The following titles have been read and recommended for inclusion on the final list by at least one juror:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fiction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Camp Damascus<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Chuck Tingle. <\/strong>Simon & Schuster. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n From beloved internet icon Chuck Tingle,?Camp Damascus<\/em>?is a searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community face in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chlorine<\/a> <\/em><\/strong>by Jade Song. William Morrow. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the vein of?The Pisces?<\/em>and?The Vegetarian<\/em>,?Chlorine?<\/em>is a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies? a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Endpapers<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by <\/strong>Jennifer Savran Kelly. ?Algonquin Books. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A queer book conservator finds a mysterious old love letter, setting off a search for the author who wrote it and for a meaningful life beyond the binary in early-2000s New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong> <\/strong>by<\/strong> <\/strong>Marisa Crane. Catapult. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dept. of Speculation <\/em>meets Black Mirror<\/em> in this lyrical, speculative debut about a queer mother raising her daughter in an unjust surveillance state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judas Goat<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Gabrielle Bates. Tin House Books. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In confession, in illumination, Bates establishes herself as an unflinching witness to the risks that desire necessitates, as Judas Goat<\/em> holds readers close and whispers its unforgettable lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sister, Maiden, Monster<\/a> <\/em><\/strong>by <\/strong>Lucy Snyder. Tor Nightfire. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sister, Maiden, Monster<\/em> is a visceral story set in the aftermath of our planet?s disastrous transformation and told through the eyes of three women trying to survive the nightmare, from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Lucy A. Snyder.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Stop Lying<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Aaron Smith. <\/strong>University of Pittsburgh Press. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Stop Lying<\/em> is Aaron Smith?s most personal and vulnerable work yet. Revolving around the death of the poet?s mother and how Smith, a gay man, faces his upbringing where his sexuality was viewed as sinful and unnatural, these poems plumb the complexities of what families say and choose not to say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell me I?m Worthless<\/a> <\/em><\/strong>by Alison Rumfitt. Tor Nightfire. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A dark, unflinching haunted house novel that takes readers from the well of the literary gothic, up through Brighton’s queer scene, and out into the heart of modern day trans experience in the UK<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonfiction<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ace Notes<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by <\/strong>Michele Kirichanskaya. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Covering everything from coming out, explaining asexuality and understanding different types of attraction, to marriage, relationships, sex, consent, gatekeeping, religion, ace culture and more, this is the ultimate arsenal for whatever the allo world throws at you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black on Black<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Daniel Black. <\/strong>Hanover Square Press. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A piercing collection of essays on racial tension in America and the ongoing fight for visibility, change, and lasting hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choosing Family<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by <\/strong>Francesca Royster. Abrams Family. 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A brilliant literary memoir of chosen family and chosen heritage, told against the backdrop of Chicago?s North and South Sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n