I am stunned. Really just feel so happy and blessed that He Mele A Hilo continues to reach readers. It’s as if I put my best stories (and my recipe book) into a bottle and sent it into the sea. Suddenly, it has come back–with new readers and new friends. Thank you so much! Here is […]
I am so grateful people are reading this book! Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul was released kind of quietly, but I really worked on this book–and am really happy with the results. It is not an easy book–it was written from a different, darker place than He Mele A Hilo, and even Seasonal Velocities–and it took […]
March 3, 2016 · by xanwest It’s World Book Day, so I thought I’d share some recommendations of books by trans and non-binary authors. Please feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments! Gosh, all three of my books made this list for World Book Day!
I wrote a review of Ryka Aoki‘s book of poems! TL:DR It is very, very good and you should read it. The book, not the review. Although the review is pretty fabulous too :)–Cat Fitzpatrick “It is through this complex grasping, not only of the minutiae of living, but of the minutiae of speaking, that these […]
A day or two ago, Cat Fitzpatrick wrote this great article for the Guardian about trans people and their poetry. My work is mentioned there, as well as three presses I’ve worked with: Topside, Trans-Genre, and Biyuti. I want to talk a bit about Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul. It is my first book entirely dedicated toward […]
So, Stephanie Barbé Hammer just wrote a beautiful review of He Mele A Hilo. At first, I was speechless–reviews from readers are always cherished, but this was so enthusiastic and so dead on. (Besides, how often does one get mentioned in the same article as Yowamushi Pedal?!?) I feel, in this time of so much violence and ugliness, the […]
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 […]
This from Casey over at: Ask Your Friendly Neighbourhood Lesbrarian # 8: LGBTQ Magic Realism Finally, I want to highly recommend He Mele a Hilo (A Hilo Song) by Ryka Aoki. It perhaps doesn’t fit your question, because it doesn’t feature LGBT characters except in passing, but it is written by a trans woman (an issue she discusses in […]
Hi All! I just wanted to share this news! This is a piece I wrote for Publishers Weekly. It’s my first time in a mainstream national publication!
Hi Everyone! Ryka here. I have a big favor to ask of you, especially those who have read and enjoyed my novel, He Mele A Hilo. The summer is coming up, and I am wondering if you might recommend my book to your family, your reading group, an aunty–anyone whom you think might want to take a […]