Finalists have been selected for the 2025 Heartland Booksellers Awards, sponsored by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association. Booksellers can now vote for winners here; voting deadline is this Wednesday, August 6. Winners will be celebrated October 14 at a ceremony during the Heartland Fall Forum in Indianapolis, Ind.
The finalists:
Fiction:
The City in Glass by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
A Forty Year Kiss by Nickolas Butler (Sourcebooks Landmark)
A Lesser Light by Peter Geye (University of Minnesota Press)
Us Fools by Nora Lange (Two Dollar Radio)
Nonfiction:
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green (Crash Course Books)
Original Sins by Eve L. Ewing (One World)
Perennial Ceremony: Lessons and Gifts from a Dakota Garden by Teresa Peterson (University of Minnesota Press)
The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (Thesis)
Poetry:
Anishinaabe Songs for a New Millennium by Marcie R. Rendon (University of Minnesota Press)
Bluff by Danez Smith (Graywolf Press)
Good Dress by Brittany Rogers (Tin House)
We Live Here: Poems for an Ojibwe Calendar Year by Lois Beardslee (Wayne State University Press)
YA/Middle Grade:
Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights by Ashley Hope Pérez (Holiday House)
The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick Press)
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga (HarperCollins)
Where Wolves Don't Die by Anton Treuer (Arthur A. Levine)
Picture Book:
How the Birds Got Their Songs by Travis Zimmerman (Minnesota Historical Society Press)
Mermaids Are the Worst! by Alex Willan (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
So Tortoise Dug by Emmy Kastner (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
The Yellow Bus by Loren Long (Roaring Brook Press)
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Finalists for the 2025 Lambda Literary Awards in 26 categories have been announced and can be seen here. Finalists and winners will be celebrated in New York City on October 4 as part of Lammys Day, which includes readings and panels.
"This year's shortlist represents the voices and resilience of LGBTQ+ people in a time when our stories are under attack through legislation and misinformation," Lambda Literary executive director J. Clapp said. "Standing with the truth and determination of our authors, Lambda Literary is proud of the vulnerability our writers have shown by continuing to use their pen (or keyboard) to move hearts, minds, and missions. More than ever, this year's Lammys represents the importance of our work--we must elevate LGBTQ+ stories to give hope for a future where we are all free while reminding us of the paths blazed by our elders and ancestors. We at Lambda Literary remain immensely thankful for the ongoing support and reminders of our mutual investment in the presence and success of LGBTQ+ writers."