Ocean Vuong Explained

Ocean Vuong
Birth Name:Vietnamese: Vương Quốc Vinh|italic=no[1]
Birth Date:14 October 1988
Birth Place:Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam
Occupation:Poet, writer, professor
Education:Brooklyn College (BA)
New York University (MFA)
Genre:Poetry, essays, novel
Notableworks:
Awards:

Ocean Vuong (born Vietnamese: Vương Quốc Vinh|italics=no, pronounced as /vi/; born 14 October 1988) is a Vietnamese American poet, essayist, and novelist. He is the recipient of the 2014 Ruth Lilly/Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation,[2] 2016 Whiting Award,[3] and the 2017 T. S. Eliot Prize.[4] His debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, was published in 2019. He received a MacArthur Grant that same year.[5]

Early life

Ocean Vuong was born in Hồ Chí Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), Vietnam[6] to a multiracial mother. Two generations before Vuong was born, his grandmother was raised in the countryside of Vietnam. During this time, his grandfather, a farm boy from Michigan, was serving in the United States Navy. It was during the Vietnam War period that he fell in love with Vuong's grandmother, whom Vuong described as "an illiterate girl from the rice paddies."[7]

His grandparents married and had three daughters, one of whom was Vuong's mother.[7] His grandfather had gone back to visit home in the U.S. but was unable to return when Saigon fell to communist forces. Fearing for their safety, his grandmother made the difficult decision to place his mother and her sisters in separate orphanages. With the rising dangers associated with being seen as a collaborator, she believed splitting them up would give them the best chance for survival. “It was a humanitarian crisis, and there was more chance of them surviving like that,” he explains. His grandmother also worried they might be taken out of Vietnam.[7]

As daughters of a US serviceman, they would have qualified for Operation Babylift—a program that evacuated children to the United States for adoption. If kept together, they might have also been viewed as a family unit, making them a target for dissidents seeking to leave the country. By separating them, she hoped to protect them from these risks and increase their chances of survival.

By the time the family was reunited, his mother had already reached adulthood. At 18, she had given birth to Ocean and was working in a Saigon salon, washing men’s hair to make ends meet. However, her mixed-race heritage caught the attention of a policeman, who recognized that, under Vietnamese law, she was working illegally due to her background. This discovery put the family at significant risk, forcing them to flee Vietnam for safety. The family was evacuated to a refugee camp in the Philippines, where they waited as the Salvation Army processed their resettlement claim. Two-year-old Vuong and his family eventually gained asylum and migrated to the United States. They settled in Hartford, Connecticut, along with seven relatives sharing a one-bedroom apartment. His father abandoned the family one day and never returned.

Vuong was the first in his family to achieve proficiency in reading and writing, learning to read at the age of eleven. He suspected dyslexia ran in his family, At 15 years old, Vuong worked on a tobacco farm illegally and would later describe his experiences on the farm in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. He was reunited with his paternal grandfather later in life.[8] [9]

Education

Vuong attended Glastonbury High School in Glastonbury, Connecticut, a school known for academic excellence. "I didn't know how to make use of it," Vuong has stated, noting that his grade point average at one point was 1.7.[10]

While in high school, he told fellow Glastonbury graduate Kat Chow he "understood he had to leave Connecticut." After spending some time studying at Manchester Community College, Vuong transferred to Pace University in New York to study marketing. His time at Pace lasted only a few weeks before he realized it "wasn't for him."[10]

He then enrolled at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, where he studied 19th-century English literature under poet and novelist Ben Lerner, and earned his B.A. in English.[11] [12] While at Brooklyn College, Vuong received an Academy of American Poets College Prize. Vuong went on to earn an M.F.A. in poetry from New York University.[13]

Career

Vuong's poems and essays have been published in various journals, including Poetry,[14] The Nation,[15] TriQuarterly,[16] Guernica,[17] The Rumpus,[18] Boston Review,[19] Narrative Magazine, The New Republic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.[20]

