Ocean Vuong, author portrait
© Gioncarlo Valentine

Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collections Night Sky with Exit Wounds and Time Is a Mother, as well as the New York Times bestselling novels On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and The Emperor of Gladness. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the American Book Award, he was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and currently splits his time between western Massachusetts and New York City.
The Emperor of Gladness: Oprah's Book Club
Time Is a Mother
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Tue Jul 14 | 07:00 PM
King Philip High School
201 Franklin Street
Wrentham, MA 02093
Google Map

Wed Jul 15 | 07:00 PM
The Coral Gables Congregational Church
3010 De Soto Blvd
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Google Map

Thu Jul 16 | 06:00 PM
Dillard University
Georges Auditorium, 2601 Gentilly Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70122
Google Map

Fri Jul 17 | 06:30 PM
Spalding University's Columbia Gym Auditorium
824 S. 4th Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Google Map

Sat Jul 18 | 06:00 PM
Westerville North High School Auditorium
950 County Line Rd
Westerville, OH 43081
Google Map

Sun Jul 19 | 02:00 PM
The Artcraft Theatre
57 N Main Street
Franklin, IN 46131
Google Map

Mon Jul 20 | 06:30 PM
Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall
300 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Google Map

Tue Jul 21 | 07:00 PM
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Google Map

Wed Jul 22 | 07:30 PM
Revolution Hall
1300 SE Stark St
Portland, OR 97214
Google Map

Thu Jul 23 | 07:30 PM
Town Hall Seattle Great Hall
1119 8th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Google Map

Inside the Book: Ocean Vuong (ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS)

Books

The Emperor of Gladness: Oprah's Book Club
Time Is a Mother
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Events

Tue Jul 14 | 07:00 PM
King Philip High School
201 Franklin Street
Wrentham, MA 02093
Google Map

Wed Jul 15 | 07:00 PM
The Coral Gables Congregational Church
3010 De Soto Blvd
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Google Map

Thu Jul 16 | 06:00 PM
Dillard University
Georges Auditorium, 2601 Gentilly Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70122
Google Map

Fri Jul 17 | 06:30 PM
Spalding University's Columbia Gym Auditorium
824 S. 4th Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Google Map

Sat Jul 18 | 06:00 PM
Westerville North High School Auditorium
950 County Line Rd
Westerville, OH 43081
Google Map

Sun Jul 19 | 02:00 PM
The Artcraft Theatre
57 N Main Street
Franklin, IN 46131
Google Map

Mon Jul 20 | 06:30 PM
Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall
300 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Google Map

Tue Jul 21 | 07:00 PM
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Google Map

Wed Jul 22 | 07:30 PM
Revolution Hall
1300 SE Stark St
Portland, OR 97214
Google Map

Thu Jul 23 | 07:30 PM
Town Hall Seattle Great Hall
1119 8th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Google Map

Media

Inside the Book: Ocean Vuong (ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS)

Videos from the 2026 First-Year Experience® Conference are now available

We’re pleased to share videos from the 2026 First-Year Experience® Conference. Whether you weren’t able to join us at the conference or would simply like to hear the talks again, please take a moment to view the clips below.   Penguin Random House Author Breakfast Monday, February 17th, 7:15 – 8:45 am PST   This

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What Students Will Be Reading: Campus Common Reading Roundup, 2025-26

With the fall semester in full swing, colleges and universities around the country have announced their Common Reading books for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year. We’ve compiled a list of over 291 programs and their title selections from publicly available sources, which you can download here: First-Year Reading 2025-26. We will continue to update this

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2026 Catalog for First-Year & Common Reading

We are delighted to present our new First-Year & Common Reading Catalog for 2026! From award-winning fiction, poetry, memoir, and biography to new books about the environment, current events, history, public health, science, social justice, student success, and technology, the titles presented in our common reading catalog will have students not only eagerly flipping through

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FROM THE PAGE: An excerpt from Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness

Oprah’s Book Club Pick  Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.   “Come in. But take off your shoes. My husband put down these floors.” The woman disappeared into the house. The boy hesitated, looking down the empty street. The

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