Ocean Vuong Uses the Sentence as a Tool to Understand Deep Mystery

from Chicago Humanities Tapes · host Chicago Humanities

Beloved novelist, poet, and educator Ocean Vuong joins his friend and colleague Adrian Matejka, editor of Poetry magazine, for a hilarious, heartbreaking, and affirming conversation about the power of the sentence. SHOW NOTES: Read the podcast transcript. CW: Discussion of drug addiction PHOTO: Ocean Vuong and Adrian Matejka on stage at the Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture at the Chicago Humanities Spring Festival in May 2025. Read: Ocean Vuong, The Emperor of Gladness Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Poetry Magazine Explore: Ben Lerner Yusef Komunyakaa Sharon Olds Djuna Barnes, Knightwood Lyn Hejinian Bernadette Mayer Bhanu Kapil Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's, Dictée Lady Murasaki, The Tale of Genji Phillis Wheatley Jupiter Hammon Harriet Jacobs Annie Dillard César Vallejo André Breton, Manifestoes of Surrealism Aimé Césaire, Notebook of a Return to My Native Land Federico García Lorca Gabriel García Márquez Édouard Glissant Frantz Fanon Claude McKay John Keats Walt Whitman Emily Dickinson Kevin Young Jeff Van Gundy Live event programmed by Michael Green Live event produced by Jesse Swanson Live event stage managed by Danny Fender Live event produced and mixed by Nick Broste Production assistance by River Williams and Logan Venezia Podcast edited and mixed by Alisa Rosenthal Podcast story editing by Alexandra Quinn Subscribe Help shape the future of the podcast! Let us know what you think by taking the short survey. Donate now to support programs like this. Explore upcoming events. Instagram • YouTube • TikTok • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn B3EYK2S9BZSDLJ60

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This episode is 1 hour and 14 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 17, 2025.

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