Ocean Vuong

My mother, when I would read early on in my college life, she would, she was, I wish I could do that. She said, just so you know, just so you know, if I had a chance, I would read too. Hmm. And when she was dying, this is like the days, they're still in the hospital. And I was asking her, you know, you say, we knew it was terminal. And I just said, what do you need, mom? Anything.

What do you want to do? And we believe in reincarnation as Buddhists. And she said, in the next life, I want to be a professor like you. Oh, shit. Because, and she, she don't know what that is, right? And you're told, you're told, you always thought that you look up to your mom. And I did, I did not know she was looking up to me the whole time. You know, and I just thought, gosh.

What do you want to do? And we believe in reincarnation as Buddhists. And she said, in the next life, I want to be a professor like you. Oh, shit. Because, and she, she don't know what that is, right? And you're told, you're told, you always thought that you look up to your mom. And I did, I did not know she was looking up to me the whole time. You know, and I just thought, gosh.

What do you want to do? And we believe in reincarnation as Buddhists. And she said, in the next life, I want to be a professor like you. Oh, shit. Because, and she, she don't know what that is, right? And you're told, you're told, you always thought that you look up to your mom. And I did, I did not know she was looking up to me the whole time. You know, and I just thought, gosh.

You know, but she was so proud to say that.

You know, but she was so proud to say that.

You know, but she was so proud to say that.

I don't know, but I feel her. And it's important for me to say this because so much of Asian American life is about making art despite or against our family's wishes. And I know that's true. But for me, I always had their blessing, even though they didn't know what I was doing. It was so strange to them, but they never said no to me.

I don't know, but I feel her. And it's important for me to say this because so much of Asian American life is about making art despite or against our family's wishes. And I know that's true. But for me, I always had their blessing, even though they didn't know what I was doing. It was so strange to them, but they never said no to me.

I don't know, but I feel her. And it's important for me to say this because so much of Asian American life is about making art despite or against our family's wishes. And I know that's true. But for me, I always had their blessing, even though they didn't know what I was doing. It was so strange to them, but they never said no to me.

So when I walk into a place like this or when I walk into the classroom or on stage, my mother, my grandmother, My teachers, living and dead, my partner, my brother, I come in with their blessing, and they have vouched for me. So I do feel completely invincible in that sense. The body I can't speak to. That will degrade and fall apart.

So when I walk into a place like this or when I walk into the classroom or on stage, my mother, my grandmother, My teachers, living and dead, my partner, my brother, I come in with their blessing, and they have vouched for me. So I do feel completely invincible in that sense. The body I can't speak to. That will degrade and fall apart.

So when I walk into a place like this or when I walk into the classroom or on stage, my mother, my grandmother, My teachers, living and dead, my partner, my brother, I come in with their blessing, and they have vouched for me. So I do feel completely invincible in that sense. The body I can't speak to. That will degrade and fall apart.

But mentally, spiritually, I feel invincible because that's the only thing I care about, their blessings.

But mentally, spiritually, I feel invincible because that's the only thing I care about, their blessings.

But mentally, spiritually, I feel invincible because that's the only thing I care about, their blessings.

It was deeply important to me. I lost my uncle in 2012 to suicide. He was 28, I was 24, so he's really a brother. We were both born in Vietnam. We went through the refugee camps together. My first memory in my life ever is sitting on the curb in Hartford with him eating red sour belts.

It was deeply important to me. I lost my uncle in 2012 to suicide. He was 28, I was 24, so he's really a brother. We were both born in Vietnam. We went through the refugee camps together. My first memory in my life ever is sitting on the curb in Hartford with him eating red sour belts.

It was deeply important to me. I lost my uncle in 2012 to suicide. He was 28, I was 24, so he's really a brother. We were both born in Vietnam. We went through the refugee camps together. My first memory in my life ever is sitting on the curb in Hartford with him eating red sour belts.

And we got it from a corner store, a candy store, where probably the last one that was ever like this, where there was giant glass jars of candy, and the man took it out and weighed it. Sounds like something from 60 years ago. But that's my first memory on this earth. And when someone stepped away from the ledge... Everybody claps in the news segments, in the films, in the stories.