‘sashiko’ is a collection of writing by the late emi kuriyama, who passed away at the age of 24 in 2016. emi was a prolific writer whose vibrant curiosity led her to produce an expansive body of work that insisted on play and careful collaborations as ways to live. ‘sashiko’ consists of the late writer’s unfinished novella—a compilation of absurd, dark, and magical vignettes loosely based on her lived reality. Also included is emi’s Cal Arts Creative Writing MFA thesis proposal, addressed to Douglas Kearney, explaining the intentions with her novella. Throughout ‘sashiko’, movement principles such as swimming, running, and ghosting help readers understand the connection and conundrum of exile, fugitivity, and belonging. emi’s tender and peculiar voice is felt in personal emails addressed to artists Jennifer Moon, Laub, and Christine Wertheim, each of whom guided her towards cosmological expansion and love, and in whom she found hope.

-S.L. 03/07/2025