His first chapbook, Burnings (Sibling Rivalry Press), was a 2011 "Over The Rainbow" selection for notable books with LGBT content by the American Library Association.[21] His second chapbook, No (YesYes Books), was released in 2013.[22] His debut full-length collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, was released by Copper Canyon Press in 2016.[23] His first novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, was published by Penguin Press on June 4, 2019. While working on the novel, the biggest issue Vuong had was with grammatical tense, since there are no past participles in Vietnamese. Vuong also regarded the book as a "phantom novel" dedicated to the "phantom readership of the mother, of [his] family," who are illiterate and thus cannot read his book.[24] Vuong's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer three months before the publication of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.[25] After his mother died in 2019, Vuong began writing his second collection of poetry, Time Is a Mother, which has been described as a "search for life after the death of his mother."[26]

In August 2020, Vuong was revealed as the seventh writer to contribute to the Future Library project. The project, which compiles original works by writers each year from 2014 to 2114, will remain unread until the collected 100 works are eventually published in 2114. Discussing his contribution to the project, Vuong opined that, "So much of publishing is about seeing your name in the world, but this is the opposite, putting the future ghost of you forward. You and I will have to die in order for us to get these texts. That is a heady thing to write towards, so I will sit with it a while."[27]

Vuong has stated his view of fiction as a moral vehicle. Discussing On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, he said: "Fiction is strongest when it launches a moral question. When it goes out and seeks to answer. The questions that we couldn't ask in life because the costs would be too much. Fiction and narrative art give us a vicarious opportunity to see these questions play out, at no true cost to our own."[28]

He served as the 2019-2020 Artist-In-Resident at NYU's Asian/Pacific/American Institute, also working with the school's Center for Refugee Poetics and the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House.[29] [30] In 2022, he became a tenured Professor of Creative Writing at NYU,[31] and has also taught in the MFA Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.[32] [33] In 2022, Vuong was named as one of "32 Essential Asian American Writers" by Buzzfeed Books.

Vuong has announced a second novel titled The Emperor of Gladness, expecting a release in June 2025.[34] [35]

Personal life

Vuong has described himself as being raised by women. During a conversation with a customer, his mother, a manicurist, expressed a desire to go to the beach, and pronounced the word "beach" as "bitch". The customer suggested she use the word "ocean" instead of "beach". After learning the definition of the word "ocean" — the most massive classified body of water, such as the Pacific Ocean, which connects the United States and Vietnam — she renamed her son Ocean.

Three months before the novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous was published, Vuong's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she died in November 2019.[36] Vuong wrote Time Is a Mother while in mourning. According to him, this collection of poems is the search for life after this heartbreaking event.[37] [38]

In November 2021, an excerpt from On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous was featured in that year's New South Wales Higher School Certificate exams. The paper, the first of two English exams taken by year twelve students in the Australian state, required examinees to read an excerpt from the novel and answer a short question responding to it. On the exam's conclusion, Australian school students bombarded Vuong with confused inquiries via Instagram, to which the author responded in humorous fashion.[39]

Vuong is gay,[40] and is a practicing Zen Buddhist.[41] He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his partner, Peter Bienkowski, and his half-brother whom he took in after their mother died.[42] [43] During the Israel–Hamas war, he is a supporter of the boycott of Israeli cultural institutions, including publishers and literary festivals.[44] [45]

Works

Books

TypeTitleYearPublisherISBN
NovelsOn Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous2019Penguin PressPaperback:
Hardcover: 		[46]
The Emperor of Gladness2025Hardcover: [47]
PoetryNight Sky with Exit Wounds2016Copper Canyon PressPaperback:
Hardcover: 		[48]
Time Is a Mother2022Penguin PressPaperback:
Hardcover: 		[49]
ChapbooksBurnings2010Sibling Rivalry PressPaperback: [50]
No2013YesYes BooksPaperback: [51]

Verse

TitleYearPublisher
12 Gauge2013The Paris-American[52]
DetoNation2014[53]
Aubade with Burning City[54]
Kissing in Vietnamese2014Split This Rock[55]
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous2014[56]
Trojan2015[57]
Waterline[58]
No One Knows the Way to Heaven[59]
Someday I'll love Ocean Vuong2015The New Yorker[60]
Two Boys Bathing During a Ceasefire2015The New Republic[61]
Tell Me Something Good2015Academy of American Poets[62]
Trevor2016BuzzFeed News[63]
Toy Boat2016[64]
A Little Closer to the Edge[65]
Scavengers2016The New Yorker[66]
Ode to Masturbation2016Split This Rock[67]
Essay on Craft2017[68]
You Guys2017Granta[69]
Dear Rose2017Harper's Magazine[70]
Almost Human2019The New Yorker[71]
Not Even This2020[72]
Reasons for Staying2021Harper's Magazine[73]
Beautiful Short Loser2022Granta[74]

