BY JOHN MORGAN WILSON

How will you spend your holiday shopping dollars this year?

On fluff that nobody needs? A quickie selection without much thought? Will you hand over your money to mega-chains or online retailers that do little to support the LGBT community?

Or would you rather spend your hard-earned cash in a way that contributes to our community, on the kind of gift—books—that enrich all of us?

Here are two suggestions for this holiday season:

First, consider shopping or purchasing a gift card at A Different Light Books (8853 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood 310/854-6601; adlbooks.com), the only surviving LGBT bookstore in the Los Angeles area. A Different Light has been struggling for years. Now, unless business improves dramatically over the holidays, this iconic bookstore is likely to close.

Second, join or make a donation in someone's name to the nonprofit Lambda Literary Foundation (lambdaliterary.org), which supports and honors LGBT literature and recently moved to Los Angeles. For many LGBT writers, their only recognition and exposure comes through the foundation's Lambda Literary Report, its workshops and readings, and its annual Lambda Literary Awards.

Getting attention and shelf space is a never-ending challenge for most writers. But it's even harder for less established LGBT authors, especially those who write for smaller, nonmainstream presses. For many of these marginalized writers, the Lambda Literary Foundation and A Different Light are crucial if they are to reach readers, sell some books and get the chance to be published again.

Consider for a moment the remarkable range of voices that reflect our lives, culture, history, struggle and triumphs in novels, memoirs, nonfiction books, short stories, poetry and plays. Now think about a future when many of these voices are silenced, because we failed to support them.

Surely, you can find a gift or two from among the thousands of books available at A Different Light or through its Web site. I can think of two new collections that should appeal to Frontiers readers: Love, West Hollywood: Reflections of Gay Los Angeles, edited by Chris Freeman and James Berg; and 90069: Stories of West Hollywood, edited by Stephen Soucy. I was happy to contribute pieces to both these books, because they are labors of love, not profit.

Why not turn a page in your shopping habits and become bookish this holiday season? You might be surprised by what you find under the covers.

John Morgan Wilson is the author of the Benjamin Justice mystery series, which has won three Lambda Literary Awards for best gay men's mystery. The latest, Spider Season, will be published Dec. 9.