Golden Crown Literary Society

The Golden Crown Literary Society was established in 2004 as a response to lesbian presses and authors being ignored by other awarding agencies. By its third annual conference in 2007 in Atlanta, participants had grown from 30 to nearly 300.^[1]

The five women who founded GCLS were on its original advisory board: Carrie Carr, Cathy LeNoir Bryerose, Lori L. Lake, Radclyffe, and Kathy L. Smith. In 2006, Bryerose became the first executive director, followed by Smith (2007 to 2008), Patty Schramm (2009 to 2013), Liz Gibson (2013 to 2016), Mary Phillips (2016 to 2021), Ann Roberts (2021 to 2022), and Betsy Carswell (2022 to the present).^[2] Between 2019 and 2022, GCLS updated its mission statement and organizational language to describe its focus as "sapphic" literature rather than exclusively "lesbian" literature. The organization stated that the change was intended to better reflect a broader community that includes women-loving-women as well as bisexual, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, and other LGBTQ+ authors and readers whose work falls within the sapphic literary tradition.^[3]

Since 2005, GCLS has held an annual conference at which Goldies are presented in categories of Sapphic literature. In 2014, a writing academy was opened for new and upcoming authors, including one-on-one mentoring and in-class instruction. In 2017, the GCLS board added a director of inclusion to emphasize diversity. In 2021, a free, virtual series was launched via Zoom to cover LGBTQ topics, complementing regional events organized by GCLS that offered in-person panels, book sales and author signings.^{[citation needed]} By 2025, attendance at the annual GCLS conference had grown to nearly 400 participants, approximately one-third of whom were first-time attendees.^[4]

In 2016, GCLS launched the GCLS Writing Academy, a nine-month educational program focused on the development of sapphic fiction writers. The program was established as part of the organization's educational mission and offered master classes, mentorship, scholarships, payment plans, and structured coursework for writers at multiple stages of their careers. Students received instruction from published authors within the sapphic literary community and completed coursework between September and June, culminating in a graduation ceremony held during the annual GCLS conference.^[5]

Over time, the Writing Academy expanded into multiple instructional tracks covering novel-writing fundamentals, revision, publishing, and book marketing. Faculty and guest instructors included established authors such as E.J. Noyes, Melissa Brayden, Aurora Rey, Lynn Ames, Karin Kallmaker, Jen Lyon, Bryce Oakley, J.J. Arias, Clare Ashton, Kimberly Cooper-Griffin, and Anna Burke.^[6]

In May 2026, GCLS announced that the Writing Academy would be placed on a "strategic pause" to evaluate the program's long-term structure, including the possibility of offering educational content in alternative formats..^[7]

The Trailblazer Award has been given at the annual conference since 2005 to a lesbian writer for contributions to lesbian literature. The Lee Lynch Classic Award was added in 2012 to recognize books with influential historical value.^[8] Past winners include:

• 2026 - Trailblazer Award: Jean M. Redmann; Lee Lynch Classic: Memory Mambo by Achy Obejas
• 2025 - Trailblazer Award: Penny Mickelbury; Lee Lynch Classic: Trash by Dorothy Allison
• 2024 - Trailblazer Award: Lesléa Newman; Lee Lynch Classic: Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule
• 2023 - Trailblazer Award: Alison Bechdel; Lee Lynch Classic: Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology edited by Barbara Smith
• 2022 - Trailblazer Award: Elana Dykewomon; Lee Lynch Classic: Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller
• 2021 - Trailblazer Award: Pat Parker; Lee Lynch Classic: Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde^[9]
• 2020 - Trailblazer Award: Barbara Wilson; Lee Lynch Classic: The Wanderground: Stories of the Hill Women by Sally Miller Gearhart
• 2019 - Trailblazer Award: Sandra Scoppettone; Lee Lynch Classic: Loving Her by Ann Allen Shockley
• 2018 - Trailblazer Award: Dorothy Allison; Lee Lynch Classic: Riverfinger Women by Elana Dykewomon^[10]
• 2017 - Trailblazer Award: Lillian Faderman; Lee Lynch Classic: Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman^[11]
• 2016 - Trailblazer Award: Jewelle Gomez; Lee Lynch Classic: Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest^[12]
• 2015 - Trailblazer Award: Joan Nestle; Lee Lynch Classic: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown^[13]
• 2014 - Trailblazer Award: Judy Grahn; Lee Lynch Classic: Annie on My Mind, Nancy Garden
• 2013 - Trailblazer Award: Marijane Meaker; Lee Lynch Classic: Spring Fire by Marijane Meaker writing as Vin Packer
• 2012 - Trailblazer Award: Marianne K. Martin; Lee Lynch Classic: Swashbuckler by Lee Lynch^[14]
• 2011 - Trailblazer Award: Karin Kallmaker
• 2010 - Trailblazer Award: Ellen Hart^[15]
• 2009 - Trailblazer Award: Lee Lynch
• 2008 - Trailblazer Award: Katherine V. Forrest
• 2007 - Trailblazer Award: Jane Rule
• 2006 - Trailblazer Award: Sarah Aldridge
• 2005 - Trailblazer Award: Ann Bannon