Prose & essays

TitleYearPublisher
The Weight of Our Living: On Hope, Fire Escapes, and Visible Desperation2014The Rumpus[75]
Surrendering2016The New Yorker[76]
A Letter to My Mother That She Will Never Read2017[77]
How I Did It: The Seventh Circle of Earth2017Poetry School[78]
How Can We Make the MFA Workshop More Hospitable to Writers of Color?2018Literary Hub[79]
Reimagining Masculinity2019The Paris Review[80]
The 10 Books I Needed to Write My Novel 2019Literary Hub[81]

Television

YearProgrammeChannelRoleNotes
2016PBS NewsHourPBSHimselfVietnamese American Poet Contemplates His Personal Ties to the War[82]
2019Late Night with Seth MeyersNBCSeason 6, Episode 111[83]
Vice News TonightHBOOcean Vuong 'Breaks Apart' The Immigrant Experience In His Debut Novel[84]
Amanpour & CompanyPBSOcean Vuong on Race, Sexuality and His New Novel[85]

Awards and honours

See main article: List of awards and nominations received by Ocean Vuong. As of 2024, Vuong has won, received a nomination, or was considered for literature awards as well as career awards for fellowship and grant, residences, and listicles.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A Vessel for Peace: An Interview with Writer Ocean Vuong . Kameelah Janan Rasheed . Well&Often . February 2013 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222191513/https://wellandoftenpress.com/reader/interview-ocean-vuong/ . live.
  2. Web site: Ocean Vuong Talks New Work, Diasporic Writing, and the Ethics of Narrative Expression . Isabella . B. Cho . . April 30, 2021 . December 29, 2023 . January 4, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230104093315/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2021/4/30/ocean-vuong-talk/ . live.
    Web site: Award-Winning Poet to Read . . November 4, 2016 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229133658/https://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/award-winning-poet-to-read . live.
  3. Web site: Whiting Foundation Announces Winners of 2016 Awards for Writing . John . Williams . . March 23, 2016 . December 29, 2023 . December 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231221140459/https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/whiting-foundation-announces-winners-of-2016-writing-awards/ . live.
  4. Web site: Ocean Vuong Wins T.S. Eliot Prize . Harriet Staff . . January 15, 2018 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229123419/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet-books/2018/01/ocean-vuong-wins-ts-eliot-prize . live.
  5. Web site: $625,000 'genius grants' go to Ocean Vuong and six other writers . Alison . Flood . . September 25, 2019 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229122910/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/25/625000-genius-grants-go-to-ocean-vuong-writers-macarthur . live.
  6. Web site: Eavesdropping on Ocean Vuong's New Book . Kevin . Nguyen . . May 25, 2019 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222192105/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/25/books/ocean-vuong-earth-briefly-gorgeous.html . live.
  7. Web site: Armitstead . Claire . October 3, 2017 . War baby: the amazing story of Ocean Vuong, former refugee and prize-winning poet . 0261-3077 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222192355/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/oct/03/ocean-vuong-forward-prize-vietnam-war-saigon-night-sky-with-exit-wounds . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . The Guardian.
  8. Wenger . Daniel . April 7, 2016 . How a Poet Named Ocean Means to Fix the English Language . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222191637/https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/how-a-poet-named-ocean-means-to-fix-the-english-language . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . The New Yorker.
  9. Web site: Kakutani . Michiko . May 9, 2016 . Review: 'Night Sky With Exit Wounds,' Verses From Ocean Vuong . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222192521/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/10/books/review-night-sky-with-exit-wounds-verses-from-ocean-vuong.html . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . The New York Times.
  10. Web site: Going Home With Ocean Vuong . Kat . Chow . . June 4, 2019 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222192614/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/going-home-ocean-vuong-on-earth-were-briefly-gorgeous/590938/ . live.
  11. Web site: Ocean Sounds: A Brooklyn College Alumnus Reflects on His Life . . June 5, 2012 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222160933/https://www.brooklyn.edu/bc-news/ocean-sounds-a-brooklyn-college-alumnus-reflects-on-his-life/ . live.
