Robert Drake (born May 14, 1962) is an American editor, most well known for his work editing LGBT writing. His anthology His(2) won the Lambda Literary Award for Anthology in 1998,[1] and another five of his anthologies have been finalists for the award.[2][3][4][5]

Robert Drake
NationalityAmerican
Notable awardsLambda Literary Award for Anthology (1998)
Website
karla-jay.com

1999 homophobic attack

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On January 31, 1999, two men, Glen Mahon and Ian Monaghan, approached him while he sat on his porch in Sligo, Ireland.[6] Drake recognized the men from a bar he had visited earlier in the night and invited them inside.[6] The men proceeded to beat Drake until he was unconscious, claiming he had flirted with them, though those who knew Drake at the time said such an act would be out of character.[6] Drake's partner at the time found him the next morning and brought him to hospital where he spent months in a coma.[6] His friends and family relocated him to Philadelphia, where he began rehabilitation to improve his memory and motor skills to complete everyday tasks.

Mahon and Monaghan "were found guilty in October 1999 of intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm and sentenced to eight years in prison."[6]

Due to his traumatic brain injury, Drake uses a wheelchair and has a speech impediment and motor skill impairments.[6]

The story of the attack and Drake's subsequent recovery became the subject of the 2013 documentary Where I Am.[7][8]

Awards and honors

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Year Work Award Result Ref.
2001 Circa 2000: Lesbian Fiction at the Millenium Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Finalist [2]
2000 His 3 Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Finalist [3]
2000 Hers 3 Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Finalist [3]
1998 His 2 Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Winner [1]
1996 His Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Finalist [4]
1992 Indivisible: New Short Fiction by West Coast Gay and Lesbian Writers Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Finalist [5]

Publications

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Works edited

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Works written

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  • The Man: A Hero for Our Time. Book One: Why? (1995)
  • The Gay Canon: Great Books Every Gay Man Should Read (1998)

References

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  1. ^ a b Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (1998-07-15). "10th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  2. ^ a b Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (2001-07-10). "13th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  3. ^ a b c Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (2000-07-15). "12th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  4. ^ a b Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (1996-07-15). "8th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  5. ^ a b "4th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. 1992-07-14. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Colletta, Jen (2009-01-29). "Ten years later: Robert Drake". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  7. ^ Baker, Brandon (July 5, 2013). "QFest Film Preview: Documenting the Story of Robert Drake". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  8. ^ "Drake to return to Sligo to make documentary". Irish Independent. December 1, 2012.