Ocean Vuong, a skilled wordsmith who has made profound strides in contemporary American literature, is best recognized for his evocative poetry and compelling narrative prose. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Vuong moved to the United States with his family at the age of two as a child of illiterate rice farmers. The intricate cultural canvas of his early life clearly influences his literary works which skillfully weave together themes of immigration, identity, love, and trauma.
Vuong's debut poetry collection, "Night Sky with Exit Wounds", catapulted him onto the global literary stage and was awarded several prestigious accolades, including the 2016 Whiting Award, the 2017 T.S. Eliot Prize, and the 2017 Forward Prize for Best First Collection. These victories rendered Ocean an undeniable force in the realm of poetry and he was thus honored in Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2019.
In addition to his success in poetry, Ocean Vuong explored the realm of prose with his autobiographical debut novel, "On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous". Published in 2019, it was heralded as a New York Times Best Seller and was similarly noted for its intimate exposition of the human condition. Today, Vuong continues to write and teach in the MFA program for poets and writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, cementing a legacy of rich, inclusive storytelling.