Staff
Tony Valenzuela, Executive Director
A graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing program of the California Institute of the Arts, Tony Valenzuela is a longtime community activist and writer whose work has focused on LGBT civil rights, sexual liberation and gay men’s health. His previous positions include Manager of Research and Administration at GLASS (Gay & Lesbian Adolescent Social Services) in Los Angeles, the largest and oldest LGBT child welfare organization in the country serving abused and neglected LGBT youth; Administrative Director of the Lesbian and Gay Men’s Community Center in San Diego where he spearheaded campaigns ranging from anti-gay hate crimes awareness to the needs of LGBT youth in schools; and Director of VOICES ’96 (Voters Organized in Coalition for the Elections).He is credited with having ruptured the conventional wisdom in HIV/AIDS prevention among gay men by launching an international debate regarding responsible sex without condoms and continues to this day to be a leading voice in the gay men’s health movement. Out Magazine has listed him among the “Out 100.”He wrote, produced and performed his acclaimed one-man show, “The (Bad) Boy Next Door,” a second generation AIDS narrative which toured in a dozen cities in the U.S. He has continued to publish essays, fiction and journalism and is currently working on a memoir. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, Rob Ferrante.
William Johnson, Managing Editor
William Johnson is a Brooklyn based essayist, cultural critic and editor. His writing has appeared in numerous art catalogs and periodicals: Boy Book: A Pictorial Study Of Urban Male Nudes in a Contemporary Urban Setting, A Question of Beauty, works by Anika Wilson, and “I Knew It Was Your Arm…:” works by Doug Group. He is a contributing arts and culture writer for CrushFanazine. He is also the editor and publisher of Mary Literary, a literary journal dedicated to showcasing queer/gay writings of artistic merit.
Kathleen DeBold, Lambda Literary Awards Administrator
Kathleen DeBold has more than 30 years of non-profit experience including service as executive director of Mautner Project, the National Lesbian Health Organization, interim executive director of Service members Legal Defense Network, and deputy director of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.
A lifelong lover of LGBT history and literature, DeBold has had a long association with the Lambda Literary Foundation beginning in the early 1990′s as a book reviewer, cartoonist and crossword puzzle creator for the Lambda Literary Review (formerly Lambda Book Report). In addition to being a long-time judge for the Lambda Literary Awards she has helped with logistics, fundraising and publicity for Lammy Award ceremonies in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. She is the editor of Out For Office: Campaigning in the Gay Nineties (GLVF Press) and author of Word Gaymes (Alyson Publications). Her writing and cartoons have been featured in books and periodicals throughout the country.
An articulate advocate for the LGBT community, DeBold has been a featured speaker/trainer at hundreds of events, workshops, and seminars, including the John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University), Physicians for the Underserved, Feminist Expo, Bridgebuilder’s Conference, American Cancer Society Diversity Conference, Susan G. Komen Foundation Mission Conference, Women’s Information Network, National Lesbian Health Conference, OutVote, and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association Summit.
Monica Carter, Program Coordinator,
LGBT Writers in Schools and My Story Book Club
Monica Carter is a writer with ten years experience working in the Los Angeles literary community including managing independent bookstores, organizing and marketing LGBT literary events, and promoting translated literature. As well as a book reviewer, she has been a judge for the Best Translated Book Award for the past five years and curates her own website, Salonica World Lit, dedicated to international literature and culture. Monica has taught for PEN in the Classroom and created an anthology of students’ writing entitled Green Light. A fellow in the 2010 PEN Center’s Emerging Voices and the 2012 Lambda Literary LGBT Emerging Voices fellow, she recently graduated from the PEN Center’s Mark Fiction program. Monica’s work has appeared in Black Clock, Bloom, The Rattling Wall and Cactus Heart.
Jenn Reese, Program Coordinator
Jenn Reese is a graduate of Cornell University and has over ten years of experience in publishing, project management, and business communication. She also writes speculative fiction and has had stories appear in various genre magazines and anthologies. She’s currently at work on a middle grade adventure trilogy for Candlewick Press. The first book, Above World, was published in 2012 and is a finalist for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. The second book in the series, Mirage, was released in March, 2013.
