Sex and Candy and Naughty Spanking Stories 2
from Pretty Things Press. She is the recipient of the 2003
and 2004 Alice B. Readers' award, a 2005 Golden Crown Literary
Society Award winner in both the romance category (Fated
Love) and the mystery/adventure/action category (Justice
in the Shadows), 2006 GCLS finalist for romance (Distant
Shores, Silent Thunder) and winner for mystery (Justice
Served), and a 2006 Lambda Literary award winner for romance
(Distant Shores, Silent Thunder) and erotica (Erotic
Interludes 2: Stolen Moments ed. with Stacia Seaman).
A retired surgeon, she is the president of Bold Strokes Books,
a publishing company offering acclaimed lesbian-themed general
and genre fiction. She lives in New York State with her partner,
Lee. You can find out more about her work at her website.
Biographical
Information
For Current Winners
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