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Abdi Nazemian (born 1976) is an Iranian-American author, screenwriter, and producer. His debut novel, The Walk-In Closet, won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards. He has subsequently received a second Lambda Literary Award for his young adult novel Only This Beautiful Moment, as well as a Stonewall Book Award for Only This Beautiful Moment and a Stonewall Honor for Like a Love Story, both from the American Library Association.

Career

Nazemian is a Choate Rosemary Hall alumnus. It was at Choate that he first wanted to become a writer. Nazemian continued his education at Columbia University and then at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received an Master of Business Administration.[1]

Since, Nazemian has also worked as a screenwriter,[2] including the television shows Ordinary Joe, Almost Family and The Village, and the films The Artist's Wife, Menendez: Blood Brothers, Beautiful Girl, Celeste in the City and The Quiet. As head of development for Water's End Productions, Nazemian has served as an executive producer or associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me By Your Name, Little Woods, Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, It Happened in L.A., The Price, and The House of Tomorrow.[3]

Literary work

His debut young adult novel, The Authentics, was released in 2017 by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins.[4] His third novel, Like a Love Story, a love letter to queer history, ACT UP and Madonna, was released in 2019, again by Balzer + Bray.[5] It was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best young adult novels of all time,[6] received a Stonewall Honor and a nomination for the Audie Awards.[7]

His fourth novel, The Chandler Legacies, which is inspired by his time at boarding school, was published in 2022. His 2023 young adult novel, Only This Beautiful Moment, won the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Young Adult Literatureas well as the 2024 Stonewall Book Award for Young Adult Literature from the American Library Association[8].[9]

His upcoming novel Desert Echoes will be published by HarperCollins in the United States in September of 2024.[10]

Nazemian's books, especially Like a Love Story, have been widely challenged or banned across the United States.[11][12] He told CNN that his response to the banning is, "First and foremost, a heartbreak over the message it sends to young queer kids who deserve love and support."[13]

Awards and honors

Three of Abdi Nazemian's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Like a Love Story (2019),[14]The Chandler Legacies (2022),[15] and Only This Beautiful Moment (2023).[16]

Time named Like a Love Story among the 100 best young adult novels of all time.[6] In 2019, the Chicago Public Library and New York Public Library included it on their list of the best young adult books of the year.[14] The following year, the Young Adult Library Services Association included it on their top ten list of Best Fiction for Young Adults.[17]

Only This Beautiful Moment was included on Booklist's 2023 "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth" list.[18] It was also included on best books of the year lists from publications including The Guardian,[19] New York Public Library,[20] Kirkus,[21] and The Boston Globe.[22]

Only this Beautiful Moment was also the winner of both the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Young Adult Literature[23] and the 2024 Stonewall Award for Young Adult Literature from the American Library Association.[24]

Awards for Nazemian's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2014 The Walk-In Closet Next Generation Indie Book Award for Multicultural Fiction Finalist [25]
2015 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction Won [26][27]
2020 Like a Love Story Audie Award for Young Adult Title Finalist [7][28]
Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Young Adult Literature Award Honor [29]
2023 Only This Beautiful Moment Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Young Adult Literature Award Won [30]
2024 Lambda Literary Award for Young Adult Literature Finalist [9]

Publications

  • The Walk-In Closet. Curtis Brown. 2015. ISBN 978-0-61-598868-9.[31]
  • The Authentics. Balzer + Bray. 2017. ISBN 978-0-06-248646-2.[32]
  • Like a Love Story. Balzer + Bray. 2019. ISBN 978-0-06-283936-7.[33]
  • The Chandler Legacies. Balzer + Bray. 2022. ISBN 978-0-06-303932-2.[34]
  • Only This Beautiful Moment. Balzer + Bray. 2023. ISBN 978-0-06-303937-7.[35]
  • Desert Echoes. HarperCollins. 2024. ISBN 978-0063339637.[36]

References

  1. ^ "Columbia Spectator 8 May 1996 — Columbia Spectator". spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. ^ "Screenwriter Abdi Nazemian Says Hollywood Films Are A 'Very Sad Depiction Of Gay Culture'" Archived May 22, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Huffington Post, May 31, 2014.
  3. ^ "Abdi Nazemian | Writer, Producer, Director". IMDb. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  4. ^ "The Authentics, by Abdi Nazemian" Archived August 24, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Kirkus Reviews, May 24, 2017.
  5. ^ Needle, Chael (October 8, 2019). "Abdi Nazemian: Cover Story". A&U. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "The 100 Best YA Books of All Time". Time. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "2020 Audie Award Finalists". Audible. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "'Cross My Heart and Never Lie' and 'Only This Beautiful Moment' win 2024 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Awards | ALA". www.ala.org. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Announcing the Finalists for the 36th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". them. March 27, 2024. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "Here's What Your Favorite Authors Are Reading for Pride Month (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "Huge increase in book bans nationwide spurs backlash". www.advocate.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Siemons, Jorja (June 9, 2023). "They wrote books to fill voids they felt growing up. Being banned has deepened those wounds. - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Darcy, Oliver (April 17, 2024). "Book bans are accelerating across the country amid right-wing pressure campaign | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Like a Love Story". Junior Library Guild. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  15. ^ "The Chandler Legacies". Junior Library Guild. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  16. ^ "Only This Beautiful Moment". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "YALSA names 2020 Best Fiction for Young Adults". American Library Association. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  18. ^ "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2023". Booklist. December 1, 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Williams, Imogen Russell (December 7, 2023). "Five of the best young adult books of 2023". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  20. ^ www.nypl.org https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recommendations/best-books/teens. Retrieved June 27, 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. ^ "Best of 2023: Our Favorite YA and Teen Books". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  22. ^ Cheuk, Leland; LeBlanc, Lauren; Sancken, Renata; Steffens, Daneet; Vognar, Chris. "Here is a list of 55 books we loved in 2023". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "2024 Lambda Literary Awards - See the Complete List of Winners". Peoplemag. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "'Cross My Heart and Never Lie' and 'Only This Beautiful Moment' win 2024 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Awards | ALA". www.ala.org. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "Next Generation Indie Book Awards - Winners". Next Generation Indie Book Award. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  26. ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (June 2, 2015). "Lambda Literary Awards laud best gay, lesbian and transgender books". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  27. ^ Thrasher, Steven W (June 2, 2015). "John Waters receives 'crown of queer royalty' at 27th Lambda literary awards". the Guardian. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  28. ^ "2020 Audie Awards". Audio Publishers Association. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  29. ^ Morales, Macey (January 27, 2020). ""When Aidan Became a Brother" and "The Black Flamingo" win 2020 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award". American Library Association. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  30. ^ "'Cross My Heart and Never Lie' and 'Only This Beautiful Moment' win 2024 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Awards". American Library Association. January 22, 2024. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  31. ^ Kalamaroff, Alex (July 20, 2014). "'The Walk-in Closet' by Abdi Nazemian". Lambda Literary. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  32. ^ "The Authentics". Kirkus Reviews. May 23, 2017. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  33. ^ "Like a Love Story". Kirkus Reviews. March 12, 2019. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  34. ^ "The Chandler Legacies". Kirkus Reviews. December 14, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  35. ^ "Only This Beautiful Moment". Kirkus Reviews. March 13, 2023. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  36. ^ "Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.

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