Thank you @low_keybookish for taking NWI out for a lunch date 💖💖💖——- Repost from @low_keybookish • I took myself out to lunch earlier this week and had a date with “Navigating With(out) Instruments.” I got @traciakemi1 poetry essay notes collection back at the festival of AAPI Books organized by @belcantobooks. I’ve known of traci for many years, in college when I would go to Tuesday Night Project, an open mic night/community space in Little Tokyo. We have a lot of mutual friends too. With their background in community organizing, art, social justice work, this collection felt like coming home for me. There are some pieces about the beauty of LA (references to freeways, driving). I loved the pieces about honoring our ancestors who did the work, about Japanese American redress (and needing to be in solidarity with contemporary reparation movements). I could see Little Tokyo in my mind. They also are a cancer survivor and include related pieces. There are some poignant essays and poems on queer identity and grief, family relationships. One of my favs was about Yuri Kochiyama, a shero and such an important Asian American activist. And on the second image, I’m including a brief poem that ended the collection. There are also cool nautical flag references tied to the title, a neat way to organize it. A beautiful book if you’re interested in these themes. Congrats traci! #AsianAmericanAuthor #JapaneseAmericanAuthor #AsianAmericanReader #nonfiction #nonfictionbookparty #poetry #essaycollection #BIPOCBooks #diversifybookstagram #diversereads #tracikatokiriyama #navigatingwithoutinstruments #indiepress #queerauthors #readqueerallyear