The Alice B Readers Award is given annually to living writers of lesbian fiction whose careers are distinguished by consistently well-written stories about lesbians. Named for Alice B. Toklas, the award is given once, only, in appreciation of career achievement. In addition to the medal, each recipient is given a lapel pin and a significant honorarium.
The Award was founded by Roberta "Sandy" Sandburg who died of cancer at the age of 72 on June 16, 2009. Sandy envisioned the Alice B Awards a decade or so ago, and in 2004 decided to make the awards a reality by committing funds from "an anonymous donor." A lifelong reader who was passionate about lesbian fiction, Sandy wanted to thank and reward the authors who had given her so much joy, and she did so by establishing the Alice B fund and gathering a group of women who became the Alice B Readers Appreciation Committee.
In addition to Alice B Medals, the Committee often awards Alice B Lavender Certificates to up-and-coming authors who do not yet have a body of work but who have published a remarkable work or two deserving of notice. Winners of the certificate also receive an honorarium of $50, and medal winners receive $500 and a hand-crafted medal inscribed with their name and the pertinent details of the award.
Read more about The Alice B Readers Award: Significance of The Award, The Alice B Awards Committee
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““Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
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—Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832–1898)
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—Robert Graves (1895–1985)