Called "a night to remember" by The Advocate, trailblazers Lee Lynch and Dorothy Allison and Lee Lynch Classic winner Rita Mae Brown shared a stage for the first time at the 2015 Goldies ceremony. Also that night, Geonn Cannon became the first male writer to win two Goldies, and Jacob Anderson-Minshall was the first openly transgender author to win. He shared the award with Diane Anderson-Minshall for Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders.^[16]

The 2019 Goldies ceremony included the world premiere of the feature-length documentary In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction. Co-directed by Lisa Marie Evans and Trailblazer Marianne K. Martin, the film explores and preserves the documents that dominated lesbian-themed literature in the 20th century.^[17]

The Goldies are annual literary awards: as of 2026^[update], they are selected for "excellence in sapphic and women-loving-women literature", and in the past, they have been bestowed for "excellence in Lesbian-themed Literature".^[18][19] The Goldies have expanded from four judged categories in 2005 to 11 in 2013^[20] to 18 in 2026, along with two popular choice awards.^[18]

In recent years, Goldie entries have been submitted by large publishers (e.g., Farrar Straus Giroux, Hatchette Book Group, Macmillian Publishers, St. Martin's Press and Tantor Media), mid-size publishers (e.g., Bold Strokes Books and Skyhorse Publishing), small press publishers (e.g., Aesculus Books, Bedazzled Ink, Bella Books, Blue Feather Books, Brisk Press, Bywater Books, Copper Canyon Press, Desert Palm Press, Flashpoint Publications, Launch Point Press, Midnight Ink, Sapphfic Publishing, Sapphire Books, Spinsters Ink, Regal Crest and Ylva Publishing), university press houses and self-publishing enterprises.^[21]

Named after "the queen of lesbian pulp fiction",^[22] the Ann Bannon^[23] Popular Choice Award was established in 2007. Currently, Ann Bannon awards recognize three books rated by judges as being of highest quality, and then by popular vote as favorites among the books determined by judges to be finalists.

Established in 2015 to honor "one of the most visible and accessible lesbian artists in the world",^[24] the Tee Corinne^[25] Award for Outstanding Cover Design recognizes one book chosen as the favorite after two rounds of popular voting. Voters are encouraged to consider not only the cover but also typography, layout of printed words and how visual elements are arranged.

Recent winners demonstrate the international reach of the Goldies. In 2023, all four winners of the Ann Bannon and Tee Corrine awards were from outside the United States – Emily Banting^[26] and Suzanne Moss^[27] from England, Jae from Germany and E.J. Noyes^[28] from New Zealand. Other international winners in 2023 included Jo Havens^[29] and Lianyu Tan^[30] (Australia), Arlene Pare (Canada), Rachel Sommers^[31] (England), J.J. Hale^[32] (Ireland) and G. Benson^[33] (Spain).

A restricted grant from the Aronson-Besthoff Fund of the Greater New Orleans Foundation rendered Goldie winners eligible for prize money. In 2023, Ann Bannon winners received $3,000 for first place (gold), $2,000 for second place (silver) and $1,000 for third place (bronze). In 2024, Ann Bannon prizes were $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000.^[34]