91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – The 2015 Stonewall Book Awards were announced by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), during the 91´«Ã½ Midwinter Meeting in Chicago.

The Stonewall Book Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience and include the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award, the Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature award and the Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award. The awards will be presented to the winning authors or editors at the 91´«Ã½'s Annual Conference in San Francisco in June.

The Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award, part of the 91´«Ã½ Youth Media Awards, was presented to “This Day in June,” written by Gayle E. Pitman and published by Magination Press, an imprint of the American Psychological Association.

Three Stonewall Book Awards - Children’s and Young Adult Award Honor Books were named:

“Beyond Magenta: Transgender teens speak out,” written and photographed by Susan Kuklin and published by published by Candlewick Press.

“I’ll Give You the Sun,” written by Jandy Nelson and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

“Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress,” written by Christine Baldacchino, with pictures by Isabelle Malenfant and published by Groundwood Books, an imprint of House of Anansi Press.

The Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature Award was given to “Prelude To Bruise,” written by Saeed Jones and published by Coffee House Press.

Jones’ poetry is at once haunting. This lyrically brilliant collection manages to find beauty in even the most tragic situations. He manages to weave together narratives that expertly display the intersections of race, sexuality and personal identity in a way that is both challenging and accessible.

Four Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature Award Honor Books were named:

“Bitter Eden,” written by Tatamkhulu Afrika and published by Picador USA.

"Bitter Eden" is the story of two soldiers interred in a prisoner’s of war camp. It is the lyrical love story of a forbidden love at a distance.

“Frog Music,” written by Emma Donoghue and published by Little, Brown and Company.

Featuring a wide range of fascinating characters and a complex mystery at the core: "Frog Music" is a chilling and tragic novel set in historic San Francisco.

“The Two Hotel Francforts,” written by David Leavitt and published by Bloomsbury.

Two couples flee to Portugal as the Nazis invade 1940’s France. An obsessive romance threatens to tear both couples apart as the world around them crumbles.

“My Real Children,” written by Jo Walton and published by Tor Books.

In the novel, a woman’s life takes two special paths; a personal pair of stories that shows the romantic and tragic life of a woman with dementia.

The Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award was given to “Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims,” written by Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle and published by New York University Press.

Living out Islam documents the present the perspectives of GLBTQ Muslims within a framework of their creative strategies for negotiating their personal identifies and their faith.

Four Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award Honor Books were named: “Gay Berlin,” written by Robert Beachy and published by Alfred A. Knopf.

This is the ground-breaking study of Berlin’s gay life that features the life of sex workers to the politics of progressive policing framed by sharp, detailed, expressive photographs that helps to tell this increbible queer story of life in Berlin.

“Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More,” written by Janet Mock and published by Atria Books.

Janet Mock powerfully describes her personal oath to womanhood surviving and thriving through a difficult upbringing.

“Hold Tight Gently: Michael Callen, Essex Hemphill, and the Battlefield of AIDS,” written by Martin Duberman and published by The New Press.

Duberman’s powerful and rigorous examination of the AIDS crisis illuminates the tragedy with the bright lights of Michael Callen and Essex Hemphill.

“Charity & Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America,” written by Rachel Hope Cleves and published by Oxford University Press.

A cohesive and close reading of a Colonial-era lesbian relationship based on rare historic documents. Cleves places the women’s stories in the context of GLBT history and their own community.

The members of the 2015 Stonewall Book Awards Committee are: Chair Rebecca D. Hunt, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Ill.; Ellen M. Bosman, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M. ; Jennifer L. Collins, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Alyson Feldman-Piltch, Brookline, Mass.; Gina Marie Roberson, Moorpark City Library, Moorpark, Calif.; Joel Nichols, Free Library of Philadelphia; Holly Okuhara, Weber County Library System, Roy, Utah; Heather Shockey, Greenville (S.C.) County Library System; David Geier-Suarez, Spartanburg County Public Libraries, Spartanburg, S.C.; Wick Thomas, Kansas City, Mo.; and Donald L. Yarman, Delaware (Ohio) County District Library.

About GLBTRT

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table of the 91´«Ã½ is committed to serving the information needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender professional library community and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender information and access needs of individuals at large. GLBTRT is committed to encouraging and supporting the free and necessary access to all information, as reflected by the missions of the 91´«Ã½ and democratic institutions.

For more information about the Stonewall Book Awards, please visit .