17th Lambda Literary Awards

The 17th Lambda Literary Awards were held in 2005 to honour works of LGBT literature published in 2004.

Special awards

Category	Winner
Independent Press Award	Suspect Thoughts Press, Bella Books

Nominees and winners

Category	Winner	Nominated
Anthologies/Fiction	Edmund White and Donald Weise, eds., Fresh Men: New Voices in Gay Fiction	Angela Brown, Best Lesbian Love Stories 2004 Peter Burton, Serendipity: The Gay Times Book of New Stories Clint Catalyst and Michelle Tea, Pills, Thrills, Chills, and Heartache: Adventures in the First Person Lori L. Lake, The Milk of Human Kindness: Lesbian Authors Write About Mothers & Daughters
Anthologies/Non-Fiction	Greg Wharton and Ian Philips, eds., I Do/I Don't: Queers on Marriage	Mary Burger, Robert Glück, Camille Roy and Gail Scott, Biting the Error: Writers Explore Narrative Angela Brown, Mentsh: On Being Jewish and Queer Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, That’s Revolting!: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation Raphael Kadushin, Wonderlands
Autobiography/Memoir	Alison Smith, Name All the Animals	Jack Nichols, The Tomcat Chronicles Ron Nyswaner, Blue Days, Black Nights Mary Oliver, Long Life Michelle Tea, Rent Girl
Biography	Alexis De Veaux, Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde	Douglas Crase, Both: A Portrait in Two Parts John F. Galliher, Wayne H. Brekhus and David P. Keys, Laud Humphreys: Prophet of Homosexuality and Sociology Deborah Jowitt, Jerome Robbins Evelyn C. White, Alice Walker: A Life
Children's/Young Adult	Alex Sánchez, So Hard to Say	Julie Anne Peters, Luna Sharon Dennis Wyeth, Orphea Proud Judy MacLean, Rosemary and Juliet David Levithan, The Realm of Possibility
Drama	Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife	Donald Reuter, Fabulous! David Gere, How to Make Dances in an Epidemic Sharon Bridgeforth, love conjure/blues Claude J. Summers, The Queer Encyclopedia of Music, Dance and Musical Theater
Erotica	Richard Labonté, Best Gay Erotica 2005	Karin Kallmaker, All the Wrong Places Tristan Taormino, Best Lesbian Erotica 2005 Karin Kallmaker, Therese Syzmanski, Julia Watts and Barbara Johnson, Once Upon a Dyke Rachel Kramer Bussel and Stacy M. Bias, Up All Night: Adventures in Lesbian Sex
Gay Debut Fiction	Blair Mastbaum, Clay's Way	Damian McNicholl, A Son Called Gabriel Aaron Krach, Half-Life Marc Acito, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship, and Musical Theater Brian Leung, World Famous Love Acts
Gay Fiction	Colm Tóibín, The Master	Ted Wojtasik, Collage Han Ong, The Disinherited Derek McCormack, The Haunted Hillbilly Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty
Gay Mystery	Anthony Bidulka, Flight of Aquavit	Greg Herren, Jackson Square Jazz John Morgan Wilson, Moth and Flame Gary Zebrun, Someone You Know Dorien Grey, The Role Players
Gay Poetry	Luis Cernuda, Written in Water	D. A. Powell, Cocktails Marvin K. White, nothin’ ugly fly Carl Phillips, The Rest of Love Mark Wunderlich, Voluntary Servitude
Humor	David Sedaris, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim	Cheryl Peck, Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs Greg Fox, Kyle's Bed & Breakfast Augusten Burroughs, Magical Thinking Michael Alvear and Vicky A. Shecter, Alexander the Fabulous
Lesbian Debut Fiction	Judith Frank, Crybaby Butch	Mary Vermillion, Death by Discount Kristie Helms, Dish It Up, Baby! Laurinda D. Brown, Fire & Brimstone Bridget Bufford, Minus One: A Twelve-Step Journey
Lesbian Fiction	Stacey D'Erasmo, A Seahorse Year	Valerie Miner, Abundant Light Emma Donoghue, Life Mask Maggie Dubris, Skels Susan Stinson, Venus of Chalk
Lesbian Mystery	Katherine V. Forrest, Hancock Park	Ellen Hart, An Intimate Ghost Jennifer Jordan, Commitment to Die Mary Vermillion, Death by Discount Claire McNab, The Wombat Strategy
Lesbian Poetry	Beverly Burch, Sweet to Burn	Amy King, Antidotes for an Alibi Carol Guess, Femme’s Dictionary Adrienne Rich, The School Among the Ruins Mary Oliver, Why I Wake Early
LGBT Studies	Elisabeth Kirtsoglou, For the Love of Women: Gender, Identity and Same-Sex Relations in a Greek Provincial Town	Andrea Barnet, All-Night Party Will Fellows, A Passion to Preserve Abigail Garner, Families Like Mine Evan Wolfson, Why Marriage Matters
Photography/Visual Arts	Evan Bachner and Harry Abrams, At Ease: Navy Men of World War II	Thomas Waugh, Lust Unearthed Jenni Olson, The Queer Movie Poster Book Michelle Tea and Laurenn McCubbin, Rent Girl Claude J. Summers, The Queer Encyclopedia of the Visual Arts
Romance	Steve Kluger, Almost Like Being in Love	Karin Kallmaker, All the Wrong Places Chris Kenry, Confessions of a Casanova Gerri Hill, Gulf Breeze Marianne Martin, Under the Witness Tree
Religion/Spirituality	Will Roscoe, Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love	Randy Conner and David Hatfield Sparks, Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions Marvin M. Ellison, Same-Sex Marriage: A Christian Ethical Analysis Donald L. Boisvert, Sanctity and Male Desire Steven Greenberg, Wrestling with God & Men
Science fiction, fantasy or horror	Jim Grimsley, The Ordinary	Michael Jensen, Firelands Greg Herren, Shadows of the Night: Queer Tales of the Uncanny and Unusual Jean Stewart, The Wizard of Isis Nicola Griffith, With Her Body
Transgender	Mariette Pathy Allen, The Gender Frontier	Jamison Green, Becoming a Visible Man Morty Diamond, From the Inside Out: Radical Gender Transformation, FTM and Beyond Julie Anne Peters, Luna Helen Boyd, My Husband Betty: Love, Sex and Life with a Crossdresser

References

• "17th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary Awards . July 9, 2005. Retrieved August 23, 2025.