Lesbian writer Jewelle Gomez will receive the Golden Crown Literary Society ( GCLS ) 2016 Trailblazer Award July 9 in Alexandria, Virginia.
Gomez is the author of seven books, including the double Lambda Literary Award-winning, Black lesbian vampire novel The Golda Stories, in print from Firebrand Books continuously since 1991.
Her play about an imagined moment of indecision in the life of author/activist James Baldwin, Waiting for Giovanni, premiered in San Francisco. Her new playLeaving the Blues about singer/composer Alberta Hunterwill premiere next year at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre Center.
She was also on the founding boards of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ), the Astraea Lesbian Foundation and the Open Meadows Foundation. Formerly the director of grants for Horizons ( now known as Center on Halsted ), she is also the former president of the San Francisco Public Library Commission.
The GCLS Trailblazer award recognizes lifetime achievement and is presented each year to a single author in recognition of the contributions made to the field of lesbian literature.