Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul, Paperback/Ryka Aoki

"In the old old days, Ryka Aoki would be tagged as some kind of prophet, and the thumbsucking masses, bewildered & flummoxed by her talking stories, would stone or torch her. Forged from the ceaseless grappling match with life, living, identity, obligations, duty, home & selfhood, the poems in this striking collection are a libretto of what survives, what is elusive, what transforms or transmogrifies, and what remains primal & elemental." --Justin Chin, Author of Gutted, and Bite Hard "Sharp-eyed, witty, passionate and just, a lament for trans losses that is also somehow a celebration of life, this book made me cry and then laugh and then do something that was both at once. It is an important contribution to our literature and also that rare thing, a book of poetry you won't be able to put down." --Cat Fitzpatrick, Poetry Editor, Topside Press About the Author: 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.