CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

(Columbus, OH) -- NLA: International, a leading organization for activists in the pansexual leather community, has expanded its annual writing awards for excellence in SM/leather/fetish writing. Nominations are now being accepted for books, articles, novels, and short fiction first published between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2008. The deadline for nominations is 28 February 2009, and winners will be announced at the NLA-I’s Annual General Meeting, which will be held during Spring Iniquity 18 in Houston, TX (17-19 April 2009). The award categories are:
 
 Non-Fiction Book (Geoff Mains Award)
 Non-Fiction Article (Cynthia Slater Award)
 Novel (Pauline Reage Award)
 Short Fiction (John Preston Award)

Nominations for the Cynthia Slater Award (non-fiction article) may have appeared in print or online publications. Eligibility for all other awards (short fiction, novel, non-fiction book) requires print publication. Nominated works should foster education and promote awareness and a positive image of the leather community. The judges will require three copies of any nominated work (digital copies are acceptable). Nominations may be sent to the committee chair, Steve Vakesh, at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

NLA-I has convened an award jury of six readers, which includes some noted writers in the field and leading community activists. (Names are withheld until after judging is complete to prevent lobbying by nominees.) In 2007, Lee “Bridgett” Harrington's book Shibari You Can Use: Japanese Rope Bondage and Erotic Macramé (Mystic Productions Publishers) won the Geoff Mains award for best non-fiction book. Jack Rinella's article “Empathy,” which appeared in Leather Views, won the Cynthia Slater award for best article."
 
Shortly after the announcement of the winners at the NLA-I's Annual General Meeting at Beyond Vanilla in Dallas, NLA-I President Vince Andrews noted the widespread appreciation these awards received. He announced the addition of the novel and short fiction awards to recognize writers in these categories whose works "entertain and educate, while building awareness and tolerance of the leather/SM/fetish community and showcasing the talents."

SEPTEMBER 28, 2008: WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR MAINS AND SLATER WRITING AWARDS

(Columbus, OH) -- NLA: International, a leading organization for activists in the pansexual leather community, announced the winners of its recently created annual awards for excellence in SM/leather/fetish writing at its Annual General Meeting at Beyond Vanilla XVIII in Dallas, TX on 28 September 2008.

The winner of the Cynthia Slater Non-fiction Article Award is Jack Rinella for  “Empathy,” which appeared in Leather Views ( http://www.leatherviews.com/ ). Mr. Rinella received the most nominations for different articles, but "Empathy," which stresses the importance of empathy within an SM scene, a relationship, and larger society most impressed the judges.
VonLivid's “Lines of Colour in the Kinky Confines of Fetish,” which appeared in The Fetishistas ( http://www.thefetishistas.com/ ) received the honorable mention in this category. The article is a thoughtful discussion of race in the leather community in both a British and American context.

The winner of the Geoff Mains Non-fiction Book Award is Lee “Bridgett” Harrington for Shibari You Can Use: Japanese Rope Bondage and Erotic Macramé (Mystic Productions Publishers). A thorough and detailed presentation of rope bondage techniques, the judges lauded its content and organization.

The honorable mention went to Peter Masters for The Control Book (Jack Rinella Publishing), which describes how one establishes and maintains control in a full-time SM relationship.

Nominations for the 2008 awards, which will include the new categories of short fiction and novel, will open soon.