The fifth annual Bisexual Book Awards, which recognize and celebrate bisexual visibility in novels, will be held on Saturday, June 10 at the Wesbeth in New York City. The event is being presented by the Bi Writers Association (BWA), an organization that promotes bisexual books, bi writers, bisexual writing, and bi-themed arts and culture in the United States while also dispelling myths and stereotypes about bisexuality.

This year, 106 books were submitted to the Bisexual Book Awards and designated to one of 11 categories: Non-fiction, Memoir/Biography, Fiction, Romance, Erotic Fiction, Speculative Fiction [Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror], Teen/Young Adult Fiction, Mystery, Anthology, Poetry, or Graphic Novel/Memoir. Submissions were evaluated on their quality of overall writing; quality of writing about bisexual material, characters, and themes; and quantity of bisexual material. Two special awards were created to honor the event’s fifth year, including Publisher of the Year and Bi Writer of the Year.

Our Finalist List is now on our website! t.co/RfUeB7CyLb #BisexualBookAwards #BisexualBooks #books #BiVisibility #bisexuality pic.twitter.com/h5wVozkL6v

— Bisexual Book Awards (@BiBookAwards) May 15, 2017

“Our awards help bi-themed books find an audience,” says BWA founder and director Sheela Lambert. “By providing multiple book categories; authors and publishers find that their books can be recognized for the genre they are written in, as well as their bisexual subject matter,” says Lambert.

The Bisexual Book Awards only continue to thrive as the years go by. Notably, there was a 45% increase in book submissions from last year’s competition, which Lambert believes signifies the BWA’s success in their mission “to encourage writers and publishers to put out more bi-themed books.”

Finalists of each genre will read from their works at the awards ceremony. These authors include:

• Tiggy Upland / Advice from a Wild Deuce: The Best of Ask Tiggy 
• Vanessa Clark / The Man on Top of the World 
• Keelan Ellis / Misinformation 
• Ann Tweedy / The Body’s Alphabet 
• C.B. Lee / Not Your Sidekick 
• Georgia Clark / The Regulars 
• Alison Cherry / Look Both Ways 
• Casey Lawrence / Order in the Court 
• Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli / Women in Relationships with Bisexual Men: Bi Men By Women

The winners of each of the 11 book categories will be announced at the Bisexual Book Awards Ceremony, where book signings will also be held. Preceding the event, the BWA will be featuring a multi-arts reading by award finalists with live music.

More venue and schedule details can be found on the event’s Facebook and Meetup pages, which also include links to RSVP. Tickets are $15 in advance or at the door.

For more information on the bi+ community, visit glaad.org/bisexual, and check out GLAAD’s resource guide to covering bi-related topics in the media: