Golden Crown Literary Society


Golden Crown Literary Society is an American nonprofit organization established in 2004 for those with an interest in Sapphic literature. Since 2005, GCLS has at its annual conference presented Golden Crown Literary Awards to authors and editors in various categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and anthologies/collections, as well as for cover design and audiobook narration.

History

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.
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, Patty Schramm, Liz Gibson, Mary Phillips, Ann Roberts, and Betsy Carswell.
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.

Conferences

The annual conference is GCLS's main in-person event for those with an interest in Sapphic literature and LGBTQ issues. Programming includes presentations by panelists and individuals, workshops and other classes, author readings and signings, and structured and informal opportunities for attendees to engage with each other.

Speakers

In addition to conference programming, the keynote and special speakers discuss topics of interest to LGBTQ and other attendees. Past speakers include:
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. Past winners include:
  • 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
  • 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
  • 2017 - Trailblazer Award: Lillian Faderman; Lee Lynch Classic: Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
  • 2016 - Trailblazer Award: Jewelle Gomez; Lee Lynch Classic: Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest
  • 2015 - Trailblazer Award: Joan Nestle; Lee Lynch Classic: Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
  • 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
  • 2011 - Trailblazer Award: Karin Kallmaker
  • 2010 - Trailblazer Award: Ellen Hart
  • 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.
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.

Goldie Awards

The Goldies are annual literary awards: as of 2026, 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". The Goldies have expanded from four judged categories in 2005 to 11 in 2013 to 18 in 2026, along with two popular choice awards.
In recent years, Goldie entries have been submitted by large publishers, mid-size publishers, small press publishers, university press houses and self-publishing enterprises.
Named after “the queen of lesbian pulp fiction,” the Ann Bannon 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," the Tee Corinne 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 and Suzanne Moss from England, Jae from Germany and E.J. Noyes from New Zealand. Other international winners in 2023 included Jo Havens and Lianyu Tan, Arlene Pare, Rachel Sommers, J.J. Hale and G. Benson.
A five-year restricted grant of $500,000 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, $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place. In 2024, Ann Bannon prizes were $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000.

Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award

  • 2025 – Gold: The Unfinished Line by Jen Lyon ; Silver: Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter ; Bronze: Bachelorette Number Twelve by Jae ;
  • 2024 – Gold: Chaos Agent by Lee Winter ; Silver: Meeting Millie by Claire Ashton ; Bronze: On the Same Page by Haley Cass
  • 2023 – Gold: If I Don’t Ask by E.J. Noyes ; Silver: Just a Touch Away by Jae ; Bronze: Broken Beyond Repair by Emily Banting
  • 2022 –The Headmistress by Milena McKay
  • 2021 – Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
  • 2020 – Judge Me When I'm Wrong by Cheryl A. Head
  • 2019 – A Proper Cuppa Tea by KG MacGregor
  • 2018 – An Outsider Inside by RJ Samuel
  • 2017 – Rainbow Gap by Lee Lynch
  • 2016 – All We Lack by Sandra Moran
  • 2015 – Olive Oil & White Bread by Georgia Beers
  • 2014 – TIE: All That Lies Within by Lynn Ames ; Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran
  • 2013 – Survived by Her Longtime Companion by Chris Paynter
  • 2012 – Bingo Barge Murder, A Shay O'Hanlon Caper by Jessie Chandler
  • 2011 – Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers
  • 2010 – Beggar of Love by Lee Lynch
  • 2009 –The Kiss That Counted by Karin Kallmaker
  • 2008 – And Playing The Role of Herself by K. E. Lane
  • 2007 – Snow Moon Rising by Lori L. Lake

    Tee Corinne Award for Outstanding Cover Design

  • 2025 – The Piano in the Tree, cover design by Korin Hunjak
  • 2024 – Along the Mystic River, cover design by Lisa Gold
  • 2023 – Observations on the Danger of Female Curiosity, cover design by Suzanne Moss
  • 2022 –The Headmistress, cover design by Em Schreiber
  • 2021 – Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood, cover design by Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio
  • 2020 – Alone, cover design by Judith Fellows
  • 2019 – 2°, cover design by Ann McMan
  • 2018 – An Outsider Inside, cover design by Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio
  • 2017 – Heartscapes, cover design by Sheri
  • 2016 – TIE: All We Lack, cover design by Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio ; Cast Me Gently, cover design by Glendon Haddix
  • 2015 – Everything, cover design by Ann McMan, TreeHouse Studio