June, 2003 - Cleveland "Courage to Love: Liturgies for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community," written by British author Geoffrey Duncan, was the winner of two awards at this year's Book Expo America in Los Angeles, California.
The first, a Lambda Literary Award, was given to "Courage to Love" by the Lambda Literary Foundation as the winner over four other finalists in the spirituality category. The Lambda Literary Foundation, an organization devoted to the recognition and promotion of gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual writing, interviewed staff members of The Pilgrim Press in its "Lambda Book Report" earlier this year and stated of the press that "The Western hemisphere's oldest English language publishing house puts queer spirituality on the map." The foundation held its 15th Annual Lambda Literary Awards Gala on Thursday, May 29 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
"Courage to Love" also won an honorable mention from "ForeWord Magazine" in its 2002 Book of the Year Awards contest -- gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender nonfiction category. The Book of the Year Award was established to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. Awards were given on Friday, May 30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center during BookExpo America.
"Courage to Love" is an exceptional collection of worship and liturgical resources inclusive of and sensitive to the needs of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons for use by clergy and lay leaders. These materials are beneficial for relationships with families, church, and community. The compilation also includes liturgies for the Eucharist and celebrations such as marriage vows.
Geoffrey Duncan is the church and society consultant for the Thames North Synod of the United Reformed Church in England. He has compiled several popular anthologies of prayer and worship, including "Shine On, Star of Bethlehem: A Worship Resource for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany" (2002), "Harvest for the World: A Worship Anthology on Sharing in the Work of Creation" (2003), and "Timeless Prayers for Peace" (2003), all published by The Pilgrim Press.
The Pilgrim Press is a theological publisher specializing in books related to ethics and social justice, feminist studies, African American subjects, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender concerns.
Contact:
Aimée Jannsohn, Publicist
THE PILGRIM PRESS
700 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44115-1100
(216) 736-3761 - Phone
(216) 736-2207 - FAX
jannsoha@ucc.org