(Photo via Golden Crown Literary Society’s Facebook)
A literal golden opportunity arrives in Orlando with the annual Golden Crown Literary Society Conference on Aug. 5-9.
Events begin on Wednesday, Aug. 5 and continue through Sunday, Aug. 9 at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando at 5780 Major Boulevard.
The conference brings together authors, readers, fans, editors, publishers, aspiring authors and audio book narrators across all genres with an interest in sapphic literature, and a fair share of the events are free and open to the public.
“We want to provide a joyful, queer space for Floridians,” says Betsy Carswell, GCLS Board President, who admits the road to a conference in Florida was long.
Originally planned for 2021, it was bumped twice, once for the pandemic and a second time in 2024 after concern about so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” legislation and travel advisories issued by the NAACP and Equality Florida. GCLS members engaged in thoughtful debate, with some not wanting to encourage visitation without a sense of safety and others wanting to support queer Floridians.
Ultimately, “If you are a queer, literary organization, it’s important to go where the fight is,” Carswell shares. “We care about the queer people in Florida who need to know we have not forgotten them.”
To prepare for their conference, the organizers attended ReadOUT, hosted by OUT Arts & Culture on the Gulf coast, to make Florida connections and learn. GCLS also developed a special logo for the Orlando conference that displays a broadcast signal and a heart, letting everyone know they are coming in loud, proud and full of love.
GCLS then partnered with Florida writers, booksellers, and non-profits to create a Florida-rich agenda. None other than Orlando Literary Celesbian Kristen Arnett will deliver the keynote on Aug. 8 from 10-11 a.m. with an additional talk based on her popular columns from 2-3 p.m.
These talks by Arnett, like other conference elements, are free and open to the public after checking in at the registration desk. One panel entitled “Florida Voices for Literary Freedom” will include panelists from The Lynx Books, PEN America Florida, and the Florida Freedom to Read Project at 4 p.m. on Aug. 6. That evening at 7 p.m., a free screening of the 2025 documentary “The Librarians” explores the experience of people on the frontlines of book bans, including in Florida.
“We want to be a resource for the public,” Carswell says. “One of the sub threads in our program is about libraries. We’ve got a presentation on getting sapphic books into libraries.”
Also free and open is the vendor room, where sapphic-literature-loving attendees will see even more evidence of GCLS’s intentional work to uplift Florida’s robust, queer, literary community. White Rose Books & More will have a table, as will The Lynx Books, the Florida Freedom to Read Project, OUT Arts & Culture, and Bella Books, which is the conference’s Florida-based book distributor.
More generally, the GCLS conference is for readers, booksellers, writers and fans of literature called “sapphic,” an inclusive term across genres, identities and orientations. With roots in lesbian romance and fan fiction, “sapphic literature celebrates stories of love, desire, resilience, and connection centered on women and sapphically aligned nonbinary people. These stories reflect a wide range of identities, including lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, Two-Spirit, sapphic, homo-/bi-/pan-romantic asexual and queer experiences. All are welcome, though the conference does not have programming designed for children,” as described on the GCLS website.
A cruise through the conference agenda also published on the GCLS website proves the organizers are encouraging thinking at the very cusp of literary citizenship. Guests can attend unique panels such as “Class Conscious: Writing Across Socioeconomic Status” and “Rethinking Power: Worldbuilding without Patriarchy.”
Carswell described the conference as the “farmers market” of sapphic literature. In an era where AI-generated content is increasingly abundant, at Golden Crown, attendees won’t just choose novels, they’ll meet the authors who “grew” them. Oodles of author spotlights are scheduled where you can witness your favorite and soon-to-be favorite authors read from their works.
Conference organizers designed a myriad of elements to support positive experiences for attendees. Carswell pointed out a session called “The Art of the Con: Less Frazzled, More Fulfilled,” to help mitigate the “good overwhelm” that can overtake bookish types. The schedule also lists designated meetups for BIPOC attendees, Trans and Non-binary attendees, and Recovery Support. The “Con Connection” table in the vendor room invites introverts to be awkward together, perhaps while puzzling or coloring.
Regarding disabilities, GCLS worked with the hotel to provide options for those with food allergies, secured a ramp for the stage for awards, and can reserve spots in the front of rooms for those wanting to read lips. Attendees who would like to request an accommodation can contact service@goldencrown.org and every effort will be made.
According to Carswell, The Doubletree staff have been very supportive of GCLS. Conference attendees can count on access to all gender restrooms, and a registration table to track attendance and also to keep in touch after the conference.
The queer joy showpiece events occur on Friday and Saturday nights. First up on Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. is karaoke with Orlando’s own DJ Nela, yet again, free and open to the public.
On Aug. 8, GCLS will host its Awards Buffet at 6-7 p.m., Awards Ceremony at 7-9 p.m., and Celebration and Dance from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. The Ann Bannon Awards include $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 awards. A generous donor makes these awards possible, which are comparable to the Pulitzer Prize cash awards.
After the prizes, guest can attend the Gala. People who just want to party can buy a separate ticket to this event. Carswell’s face lit up when she described the Gala.
“It’s so much fun because it’s a queer gala,” Carswell says. “People wear sequins and tuxedos or they wear Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts. It’s whatever makes you feel festive.”
The conference is a great coming together at a moment of time that matters. Attendees span everything from Young Adult (YA) authors to people in their eighties.
“For younger people it’s important to show that we’ve been through hard times before, and we got through by staying connected and building,” Carswell shares. “Through our community, we thrive.”
For more information, visit GoldenCrownLiterarySociety.org.
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