He Mele a Hilo: A Hilo Song, Paperback/Ryka Aoki

Something strange is happening in Hilo. Noleani Choi's new show about the life of Jesus Christ told through hula dance has everyone, especially her halau, wondering what she could possibly be thinking. Rumors circulate about a rich guy from the mainland, and the dancers and their friends must reckon with what is really hula, who is Hawaiian enough, and why each of them wants to dance. On one beautiful island, we discover that loving other people in spite of their flaws might just begin with being true to our own selves. About the Author: Ryka Aoki is a writer, performer, and educator who has been honored by the California State Senate for her "extraordinary commitment to free speech and artistic expression, as well as the visibility and well-being of transgender people." Ryka's Aoki's work appears in the anthologies Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation (Seal Press), and Transfeminist Perspectives (Temple University). Ryka has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University and is the recipient of a University Award from the Academy of American Poets. Her chapbook, Sometimes Too Hot the Eye of Heaven Shines, won the RADAR's 2010 Eli Coppola Chapbook Contest. Her first full-length volume, Seasonal Velocities, was released in 2012 by Trans-Genre Press.