  12. Web site: Mentoring Demands Respect, Says Ben Lerner About His Work with Ocean Vuong . . June 14, 2013 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222192715/https://www.brooklyn.edu/bc-news/mentoring-demands-respect-says-ben-lerner-about-his-work-with-ocean-vuong/ . live.
  13. Web site: Poets . Academy of American . Ocean Vuong . 2024-10-27 . Poets.org . en.
  14. Web site: Ocean Vuong . . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222192332/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ocean-vuong . live.
  15. Web site: Eurydice . . January 28, 2014 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222195506/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/eurydice/ . live.
  16. Web site: Ocean Vuong . . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222195505/https://www.triquarterly.org/contributors/ocean-vuong . live.
  17. Web site: I Remember Anyway . Ocean Vuong . . June 14, 2013 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222195627/https://www.guernicamag.com/ocean-vuong-i-remember-anyway/ . live.
  18. Web site: Ocean Vuong . . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222195521/https://therumpus.net/author/ocean-vuong/ . live.
  19. Web site: Poet's Sampler: Ocean Vuong . . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222195633/https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/poets-sampler-ocean-vuong/ . live.
  20. Web site: Ocean Vuong . . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222195638/https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/ocean-vuong.html . live.
  21. Web site: 2012 Over the Rainbow List–74 LGBT Books for Adult Readers! . blogando . . January 22, 2012 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222200926/https://www.glbtrt.ala.org/overtherainbow/archives/342 . live.
  22. Web site: No by Ocean Vuong . YesYes Books . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222201236/https://www.yesyesbooks.com/product-page/no-by-ocean-vuong . live.
  23. Web site: Night Sky with Exit Wounds . . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222201519/https://www.coppercanyonpress.org/authors/ocean-vuong/ . live.
  24. Web site: Spiegel . Amy Rose . On being generous in your work . The Creative Independent . 7 July 2022 . May 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220529005850/https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/2017-05-16-ocean-vuong-on-being-generous-in-your-work/ . dead.
  25. Grieving His Mother's Death, Ocean Vuong Learned to Write for Himself . Nicole . Chung . . March 30, 2022 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202332/https://time.com/6161568/ocean-vuong-time-is-a-mother-interview/ . live.
  26. Web site: Poet Ocean Vuong sifts through the aftershock of grief in 'Time Is a Mother' . Tonya . Mosley . . April 5, 2022 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202444/https://www.npr.org/2022/04/05/1090845515/poet-ocean-vuong-sifts-through-the-aftershock-of-grief-in-time-is-a-mother . live.
  27. Web site: 'You'll have to die to get these texts': Ocean Vuong's next manuscript to be unveiled in 2114 . Sian . Cain . . August 19, 2020 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202457/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/19/ocean-vuong-2114-book-future-library-norway . live.
  28. Web site: Ocean Vuong on the Moral Questions of Fiction . Talk Easy . . May 23, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202433/https://lithub.com/ocean-vuong-on-the-moral-questions-of-fiction/ . live.
  29. Web site: Award-Winning Poet Ocean Vuong to Join NYU's Creative Writing Program Faculty . . June 15, 2022 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202444/https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2022/june/award-winning-poet-ocean-vuong-to-join-nyu-s-creative-writing-pr.html . live.
  30. Web site: Ocean Vuong, Artist-in-Residence . . August 29, 2019 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202448/https://apa.nyu.edu/ocean-vuong-artist-in-residence/ . live.
  31. Web site: Award-Winning Poet Ocean Vuong to Join NYU's Creative Writing Program Faculty . . June 15, 2022 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229115857/https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2022/june/award-winning-poet-ocean-vuong-to-join-nyu-s-creative-writing-pr.html . live.
  32. Web site: Two Umass Amherst Authors Win Top Honors in 20th Annual Mass Book Awards . . September 15, 2020 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222144231/https://www.umass.edu/news/article/two-umass-amherst-authors-win-top-honors . live.
  33. Ocean Vuong Is Still Learning . Hua Hsu . . April 10, 2022 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202651/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/ocean-vuong-is-still-learning . live.
  34. Web site: A new Ocean Vuong novel is coming next summer. . James . Folta . April 16, 2024 . . en . November 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241122184028/https://lithub.com/a-new-ocean-vuong-novel-is-coming-next-summer/ . November 22, 2024 . live.
