Powerful Poets: Ocean Vuong's Written World is Full of Representation

 

Ocean Vuong 

If you remember from the last post, where we mentioned which sources of media seemed to be the best when it came to LGBTQ+ representation,  you will recall that the answer was basically, all of the above. Today's post is another opportunity to introduce you to an artist who is changing the way that LGBTQ+ representation is being made, and he is doing it with words, one publication at a time. Ocean Vuong is an openly gay, Vietnamese-American poet, essayist, novelist, and professor, having earned much recognition and praise for his literary achievements. He is probably an artist you have been hearing about lately as well. Chances are, you might even own a copy or two of his written work (my bookshelf can proudly vouch for this). In the written world, he is a writer that has captured the attention of many, earning him much attention for his contributions to the literary and arts realm. With publications of his poetry collection, Night Sky With Exit Wounds and his debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong is quickly expanding his written talents and showcasing his unstoppable force of creativity that is captivating the hearts of many. And just as significantly, he is changing the way the world sees and experiences LGBTQ+ representation.

"& remember, / loneliness is still time spent / with the world." 

- Ocean Vuong, Night Sky With Exit Wounds

In a time where many things are being consumed through the square of a screen and people are drifting further and further way from one another, Ocean Vuong is weaving the world together once more with his words. If you have yet to find yourself thumbing through one of his poetry books or if you are looking for a sign to plunge into his debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, please take this as a sign from us that you will not regret it. The reason that I am attempting to hype up this novel so much (or at least I hope that I am doing a good job of it) is because it is a novel that is widely resonating with the LGBTQ+ community. Written as an epistolary novel (a work that is written in the form of a letter), the book explores the life of a young Vietnamese-American male who is writing to his mother and offers a reflective representation of Ocean Vuong himself. While the novel touches on many important issues, there is something both haunting and liberating within the contents of its pages. Dwight Garner of the New York Times, refers to Vuong's novel as the following: "Like his first book, this one is semi-autobiographical and speaks solemnly to his experiences as an immigrant and a gay man." 

Ocean Vuong is doing something truly unique in the literary world and is breaking barriers within the LGBTQ+ community and it is most definitely not happening every day. LGBTQ+ writers have been around for years, yet, are still trying to make a name that is not only recognized, but respected. When On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous first hit shelves back in 2019, it was the novel that shook the LGBTQ+ community and awakened within millions of readers something that they did not know that they had been missing: an LGBTQ+ voice that sounded like their own and from a writer who they could connect with. Personally speaking, when I read Ocean Vuong's written work, I feel like I am seen, heard, and perhaps just as significantly, I feel understood. There is a bond that he perfectly builds with his reader, and the foundation is heavily supported between every line, in every page that you turn. It makes one think how many other LGBTQ+ writers, who can so easily connect to the community's audience, have we yet to experience, because they never get the recognition that they deserve? As I mentioned before, it is not every day that you encounter a writer like Ocean Vuong, but I can not help but feel like we should. 

Ocean Vuong

With all of the magic and mastery that Ocean Vuong creates on the page, there is no doubt that there is still much more to come from this young and incredible writer. It would appear that his talents are proving him an unstoppable force (especially in representing the LGBTQ+ community). And when film, television series, or even music might seem like the only sources of media where LGBTQ+ representation is being found, it is writers like Ocean Yuong who are keeping reading material just as relevant and influential as ever before. And speaking of visuals, as of last year, it was recently announced that his debut novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, has already been picked up by A24 for a film adaptation and will be directed by Bing Liu (Minding the Map). So if you have not read the book yet, there is still time to experience its magnificence before it hits the silver screen. With powerful poets like Ocean Yuong, LGBTQ+ representation in literary art is only continuing to strengthen and become more well establish. It also seems that those who encounter his written work or come across his artistic expression, are getting inspired to write their own bodies of work or tell stories of their own, adding to the LGBTQ+ family tree, a chance to keep the conversation going and creating within the world, a new found hope that gives life, light and a voice to those who are becoming more one with themselves, turning one page at a time. 

Ocean Yuong discussing his novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - YouTube

Also, here is a link to Dwight Garner's article that was mentioned in this blogpost.

Thank you for your time. See you in the next post!

*None of these images or videos belong to me and were found on Google.