Lambda Literary Foundation, the national nonprofit organization for the LGBT literary community, has received renewal of a grant of $25,000 from Amazon. The renewal represents Amazon’s continued support for the Writers’ Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices, which this year will be held August 6 through 13 on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.
Established in 2007 as the newest program of LLF, the Writers’ Retreat includes a one-week intensive immersion in fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Students spend the week working on their manuscripts and attending workshops conducted by publishing industry professionals.
Tony Valenzuela, LLF’s executive director, said, “This continuation of Amazon’s generous support of Lambda Literary reflects its ongoing commitment to the development of emerging voices in the LGBT community.” Jon Fine, director of author and publisher relations for Amazon, commented, “The Writers’ Retreat provides invaluable creative, professional and spiritual support for writers in the LGBT community. We look forward to great new works from these emerging voices.”