David Marchese

After the break, I talk to Ocean again, and he tells me how falling in love with literature was sometimes a wedge between him and his family.

Hi, Ocean. How are you?

Hi, Ocean. How are you?

Good to see you.

Good to see you.

Are you ready for some more lighthearted questions about you and your work? I'm ready. I'm ready. Always. So I know that your mom had a sense of your accomplishments as a writer. I think, you know, I read

Are you ready for some more lighthearted questions about you and your work? I'm ready. I'm ready. Always. So I know that your mom had a sense of your accomplishments as a writer. I think, you know, I read

Maybe an interview you gave or a piece you wrote where you talked about how she came to readings of yours and sort of enjoyed the fact that a bunch of white people were sitting and listening respectfully to her son. But do you know if anyone ever I mean, she was illiterate.

Maybe an interview you gave or a piece you wrote where you talked about how she came to readings of yours and sort of enjoyed the fact that a bunch of white people were sitting and listening respectfully to her son. But do you know if anyone ever I mean, she was illiterate.

So do you know if anyone ever read your work to her or did she have responses to the content of your work, not just the reception of it?

So do you know if anyone ever read your work to her or did she have responses to the content of your work, not just the reception of it?

How do you think becoming more educated and changing your social milieu also affected your relationships with people?

How do you think becoming more educated and changing your social milieu also affected your relationships with people?

What do you mean no one cares?

What do you mean no one cares?

You had said earlier that you financially support nine refugees. These are family members? Family members. I mean, technically, they're Vietnamese refugees.

You had said earlier that you financially support nine refugees. These are family members? Family members. I mean, technically, they're Vietnamese refugees.

Yeah. Are they worried about their status in the country? Are you worried about it?

Yeah. Are they worried about their status in the country? Are you worried about it?

Do you think there's any way in which your awareness of the cruelty that you had inside yourself and your own experience with cruelty gives you any understanding of the strain of our culture currently? in which cruelty seems like it's almost become fashionable. Oh, wow. Or there's almost like a performative cruelty that happens.