Summary
"Time Is a Mother" is Ocean Vuong's second collection of poems being released this week. A winner of major literary prizes and a MacArthur Fellowship, Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of his mother’s death. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on "reclaiming language for joy" as part of our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."Five Facts
- Who is Ocean Vuong, and what is his background?
- What tragedy inspired Vuong to write his poetry collection "Time Is a Mother"?
- How did poetry help Vuong understand his grief?
- What is the value of seeing things again from a new perspective, according to Vuong?
- How has writing about his mother changed what Vuong knows about the immigrant experience?
Focus Questions
Activity: Vuong says of his poetry collection: "When my mother passed in 2019, my whole life kind of contracted into two days. And what I mean by that is that, when a loved one dies, you experience your life in just two days, today, when they are no longer here, and yesterday, the immense, vast yesterday, when they were here. And so my life as I see it now is demarcated by one line, the yesterday, when my mother was with me, and now, when she is not." Can you think of a time in your life when your life was different from one day to the next? It doesn't have to be because of a loss — it could be because of a positive change, a new friend, an achievement, a move or some other life changing event. What was that experience like? What did you learn about yourself?- Write a poem or short non-fiction account of the day before and the day after the change.
- Remember, you only need to write about what you're comfortable writing about.
For More
To hear more from Vuong about his process and the poetry he's learned from his family, watch this piece:Fill out this form to share your thoughts on Classroom’s resources. Sign up for NewsHour Classroom’s ready-to-go Daily News Lessons delivered to your inbox each morning.
