National Leather Association

WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR NLA-I WRITING AWARDS

Because SM-BD excites Jardonn and Jasper, and because one of our frothing authors, James Buchanan, got a nod from this high-profile organization, I'm spreading the news.

(Columbus, OH) -- National Leather Association: International, a leading organization for activists in the pansexual leather community, announced the 2009 winners of its annual awards for excellence in SM/leather/fetish writing at its Annual General Meeting at Tribal Fire in Oklahoma City, OK on 2 May 2010.

The winner of the Cynthia Slater Non-fiction Article Award is Gloria Brame, "Transformation and Transcendence in BDSM," which appeared in *Filthy Gorgeous Things, *July 2009, the "Force" issue (available at: http://filthygorgeousthings.com/) in which Brame presented fresh insights on an old topic. Jeff Mann's "How to be a Country Leather Bear," which appeared in Richard Labonté and Lawrence Schimel (eds.), *Second Person Queer: Who You Are (So Far),* published by* *Arsenal Pulp Press, received the honorable mention.

The winner of the Geoff Mains Non-fiction Book Award is *Ask the Man Who Owns Him: The Real Lives of Gay Masters and slaves *(Perfectbound Press), in which david stein and collaborator David Schachter explore Master/slave relationships through the experiences of several successful couples. The honorable mention went to The Two Knotty Boys for *Two Knotty Boys Back on the Ropes* (Green Candy), a superb follow-up to their previous book on rope bondage, *Two Knotty Boys Showing You the Ropes* (Green Candy, 2006).

The winner of the Pauline Reage Novel Award is Claire Thompson for *Submission Times Two *(Romance Unbound), which chronicles the search by two submissive men for a shared master and the three-way relationship that ensues.

The honorable mention went to James Buchanan for *Hard Fall *(MLR Press),* *which explores a man's struggle to reconcile his religious faith with his sexual identity and interest in SM activities while he investigates a mysterious death.



The winner of the Anthology Award is *Like a Thorn: An Anthology of BDSM Fairy Tales* (Circlet Press)*,* a superb collection of stories assembled by editors Cecilia Tan and Sarah Desautels. Each story revisits an old fairy tale and retells it with a dark, erotic twist. The honorable mention went to Rachel Kramer Bussel for *Bottoms Up: Spanking Good Stories* (Cleis Press), a diverse collection of twenty stories that approach spanking from every conceivable angle.

The winner of the John Preston Short Fiction Award is Kieran Wyn Dewhurst for "The Last Mistress of the Chatelaine," which appeared in Cecilia Tan and Sarah Desautels (eds.), *Like a Thorn: An Anthology of BDSM Fairy Tales*(Circlet Press). A dark, erotic story like the others in the collection, it presents a delightful twist in a hot, engaging SM story. The honorable mention went to Jack Fritscher's "Goodbye Saigon," a great tale of rough trade that appeared in Phillip Mackenzie, Jr. (ed.), *Special Forces: Gay
Military Erotica* (Cleis Press).

Nominations for the 2010 awards will open later this year.

Congratulations to all the authors, and particularly to James Buchanan.