logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2022
8m 16s

Poet Ocean Vuong shares his grief in 'Ti...

NPR
About this episode
April is National Poetry Month, so to celebrate we are bringing you a conversation with poet Ocean Vuong. His new collection, Time Is A Mother, is about his grief after losing family members. Vuong told Morning Edition's Rachel Martin that time is different now that he has lost his mother: "when I look at my life since she died in 2019, I only see two days: Today when she's not here, and the big, big yesterday when I had her."

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
New books ask how we can protect threatened land in the Amazon rainforest and Hawaii
Two new books ask how we might protect vulnerable ecosystems in the Amazon rainforest and Hawaii. First, journalist Dom Phillips was reporting in the Amazon when he and a colleague were shot and killed. Phillips was in the middle of writing a book – and now, that project, How to ... Show More
17m 2s
Jul 10
With novel 'Among Friends,' Hal Ebbott says he wanted to take friendship seriously
In Hal Ebbott's debut novel, Among Friends, two wealthy New York families are spending a weekend in the country. They've gotten together for decades – but one act ruptures their close ties. In today's episode, Ebbott tells Here & Now's Asma Khalid that he's drawn to story premise ... Show More
10m 39s
Jul 9
David Litt's new memoir is about finding common ground through surfing
Former Obama speechwriter David Litt and his brother-in-law, Matt, couldn't be more different. But during the pandemic, Matt taught Litt how to surf. The time they spent together out on the water created what Litt refers to as "neutral ground" – a space that isn't coded as libera ... Show More
9m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2019
Ocean Vuong: Live at Politics and Prose
Like the stunning poems of his collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, Vuong’s kaleidoscopic first novel speaks from the heart of multi-generational PTSD, charting the fate of a Vietnamese-American family struggling to settle into life in Hartford, Connecticut. Vuong frames his n ... Show More
59m 31s
Apr 2022
Best Of: Groundbreaking Conductor Marin Alsop / Poet Ocean Vuong
In 2007, Alsop became the first woman to lead a major American orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony. But on the way to great success, she faced plenty of rejection. "Girls can't do that," Alsop recalls her violin teacher told her at age nine, of becoming a conductor. "I'd never hear ... Show More
48m 20s
Feb 2023
815: My Mother Talks to Her Son About Her Heart
Today’s poem is My Mother Talks to Her Son About Her Heart by Kerrin McCadden. 
6m 34s
Apr 2022
84. Mothers & Sons with Ocean Vuong (and Chase Melton)
Glennon’s son, Chase, joins Glennon for a special conversation with his hero, author Ocean Vuong, to discuss: 1. Chase shares with Ocean the impact his work has had in his life–and Glennon thanks Ocean for helping mother her son.2. What Ocean learned from his mother about how to ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2023
888: Sorrow Is Innate in the Human
Today’s poem is Sorrow Is Innate in the Human by Francesca Bell. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Jason Schneiderman writes… “Today’s poem is about motherhood. The speaker focuses less on what it means to her to be a mother, than on what her c ... Show More
5m 2s
May 2023
”Mother”
In this episode, I talk through the story of writing my song "Mother" and talk about the conclusion of my "Mother" collection of songs, which were each written in honor of my mom, who unexpectedly passed away one year ago. Thank you for listening and letting me process and grieve ... Show More
46m 24s
Apr 2024
1090: My Life by Water by Lorine Niedecker
Today’s poem is My Life by Water by Lorine Niedecker. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Victoria Chang writes… "I admit, I spent much of my childhood imagining my future away from Michigan. But now, I only have positive memories of my childhood ... Show More
5m 10s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami