She hopes that through writing for a general audience instead of only trans people, that she can help others see transgender people as human, she wrote: 'If a trans musician can make the audience cry by playing Chopin, how else, but as a human, can she be regarded? And if a book written by a queer trans Asian American can make you think of your own beaches, your own sunsets, or the dear departed grandmother you loved so much and even now find yourself speaking to, then what more powerful statement of our common humanity can there be?'

In addition to her book, Aoki also wrote a piece for Publishers Weekly. Her book He Mele a Hilo was meant to chronicle the common Hawaiian experience. Īoki, a trans woman, has said that she strives not to write just for other trans readers, but for their family, and other people in general. She was honored by the California State Senate for her work with Trans/Giving, a Los Angeles performance series for trans and genderqueer individuals. Īoki earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Cornell University, and won the Academy of American Poets' University Award. After graduating, Aoki spent a year working as an environmental lab technician. She is a first-generation college graduate. Aoki studied chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, after her parents initially discouraged her to become a writer. Biography īorn to Japanese American parents, Aoki grew up in Southern California in the San Gabriel Valley. Light From Uncommon Stars was nominated for a 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Her poetry Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul was a finalist for the 28th Lambda Literary Awards in 2016. Seasonal Velocities was a finalist for the award for transgender nonfiction in the 25th Lambda Literary Awards in 2013. Her work includes the poetry collections Seasonal Velocities and Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul along with the novels He Mele a Hilo and Light From Uncommon Stars. She teaches English at Santa Monica College and gender studies at Antioch University. Ryka Aoki is an American author of novels, poetry, and essays.

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