Readers,
When I first started booking events to promote my picture book, I expected the audience to be children, teachers, and librarians, and the events to be held in school classrooms or children’s reading rooms at libraries. After nearly a year of sharing my debut picture book Fitting In (co-authored and illustrated with my friend and fellow artist John Olson), I realize there is a much bigger and very diverse world of audiences that would be interested in listening to our story!
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| Sharing my book with children at an art gallery in Manhattan (Photo courtesy of Civil Art) |
It all clicked for me when Civil Art invited me to participate in “Warmth of Tea,” an event during Asian Pacific Islander Month that brought together a matcha demonstration and tasting, a ceramic and teaware display, and a book reading, all to offer a moment of peace in the busy metropolitan life of New York City. It made perfect sense that adults would appreciate relaxing with a cup of tea at the end of their work day. And when was the last time they were the ones being read to?
As inspiration often leads to more inspiration, I came up with an idea:
What if I led the audience through a breathing exercise and meditation after my reading? This could allow for further relaxation and a deeper sense of peace…
Et voilà! Here we are meditating together. I led the audience through a meditation and closed the event by humming a lullaby.
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| Creating time for inner reflection after the reading (Photo by Johnny Le) |
A few months later, Civil Art invited me back for a reading timed to “And The Moon Be Still as Bright,” an art exhibition about loss, rebuilding, and hope from a contemporary Asian American perspective. The event included a walkthrough of the exhibition and a reading by yours truly at Harper’s, a gallery in New York City. This time, I got to interact with an audience from CIDA, an organization that serves individuals with disabilities and their families.
When I was preparing for the event with the Civil Art team, works by one of the featured artists in the exhibition caught my eye. Alexa Hatanaka is a Japanese-Canadian artist based in Toronto, and her practice “brings together historical craft technologies of her heritage including ink, natural dye, printmaking and papermaking.” When I looked through her website, I was mesmerized by her wearable kamiko works, which are garments sewn out of washi, or Japanese paper. Ding ding! Time for another ah-ha moment:
This exhibition, Alexa’s work, and my book explore the idea of embracing change and recognizing the various forms our spirits take as we pursue our dreams... What if I wore her artwork for the reading to highlight this beautiful overlap?
And after a conversation with Alexa, Civil Art, and Harper’s, it was done!
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| Wearing Alexa Hatanaka’s fisherman’s vest artwork as I read Fitting In (Photo courtesy of Civil Art) |
If you told me even a few months ago that I would be leading a meditation at a tea room in Brooklyn or wearing an art piece at a gallery in Chelsea as part of my children’s book tour, I really would not have believed you! But now, thanks to my inspiring collaborators and their open-minded approach to storytelling, I feel that I can let my imagination run free when I brainstorm ways to share my book with an audience. If an idea you have could make an experience for readers, audiences, and yourself even more meaningful, why not give it a voice and bring it to the table? As I grow as an author and illustrator, I am excited to dream up more magical collaborations with fellow artists, audiences, and venues!
P.S.: Have any burning questions or interesting stories from literary events you’ve participated in? Leave a comment on this post!
May we connect with readers in imaginative ways,
Haruka
About the Author
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Haruka Aoki (she/they) is a queer Japanese artist and poet-illustrator who is local to Lisbon, Portugal, New York City, and Kamakura, Japan. Their debut picture book Fitting In, which they co-wrote and illustrated with John Olson, was published by Sky Pony Press in 2022.
Their narrative artwork, often featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, aims to inspire individuals with both wit and sincerity as their hand-drawn characters engage the world around them. Growing up often unsure of where “home” would be next, Haruka found and continues to find comfort in nature and community, a constant starting point in their work.
Haruka received her BA from Brown University and her MS from Pratt Institute. They are a Fine Arts Work Center Scholar and a recipient of the SCBWI BIPOC Scholarship. She often feels deeply grateful to be an earthling.
Website: harukaaoki.com
Instagram: @thecosmicharuka
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