  35. Tired of Playing the Self-Loathing Poet, Ocean Vuong Is Stepping Into His Next Role . Catherine . Lacey . Quil . Lemons . Moses . Moreno . April 23, 2024 . . 1741-251X . en . November 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241122184021/https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2024/04/23/ocean-vuong-poet-photography-novel-cult-100 . November 22, 2024 . live.
  36. Grieving His Mother's Death, Ocean Vuong Learned to Write for Himself . Nicole . Chung . . March 30, 2022 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229123536/https://time.com/6161568/ocean-vuong-time-is-a-mother-interview/ . live.
  37. Web site: Poet Ocean Vuong sifts through the aftershock of grief in 'Time Is a Mother' . Tonya . Mosley . . April 5, 2022 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229131931/https://www.npr.org/2022/04/05/1090845515/poet-ocean-vuong-sifts-through-the-aftershock-of-grief-in-time-is-a-mother . live.
  38. Web site: Ocean Vuong embraces life after loss in his new book of poems, Time Is a Mother . CBC Radio . . April 8, 2022 . December 29, 2023 . April 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424014955/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/writersandcompany/ocean-vuong-embraces-life-after-loss-in-his-new-book-of-poems-time-is-a-mother-1.6413281 . live.
  39. Web site: 'What the hell is an HSC exam?' Poet Ocean Vuong pokes fun at perplexed Australian students . Janine . Israel . . November 10, 2021 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202658/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/11/what-the-hell-is-an-hsc-exam-oet-ocean-vuong-pokes-fun-at-perplexed-australian-students . live.
  40. Web site: Ocean Vuong: The TNB Self-Interview . Ocean Vuong . . August 1, 2011 . December 22, 2023 . December 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206111309/http://thenervousbreakdown.com/ovuong/2011/08/ocean-vuong-the-tnb-self-interview/ . live.
  41. Web site: What Scares Writer and Zen Buddhist Ocean Vuong . Raisa . Tolchinsky . . August 16, 2017 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202657/https://tricycle.org/article/scares-writer-zen-buddhist-ocean-vuong/ . live.
  42. Web site: TS Eliot prize goes to Vietnam-born US poet for debut collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds . . . January 17, 2018 . December 21, 2023 . December 21, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231221175856/https://www.scmp.com/culture/books/article/2128480/ts-eliot-prize-goes-vietnam-born-us-poet-debut-collection-night-sky . live.
  43. Rigoberto . González . Be Bold: A Profile of Ocean Vuong . . July/August 2019 . 0891-6136 . December 23, 2023 . December 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231223102051/https://www.pw.org/content/be_bold_a_profile_of_ocean_vuong?article_page=2 . live.
  44. Web site: Over 1,000 authors join Israel boycott for 'dispossession' of Palestinians . October 29, 2024 . . en . November 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241104125146/https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/hjkvdwre1x . November 4, 2024 . live.
  45. Web site: Hundreds of Authors Pledge to Boycott Israeli Cultural Institutions . Dan . Sheehan . October 28, 2024 . . en . November 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241104035028/https://lithub.com/hundreds-of-authors-pledge-to-boycott-israeli-cultural-institutions/ . November 4, 2024 . live.
  46. Web site: 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' Captures a Young Immigrant's Troubles and Ecstasies . Dwight . Garner . . May 27, 2019 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229001222/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/27/books/review-on-earth-were-briefly-gorgeous-ocean-vuong.html . live.
  47. Jonathan Cape to publish Ocean Vuong’s ‘breathtaking’ new novel . Heloise . Wood . April 16, 2024 . . 0006-7539 . en . November 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241122185731/https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/jonathan-cape-to-publish-ocean-vuongs-breathtaking-new-novel . November 22, 2024 . live.
  48. Web site: Night Sky with Exit Wounds . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229003109/https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/library-research-services/collections/diversity-inclusion-belonging/night-sky-exit . live.
  49. Web site: Ocean Vuong holds space for humor amid grief in latest poetry collection, 'Time Is a Mother' . Aleenah . Ansari . . June 1, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229004127/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/ocean-vuong-holds-space-for-humor-amid-grief-in-latest-poetry-collection-time-is-a-mother/ . live.
