I found out recently that Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul has been recognized as a Lambda Finalist this year in the all-new category of Transgender Poetry. That is an amazing honor! Thank you, Lambda Literary. I will be reading at the Lambda Finalist reading on May 24 at the West Hollywood City Hall. Los […]
I was given the chance to close the Trans Asterisk Conference at UC Riverside. It was such an amazing warm and emotional experience. Not only did I run into Kay Ulanday Barrett and Jade Phoenix and Jade Hambaro, I made a lot of new friends. I read. I sold books, I talked to folks, I had […]
Hope folks can come by. I know a lot of folks in Laguna Hills. A lot of amazing writers and people and friends, and I am so honored to be reading with them. I’ll be reading from my latest book, Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul. “The Spoken Word Club will feature Ryka Aoki at […]
This is why I visit colleges… I think I’ll always love learning and sharing… “Ryka Aoki’s visit to Swarthmore was nothing short of extraordinary. Her readings from all three of her books were hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking all at once. By far the most memorable part of her time here, however, was our post-reading […]
OK! So I really screwed up the publicity for this event, and I know many of you probably have plans–BUT!! If you come, I’ll be reading and talking about Hawaii, and signing books, with maybe a discount, and THERE WILL BE DONUTS! “RYKA AOKI reads from her debut novel, A Mele A Hilo: A Hilo […]
Sometimes, I do a different sort of performance. This is a martial arts set! Ryka May 29-30: Introducing….QUEER REBELS FEST! Two nights of provocative performance by queer and trans artists of color! From the Third World Student strikes to LA Riots to Black Lives Matter movement, we examine spaces of separation and solidarity among communities of […]
Photos by Julieta Salgado
Emails like this make me so grateful to speak with students. Thank you to Syracuse University, esp. Chase Catalano, for inviting me to speak! “Hi Ryka, You may or may not remember, but you visited Syracuse upon launching Seasonal Velocities, and gave a talk/reading at the university. Afterwards, I had the pleasure of meeting and […]
I am currently waiting for my ride in my hotel lobby. I had no idea I was to be in a hotel lobby. It’s been that sort of a trip so far. Due to bad weather, scheduling difficulties, airline miscommunication, I was laid over in Chicago last night. Not the most pleasant layover. Because we […]
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 […]