Book Series Guide
Ryka Aoki

Author guide

Ryka Aoki Books in Order

Ryka Aoki is an American writer, composer, and educator. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Cornell University and teaches English at Santa Monica College. Her books include the novels He Mele a Hilo: A Hilo Song and Light from Uncommon Stars, the mixed-genre collection Seasonal Velocities, the poetry collection Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul, and the children's picture book The Great Space Adventure. Her work explores identity, gender, race, family, community, music, place, and transformation, and has received recognition including the Alex Award and Stonewall Book Award.

science fictionfantasymagical realismpoetryessaysshort fictionchildren's literature

Catalog record updated .

Ryka Aoki's Newest Book

Cover of Light from Uncommon Stars

Light from Uncommon Stars

novel · First published 2021

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate. But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline. As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Light from Uncommon Stars

Light from Uncommon Stars

A standalone, award-winning novel that showcases Aoki's speculative fiction, music, identity, and found-family themes.

Cover of Seasonal Velocities

Seasonal Velocities

The best entry point for Aoki's poetry, essays, and short fiction.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (2)
  1. Light from Uncommon Stars

    novel · 2021

    Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six. When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches…

Short fiction (1)
  1. Seasonal Velocities

    poetry-essay-and-short-story-collection · 2012

Children's books (1)
  1. The Great Space Adventure

    children's-picture-book · 2019

    A nonbinary kid on a lyrical space adventure gets to meet and make friends with all the planets in this scientifically factual, lavishly illustrated book.

Poetry (1)
  1. Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul

    poetry-collection · 2015

    "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,…

Frequently asked questions about Ryka Aoki

Who is Ryka Aoki?

Ryka Aoki is a poet, composer, teacher, and novelist. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Cornell University and teaches English at Santa Monica College.

Sources: academic.macmillan.com (opens in a new tab)lambdaliterary.org (opens in a new tab)

Is Ryka Aoki transgender?

Yes. PBS describes Aoki as a Japanese-American transgender author and poet, and Aoki has spoken publicly about her queer identity and its relationship to her writing.

Sources: pbs.org (opens in a new tab)lambdaliterary.org (opens in a new tab)

What influences Ryka Aoki’s writing?

Aoki has cited science fiction, music, the layered Asian American communities of Los Angeles, and writers including Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison as influences. She has also said that the scarcity of trans Asian American literature shaped her decision to bring her authentic self to the page.

Sources: barnesandnoble.com (opens in a new tab)lambdaliterary.org (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Ryka Aoki won?

Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars won the Alex, Otherwise, and SCKA Awards and received a 2022 Stonewall Book Award honor. In 2023, she won Lambda Literary’s Jim Duggins, PhD Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Prize.

Sources: lambdaliterary.org (opens in a new tab)ala.org (opens in a new tab)

What legacy is Ryka Aoki building?

Aoki aims to create the representation she lacked growing up and hopes her work encourages future writers to create their own worlds, songs, and novels. Her career also broadens visibility for queer and trans Asian American perspectives across literature and music.

Sources: lambdaliterary.org (opens in a new tab)pbs.org (opens in a new tab)