  50. Web site: Burnings Awards & Grants . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229004745/https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/burnings . live.
  51. Web site: A Review of 'No' by Ocean Vuong . Eric . Nguyen . DVAN . December 9, 2013 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229005429/https://dvan.org/2013/12/a-review-of-no-by-ocean-vuong/ . live.
    Web site: No by Ocean Vuong . YesYes Books . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229005545/https://www.yesyesbooks.com/product-page/no-by-ocean-vuong . live.
  52. Web site: 12 Gauge by Ocean Vuong . The Paris-American . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229122247/https://www.theparisamerican.com/poetry82.html . live.
  53. Ocean Vuong . February 2014 . DetoNation . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229103141/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/56768/detonation . live.
  54. Ocean Vuong . February 2014 . Aubade with Burning City . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229103244/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/56769/aubade-with-burning-city . live.
  55. Web site: Kissing in Vietnamese by Ocean Vuong - Poems . . December 29, 2023 . December 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231223234146/https://poets.org/poem/kissing-vietnamese . live.
    Web site: Kissing in Vietnamese Poetry Database Split This Rock . Ocean Vuong . . June 30, 2014 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229033243/https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/kissing-in-vietnamese . live.
  56. Ocean Vuong . December 2014 . On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous . . 244–247 . December 28, 2023 . December 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231228235818/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/57586/on-earth-were-briefly-gorgeous . live.
    Web site: December 2014 . . December 1, 2014 . December 28, 2023 . December 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231228235810/https://static.poetryfoundation.org/o/uploads/magazine/12_2014.pdf . dead.
  57. Web site: Trojan by Ocean Vuong . . March 2, 2015 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229024704/https://www.narrativemagazine.com/issues/spring-2015/poetry/trojan-ocean-vuong . live.
  58. Web site: Waterline by Ocean Vuong . . October 17, 2014 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229024553/https://www.narrativemagazine.com/issues/poems-week-2014-2015/poem-week/waterline-ocean-vuong . live.
  59. Web site: No One Knows the Way to Heaven by Ocean Vuong . . February 9, 2015 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229024550/https://www.narrativemagazine.com/issues/poems-week-2014-2015/poem-week/no-one-knows-way-heaven-ocean-vuong . live.
  60. Ocean Vuong . April 27, 2015 . Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong . . 91 . 11 . 50–51 . December 28, 2023 . December 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231228234700/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/04/someday-ill-love-ocean-vuong . live.
  61. Ocean Vuong . May 19, 2015 . Ocean Vuong poem Two Boys Bathing During a Ceasefire . . December 29, 2023 . December 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206202709/https://newrepublic.com/article/121821/ocean-vuong-poem-two-boys-bathing-during-ceasefire . live.
  62. Web site: Tell Me Something Good by Ocean Vuong - Poems . . September 2, 2015 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229022209/https://poets.org/poem/tell-me-something-good . live.
  63. Web site: Poem: "Trevor" By Ocean Vuong . Ocean Vuong . . March 24, 2016 . December 22, 2023 . December 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222202704/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/oceanvuong/poem-trevor-by-ocean-vuong . live.
  64. Ocean Vuong . April 2016 . Toy Boat . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229103231/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/88733/toy-boat . live.
  65. Ocean Vuong . April 2016 . A Little Closer to the Edge . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229103211/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/88734/a-little-closer-to-the-edge . live.
  66. Ocean Vuong . October 31, 2016 . Scavengers . . 92 . 36 . 51 . December 28, 2023 . December 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231228235347/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/07/scavengers . live.
  67. Web site: Ode to Masturbation Poetry Database Split This Rock . Ocean Vuong . . December 22, 2016 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229034412/https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database/poem/ode-to-masturbation . live.
  68. Ocean Vuong . August 2017 . Essay on Craft . . December 28, 2023 . December 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231228235957/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/142852/essay-on-craft . live.
