Goodbye, my friend. It’s not the end; so glad we made it; time will never change it
The Spice Girls
Lambda Literary began as a bookstore, queer people providing for queer people. Publishing the Lambda Book Report brought further attention to the LGBTQIAP+ cause and our voices. Over time, the Lambda Literary Review was formalized, and the work continued to evolve.
I began in this newly created position in 2022 with the heavy weight of legacy behind me. I hope I made that legacy proud. Since I started, we have featured upwards of a thousand books and writers. From romance to nonfiction to children’s literature and poetry, I have been lucky to witness our community’s depth of creativity and talent.
But I did not do it alone. My amazing interns, Morgan and Ian, provided much-needed labor, insight, and creativity. Furthermore, my director, L, advocated for not just the Review and our team but the entirety of our staff and our community.
And, of course, the readers and writers, the editors and publicists: thank you. You have made the Review a trove of brilliant writing by and about authors who continuously have blown me away.
I think a lot about queer history in moments like this—what stays, what goes, what is our commitment to permanence? Queerness and futurity, queerness and temporality, etc. But today is not a day to think through our feelings; today is a day to feel them. I am sad.
But I am also grateful. And I am hopeful. The Review is on hiatus, but hundreds of excellent writers are still making a difference. I am proud of my work, my team, and the work my co-workers continue to do at Lambda.
I am grateful that this site and this archive will continue. The Review has been at the heart of Lambda for so long, and I am thrilled that it will be here as a reminder of what we can do together. As the queer genius D.A. Powell said, “When I hungered the word/ fed me.”
The Review has been fed by the words of our community, co-workers, and readers. I am so excited to feast with you all again, wherever that meal may find us.
Con gracias y amor,
Suzi F. Garcia
Lambda Literary Review Manager
Note: this letter was edited by the Lambda Literary Board
