Samra Habib among winners of 2020 Lambda Literary Awards

Samra Habib'smemoirWe Have Always Been Here has won a 2020 Lambda Literary Award, which celebrates LGBTQ writing from around the world across 24 categories, including fiction, poetry and nonfiction.

The Toronto-based journalist and photographer's first book won in the lesbian memoir/biography category.

We Have Always Been Here chronicles Habib's story from her childhood in Pakistan and becoming a young refugee to coming-of-age between cultures in Canada.

• Why Samra Habib shares her story about being a queer Muslim woman and coming to Canada as a refugee

The Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Vancouver writer Hazel Jane Plante received a Lambda for transgender fiction.

The novel explores desire, grief and delight, through the experience of a queer trans woman's unrequited love for her straight trans friend who died.

Canadian-American Fiona Alison Duncan was also among the winners for Exquisite Mariposa, recognized in the bisexual fiction category.

Duncan's debut novel is a coming-of-age story set in Trump era Los Angeles. The book follows a group of friends and lovers as they navigate relationships, questions of art making and money and all the trappings of the internet.

In addition to the 2020 winners, three special honours were awarded.

Comedy writer and producer Jane Wagner received Lambda Literary's 2020 Visionary Award, American poet Jericho Brown received the Trustee Award and Brian Lam, former Editorial Director at Gizmodo, received the Publishing Professional Award.

You can find the full list of winners below.

• Lesbian Fiction: Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
• Gay Fiction: Lot by Bryan Washington
• Bisexual Fiction: Exquisite Mariposa by Fiona Alison Duncan
• Transgender Fiction: Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante
• Bisexual Nonfiction: Socialist Realism by Trisha Low
• Transgender Nonfiction: We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma
• LGBTQ Nonfiction: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
• Lesbian Poetry: & more black by t'ai freedom ford
• Gay Poetry: SLINGSHOT by Cyre Jarelle Johnson
• Bisexual Poetry: Pet Sounds by Stephanie Young
• Transgender Poetry: HULL by Xandria Phillips
• Lesbian Mystery: Galileo by Ann McMan
• Gay Mystery: Carved in Bone: A Henry Rios Novel by Michael Nava
• Lesbian Memoir/Biography: We Have Always Been Here bySamra Habib
• Gay Memoir/Biography: How We Fight for Our Lives bySaeed Jones
• Lesbian Romance: Aurora's Angel: A Dark Fantasy Romance by Emily Noon
• Gay Romance: Joseph Chapman: My Molly Life by James Lovejoy
• LGBTQ Anthology:Love WITH Accountability: Digging up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse by Aishah Shahidah Simmons andA Rainbow Thread: An Anthology of Queer Jewish Texts from the First Century to 1969 by Noam Sienna (tie)
• Children's/Middle Grade: Hazel's Theory of Evolution by Lisa Jenn Bigelow
• Young Adult: The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
• LGBTQ Comics:Cannonball by Kelsey Wroten
• LGBTQ Drama:A Strange Loop by Michael R. Jackson
• LGBTQ Erotica:Whore Foods by LA Warman
• LGBTQ Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror:The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes
• LGBTQ Studies:All Our Trials: Prisons, Policing, and the Feminist Fight to End Violence by Emily L. Thuma