  69. Ocean Vuong . August 3, 2017 . You Guys Ocean Vuong Granta . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229031524/https://granta.com/you-guys/ . live.
  70. Ocean Vuong . December 2017 . Dear Rose by Ocean Vuong . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229031441/https://harpers.org/archive/2017/12/dear-rose/ . live.
  71. Ocean Vuong . July 29, 2019 . Almost Human . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229025924/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/08/05/almost-human . live.
  72. Ocean Vuong . April 2020 . Not Even This . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229032223/https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/152940/not-even-this . live.
  73. Ocean Vuong . July 2021 . Reasons for Staying by Ocean Vuong . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229105330/https://harpers.org/archive/2021/07/reasons-for-staying-ocean-vuong/ . live.
  74. Ocean Vuong . March 15, 2022 . Beautiful Short Loser Ocean Vuong Granta . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229105335/https://granta.com/beautiful-short-loser-ocean-vuong/ . live.
  75. Web site: The Weight of Our Living: On Hope, Fire Escapes, and Visible Desperation . Ocean Vuong . . August 28, 2014 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229052717/https://therumpus.net/2022/12/20/the-weight-of-our-living-on-hope-fire-escapes-and-visible-desperation/ . live.
  76. Ocean Vuong . May 30, 2016 . Surrendering . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229025917/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/06/ocean-vuong-immigrating-into-english . live.
  77. Ocean Vuong . May 13, 2017 . A Letter to My Mother That She Will Never Read . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229025921/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/a-letter-to-my-mother-that-she-will-never-read . live.
  78. Web site: How I Did It: Forward First Collection Special – Ocean Vuong on 'Seventh Circle of Earth' . Ocean Vuong . . September 2017 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229053235/https://poetryschool.com/how-i-did-it/i-forward-first-collection-special-ocean-vuong-seventh-circle-earth/ . live.
  79. Web site: How Can We Make the MFA Workshop More Hospitable to Writers of Color? . Literary Hub . . April 5, 2018 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229053330/https://lithub.com/how-can-we-make-the-mfa-workshop-more-hospitable-to-writers-of-color/ . live.
  80. Web site: Reimagining Masculinity . Ocean Vuong . . June 10, 2019 . December 29, 2023 . May 28, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230528005339/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/06/10/no-homo/ . live.
  81. Web site: Ocean Vuong: The 10 Books I Needed to Write My Novel . Ocean Vuong . . October 1, 2019 . December 29, 2023 . September 23, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230923210557/https://lithub.com/ocean-vuong-the-10-books-i-needed-to-write-my-novel/ . live.
  82. Web site: Vietnamese American poet contemplates his personal ties to the war . . May 3, 2016 . December 30, 2023 . December 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231230103759/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/vietnamese-american-poet-contemplates-his-personal-ties-to-the-war . live.
  83. Web site: Late Night With Seth Meyers – Season 6, Episode 111 . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229174953/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/late_night_with_seth_meyers/s06/e111 . live.
    Web site: Late Night With Seth Meyers Season 6 Episodes . . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229174935/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/late-night-with-seth-meyers/episodes-season-6/1000616723/ . live.
  84. Web site: Ocean Vuong 'Breaks Apart' The Immigrant Experience In His Debut Novel . . July 2, 2019 . December 30, 2023 . December 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231230103716/https://video.vice.com/en_nz/video/ocean-vuong-breaks-apart-the-immigrant-experience-in-his-debut-novel/5d002389be40771741295922 . live.
    Web site: Ocean Vuong 'Breaks Apart' The Immigrant Experience In His Debut Novel (HBO) . . . June 20, 2019 . December 30, 2023 . December 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231230105204/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm_Q5jXf6_k . live.
  85. Web site: Ocean Vuong on Race, Sexuality and His New Novel Video . Amanpour & Company . . October 31, 2019 . December 29, 2023 . December 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231229180129/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/ocean-vuong-on-race-sexuality-and-his-new-novel/ . live.

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