John Waters & Rita Mae Brown Honored at Literary Awards

Lambda Literary is pleased to announce that John Waters will receive Lambda's Trustee Award for Excellence in Literature and Rita Mae Brown will receive the Pioneer Award at the 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards ("Lammys"). Waters and Brown will be honored along with the winning authors of 24 separate LGBT literary categories as determined by over 90 judges.

The Lammys bring together over 450 attendees, sponsors and celebrities to celebrate excellence in LGBT literature, making it the most glamorous and prestigious LGBT literary event in the world. The awards will be hosted for the fourth year in a row by comedienne Kate Clinton on Monday, June 1 in New York City at The Great Hall at Cooper Union (7 East 7th St @ 3rd Ave, New York City) with a pre-ceremony reception presented by Penguin Random House. A VIP After-Party presented by Scholastic will immediately follow the ceremony.

Liz Smith will introduce John Waters for Lambda Literary's Trustee Award for Excellence in Literature. Waters, the honoree for Excellence in Literature, is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, stand-up comedian, journalist, visual artist, art collector and the author of five books, including "Carsick" and "Role Models."

He is best known for his transgressive cult films, "Female Trouble," "Pink Flamingos," "Desperate Living," and "Polyester" which star the legendary Divine. His mainstream film, "Hairspray," was adapted to a long-running Broadway musical, which was adapted to a hit musical film. He resides in Baltimore, Maryland where all his films are set. He (and his trademark pencil-thin mustache) will be introduced by New York City's "Living Landmark" Smith. Since 1976, Smith has brought her Texan wit, verve and nerve to a daily column for several venues and is currently syndicated in many newspapers including the Chicago Tribune and appears daily on the web, on the illustrated The New York Social Diary, the Huffington Post, MyWay.com, Drudge and other sites.

Gloria Steinem will introduce Rita Mae Brown for the Pioneer Award. Brown, the Pioneer Award honoree, is The New York Times bestselling author of "Rubyfruit Jungle," a landmark coming-of-age novel that launched her career as one of this country's most distinctive voices. She's also the bestselling author of the "Sneaky Pie Brown" series; the "Sister Jane" series; "A Nose for Justice" and "Murder Unleashed;" "In Her Day;" "Six of One;" her memoirs "Animal Magnetism" and "Rita Will," as well as several other books.

An Emmy-nominated screenwriter and a poet, Brown lives in Afton, Virginia with cats, hounds, horses and big red foxes. She will be introduced by American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist Steinem. Steinem became nationally recognized as a leader and spokeswoman for the feminist movement in the late 1960s and early 70s after her 1969 article, "After Black Power, Women's Liberation." She was a columnist for New York magazine and a founder of the ground-breaking Ms. Magazine. In 2005, Steinem, Jane Fonda, and Robin Morgan co-founded the Women's Media Center, an organization that works "to make women visible and powerful in the media." She currently travels internationally as an organizer and lecturer and is a media spokeswoman on issues of equality. Steinem is also working on a book about her work as a feminist organizer, to be titled "Road to the Heart: America As if Everyone Mattered."

"This year's special honorees, John Waters and Rita Mae Brown, have made immeasurable contributions as writers, multi-media artists and LGBTQ advocates," said Tony Valenzuela, Executive Director. "We are privileged to celebrate their tremendous contributions at this year's Lammy Awards."

The Master of Ceremonies will be Kate Clinton and Special Entr'acte Performances will be provided by Toshi Reagon and the new Broadway musical, "Fun Home."

Previous Lammy finalist and 2010 Pioneer Award recipient, comedienne Clinton returns to reprise her role as master of ceremonies with her signature brand of topical, political comedy. Clinton will share the stage with a glittering line up of awards presenters who hail from the worlds of literature, theatre, politics, film, civil rights and television.

For the last few years, the Lammys ceremony has featured a mid-show special performance. This year's entr'acte will include two performances. One by singer, composer and musician, Toshi Reagon. Described as a "one-woman celebration of all that's dynamic, progressive and uplifting in American music," she has mastered folk and funk, blues and rock, and sacred and traditional music formats and is now working in music/theater and opera. There will also be a musical number from the new Broadway show, "Fun Home," which is based on Alison Bechdel's award-winning graphic memoir.