“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 conversation. Beginning as a discussion on marginalized voices in literature, it eventually morphed into an intimate chat about everything from being a writer to making sure to eat rice on a regular basis. Speaking with Ryka was like talking to a relative who actually gets it instead of being consistently frustrating: she is inspirational and insightful, but also pragmatically wise when discussing all kinds of topics, including writing, trans politics, and life in general.” –Jay H Wu, Swarthmore College, Linguistics, Alumnus