Ocean Vuong, a Vietnamese American author, was born in Saigon in 1988 to a family of rice farmers. He became a refugee at the age of two when they fled to the Philippines and later, Hartford, Connecticut. Growing up after 9/11 and during the Opioid epidemic proved to be a difficult prospect for Vuong and his family, not to mention that he was Gay. However, after struggling with dyslexia and learning English as a second language, Vuong dove into the western literary canon and started writing poetry. His collections have won a myriad of prizes including the Whitting award and the T.S. Eliot Prize. His novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, has been translated into 37 different languages, and he is the recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Grant. Join us to hear more about this incredible writer!