The Alice B. Awards Committee is a mostly anonymous group of lesbians living in southern Arizona and Ohio who are avid readers. The award is made possible by money supplied by an anonymous donor. The donor and the committee share a common goal: To reward and thank writers of lesbian fiction for their contribution to the lesbian community, culture, and identity. The Alice B. Medal is given annually to living writers who have careers distinguished by consistently well-written stories about lesbians. The award is given once, only, in appreciation of career achievement. In addition to the medal, each recipient is given a lapel pin and a gift of a $500. Past recipients include noted authors, Carol Anshaw, Ann Bannon, Alison Bechdel, Katherine V. Forrest, Nicola Griffith, Ellen Hart, Lee Lynch, Marianne K. Martin, KG MacGregor, Val McDermid, Susan X. Meagher, Marijane Meaker, Lesléa Newman, Jane Rule, Joanna Russ, Ann Allen Shockley, and Sandra Scoppettone.
Other 2017 Alice B. Medal recipients include award-winning romance author, Melissa Braydon, and mystery writer, Jaye Maiman.
Ann McMan is the author of six novels and two story collections. She is the recipient of both the Alice B. Lavender Certificate for Outstanding Debut Novel and the Alice B. Medal for her distinguished body of work. Ann is a four-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award, her novel, Backcast, was a 2016 IPPY medalist, and her novel, Hoosier Daddy, was a 2014 Lambda Literary Award finalist. An award-winning graphic designer, she resides in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with her wife, Salem West.
