Congratulations to Brian Broome, whose debut memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods is a Lambda Finalist in Gay Memoir/Biography! Punch is a raw poetic story of Blackness, masculinity, and addiction. Cleverly framed around Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem “We Real Cool,” the iconic and loving ode to Black boyhood, Punch Me Up to the Gods is at once playful, poignant, and wholly original. Broome’s writing brims with swagger and sensitivity, bringing an exquisite and fresh voice to ongoing cultural conversations about Blackness being gay in America.

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Cheers to Brian and all the amazing finalists.