Ryka Aoki is a Japanese American poet, composer, and teacher. She is the author of Seasonal Velocities, He Mele a Hilo (A Hilo Song), Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul and The Great Space Adventure. Seasonal Velocities was a finalist for the award for transgender nonfiction in the 25th Lambda Literary Awards in 2013. Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul was a finalist for the 28th Lambda Literary Awards. For her work with youth, Ryka was named an Outstanding Volunteer by the LGBT Center's Children, Youth and Family Services. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University and is currently a professor of English at Santa Monica College. Her next novel, Light from Uncommon Stars, is forthcoming from Tor Books in Fall 2021.