Golden Crown Literary Society

Golden Crown Literary Society
Established2004; 22 years ago (2004)
Websitewww.goldencrownliterarysociety.org Edit this at Wikidata

Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) 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 (Goldies) 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 (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). 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.

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.

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.

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.

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..

Trailblazer Award and Lee Lynch Classic Award

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:

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 (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.

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 (Australia), Arlene Pare (Canada), Rachel Sommers (England), J.J. Hale (Ireland) and G. Benson (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.

Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award winners
Year Title Author Publisher Result Ref.
2007 Snow Moon Rising Lori L. Lake Launch Point Press Winner
2008 And Playing The Role of Herself K. E. Lane Regal Crest Enterprises Winner
2009 The Kiss That Counted Karin Kallmaker Bella Books Winner
2010 Beggar of Love Lee Lynch Bold Strokes Books Winner
2011 Starting From Scratch Georgia Beers Brisk Press Winner
2012 Bingo Barge Murder, A Shay O'Hanlon Caper Jessie Chandler Midnight Ink Winner
2013 Survived by Her Longtime Companion Chris Paynter Blue Feather Books Winner
2014 All That Lies Within Lynn Ames Phoenix Rising Press Winner
Letters Never Sent Sandra Moran Bedazzled Ink Publishing Winner
2015 Olive Oil & White Bread Georgia Beers Bywater Books Winner
2016 All We Lack Sandra Moran Bedazzled Ink Publishing Winner
2017 Rainbow Gap Lee Lynch Bold Strokes Books Winner
2018 An Outsider Inside RJ Samuel Self-published Winner
2019 A Proper Cuppa Tea KG MacGregor Bella Books Winner
2020 Judge Me When I'm Wrong Cheryl A. Head Bywater Books Winner
2021 Wrong Number, Right Woman Jae Ylva Publishing Winner
2022 The Headmistress Milena McKay Self-published Winner
2023 If I Don’t Ask E. J. Noyes Bella Books Gold
Just a Touch Away Jae Ylva Publishing Silver
Broken Beyond Repair Emily Banting Sapphfic Publishing Bronze
2024 Chaos Agent Lee Winter Ylva Publishing Gold
Meeting Millie Clare Ashton Self-published Silver
On the Same Page Haley Cass Self-published Bronze
2025 The Unfinished Line Jen Lyon Self-published Gold
Vengeance Planning for Amateurs Lee Winter Ylva Publishing Silver
Bachelorette Number Twelve Jae Ylva Publishing Bronze
2026 The Colonel's Daughter Jen Lyon Self-published Gold
Number Six Lee Winter Ylva Publishing Silver
Discovering Nicola Clare Ashton Self-published Bronze

Tee Corinne Award for Outstanding Cover Design

Judged category winners and cash awards: 2026

In 2024, prizes of $1,000 went to top-scoring books in 12 genre-specific novel categories, three non-novel categories, Audiobook Narrator, and Debut Novel.

Volunteer judges evaluated books on a 1-to10-point quantitative scale, rating each on criteria set out in a comprehensive evaluation form. Criteria for novels, for example, included opening, premise, plot, characters, writing, setting, and reader impact. Judges' scores were tallied, and finalists, winners and top-scoring books determined.[citation needed]

Judged category winners in 2026 are listed below, with monetary prize winners shown in bold:

Judged Award Category Title Recipient Publisher
Audiobook Narrator Architecti Allie Rose; Aria Holland; Vivienne LaRue Audible Studios
Beyond Her Manner Angela Dawe Sapphfic Publishing
Bloom Town: Genesis Quinn Riley Podium Entertainment
Forget Me Not Lori Prince Podium
Make or Break Abby Craden Audible Studios
Pyg Marisa Calin Self-Published
Contemporary Romance:

Long Novels

 Discovering Nicola Clare Ashton Self-Published
Learning Curves Rachel Lacey Montlake
No Such Thing as Serendipity Rita Potter Up A Tree Media, LLC
Relationship Material Rachel Spangler Bigger Table Books
Sweet Home Alabarden Park TJ O'Shea Bella Books
Contemporary Romance:

Mid-Length Novels

 After All Bryce Oakley Self-Published
Hedonism Lise Gold & Madeleine Taylor Lise Gold Books
The Princess Match Clare Lydon Custard Books
Sweet Talk Rena Sapon-White and Ella Schaefer Smokeshow Press
Contemporary Romance:

Short Novels

 A Thousand Reasons Titania Tempest Self published
Lyon's Den Gerri Hill Bella Books
Pillow Talk Justice Woods Bella Books
Striking Gold Tiana Warner Ylva Publishing
Debut Novels Give My Love to Berlin Katherine Bryant Amphorae Publishing
Her Shadow so Dark and Lovely Elsie Hawthorne Self-Published
The Maiden and Her Monster Maddie Martinez Tor Publishing Group
Pearl Bound Natalie G. Bergman Rose & Pearl Productions
Shifting Gears Jazz Forrester Ylva Publishing
Erotic Novels One Weekend in Tahoe Jaime Clevenger Bella Books
Fantasy Novels The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World J.R. Dawson Tor Publishing Group
The Maiden and Her Monster Maddie Martinez Tor Publishing Group
Ship of Dreams Brey Willows Butterworth Books
Fiction Anthologies / Collections Frosting on the Cake 3: Still Crazy After All These Years Karin Kallmaker Bella Books
General Fiction Like Frail Boats on the Sea Caren J. Werlinger Corgyn Publishing
milktooth Jaime Burnet Vagrant Press
Historical Fiction Give My Love to Berlin Katherine Bryant Amphorae Publishing
Payback Penny Mickelbury Bywater Books
Mystery / Thriller / Crime Novels Blood of the Innocents Catherine Maiorisi Bella Books
The Sleeper Car Frances Lucas River Mountain Publishing, LLC
The Stolen Girl Cari Hunter Bold Strokes Books
Paranormal / Occult / Horror Novels Innocence of the Maiden Ileandra Young Bold Strokes Books
Shifting Nature Jae Ylva Publishing
Poetry Poems / Collections Cactus Flowers Judite Teixeira translated by Samantha Pious Headmistress Press
Romantic Blend Novels Breaking from Frame Jazz Forrester Ylva Publishing
The Falcon and the Flame Jolie Dvorak Thirteen Books
Number Six Lee Winter Ylva Publishing
Windburn Milena McKay self-published
Science Fiction Novels Reclamation Kristen Zimmer Bywater Books
Young Adult / New Adult Fiction A Thousand Tiny Promises Morgan Lee Miller Bold Strokes Books

References

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