Lambda Literary is thrilled to announce Aisha Sabatini Sloan as the 2022 winner of the Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction.

In memory of the beloved activist and author, the Córdova Prize honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction writers. The award goes to a writer committed to nonfiction work that captures the depth and complexity of lesbian/queer life, culture, and/or history. Winners have published at least one book and show promise in continuing to produce groundbreaking and challenging work. The award was established in 2018 and includes a cash prize of $2,500.

Judged by Daisy Hernandez and Lynn Ballen, Sloan was awarded the Córdova Prize for her exceptional work on the book-length essay Borealis (Coffee House Press, 2021), which traces her experiences moving through the Alaskan outdoors.

Beyond her book project, she is working on essays that “bring the din of everyday life into conversation with art and literature by Black and queer creators; those texts act as a kind of map, for the purpose of orientation, of grounding, of self-actualization.”

Aisha is the author of The Fluency of Light, Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit, Borealis, and with her father, Captioning the Archives. She teaches creative writing at the University of Michigan.