
societyApr 5, 20221:04:10pending
84. Mothers & Sons with Ocean Vuong (and Chase Melton)
About this episode
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 navigate being an Asian boy in America–and Glennon’s recognition that she did not prepare Chase for the same realities.
3. Ocean’s new book, Time is a Mother, and why watching his own mother die gave Ocean a deep empathy and connection to every person.
4. His relationship to maleness–and why Ocean is interested in “staying and complicating” masculinity.
About Ocean:
Ocean Vuong, author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds, and the New York Times bestselling novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a recipient of the 2019 MacArthur "Genius Grant" and the winner of the Whiting Award and the T. S. Eliot Prize. In Time Is a Mother, Ocean's newest poetry collection available now, he reckons with his mother’s death, embodying the paradox of sitting within grief while being determined to survive beyond it. His writings have been featured in The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, The Nation, The New Republic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
IG: ocean_vuong
Get every episode summarized
Each time We Can Do Hard Things publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from We Can Do Hard Things

(BEST OF) Hannah Gadsby: Neurodiverence & The Exfoliation of Shame
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 10, 202658:20completed

Why "We Never Fight" is a Red Flag: How to Fight Well with Priya Parker
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 8, 20261:31:08completed

(BEST OF) Gloria, Gloria Hallelujah: Gloria Steinem on How to Lead
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 3, 202649:58failed

(BEST OF) The Surprising Science of Heartbreak | Florence Williams
We Can Do Hard Things
Sep 3, 202653:23failed