Writing as Healing
When I write, I speak about pain, but I also describe the beauty that coexists with that pain. Life is not black and white.
Ocean Vuong
Vietnamese-American poet and novelist exploring family trauma and identity, author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
All moments: Ocean Vuong
- Gladness as an Act of Resistance — Ocean Vuong
To be glad, to be full of life in a world that often wants to crush you — that is an act of rebellion.
- A Life Worth Living — Ocean Vuong
Every day I choose life. Not because it's always easy, but because life is worth the choice.
- Between Two Worlds — Ocean Vuong
I'm not quite Vietnamese, I'm not quite American. I'm something in between, and that gives me a unique view of both cultures.
- Hope Demands Courage — Ocean Vuong
Hope is not naive. It's the most courageous choice you can make when the world tells you there is none.
- Language as Home — Ocean Vuong
Language is your first home. It gives you a place to be. For me, English was salvation because it gave me a voice when I had lost one.
- Kindness as Rescue — Ocean Vuong
I came into this life with suffering in my body. But I also came with love. And that love saved my life.
Related moments
- Birth of a Legend — Paul McCartney
The Beatles were about growth. We changed every single day.
- All Music Is Folk Music — Louis Armstrong
All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.
- Alien Artist — David Bowie
I never tried to fit in. I prefer to be myself, even if it's alien.
- The Soul of Music — Questlove
Soul is what makes music real. It's what people feel
- Spontaneous Music — André 3000
The best music comes spontaneously. When you're not trying, it just appears
- A Song Is Blood — Paul McCartney
A melody comes to me like someone is singing it to me. It's magic.