Ryka Aoki has been honored by the California State Senate for “extraordinary commitment to free speech and artistic expression, as well as the visibility and well-being of Transgender people.”  She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at Cornell University, and is the recipient of a University Award from the Academy of American Poets, and is the author of He Mele A Hilo, and Seasonal Velocities. She is a professor of English at Santa Monica College and of Queer Studies at Antioch University.

Please visit: www.rykaryka.com.