“Hilo” actually means “to twist” or “to braid.” I mention the ti leaf lei in the book briefly. Stories talk of Kamehameha I using a ti leaf rope to secure his boats off Hilo Bay. I thought to interweave the story as I did, in part because of Hilo’s name. In a way, you can […]
Photos by Julieta Salgado
It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I had a nasty bug for most of the winter (it might have been two or three bugs in a row–not sure). I suppose that’s the fate of an English teacher; grading papers is not the most germ-free activity. Last week I was in Tucson to visit TC […]
Why Dust Shall Settle Upon This Soul has had a very quiet opening–I suppose that part of it has to do with the fact that I’ve been working on my taxes and the forthcoming tour for He Mele A Hilo. Some of it, though, is that poetry is very different from novels. The subject matter of this […]
Thank you Elliot, for this interview! <3 Ryka Ryka Aoki on Poetry, Performing, and Publication
Fresh from my publisher-more details to follow. Hi Ryka, Hope you are well! We got final confirmation on the final events, so I wanted to give you all the info you’ll need to make arrangements. We’re so excited to have you out here, this is going to be great! Tom Dates & Locations April 11 […]
My latest story. Thank you to No More Potlucks for letting me publish it with you! The world isn’t always pretty, and this story isn’t, either. Not the easiest thing to write. The topic was “Risk,” so I took one.
Last year, I was asked by the wonderful Carter Sickels to contribute an essay to his book Untangling the Knot: Queer Voices on Marriage, Relationships & Identity. (Ooligan Press) I declined. I had really nothing to say about marriage–I thought the whole marriage push, while admirable, was far from the most pressing issue to address. As […]