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Whoa. Vuong's work is destined to go into that great literary canon giving a voice to the refugee and immigrant experience. While his chapbook covers a range of issues, I was most intrigued, stirred, and moved by those in the beginning that centered around war and refugee. Vuong explores the refugee themes of borderdlessnes, abandonment, and, survival in some of my favorite pieces: "If You Are a Refugee," "Song of My Mothers," "Kissing in Vietnamese," "The Touch," and "Arrival by Fire," which ge
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my star rating is arbitrary-please disregard-it's part of my own note-to-self for this website
these poems made me think about how, just because i overshare, i give "too much information", does not mean i reached the depth of vulnerability that ocean vuong reaches in these poems, published just at age 22, omg
i was reading, reading, mostly on the subway, and then it was near the end, the ode to masturbation actually, where i thought, wow.
i'm inspired to be more true
and i learned about sibling riva ...more
these poems made me think about how, just because i overshare, i give "too much information", does not mean i reached the depth of vulnerability that ocean vuong reaches in these poems, published just at age 22, omg
i was reading, reading, mostly on the subway, and then it was near the end, the ode to masturbation actually, where i thought, wow.
i'm inspired to be more true
and i learned about sibling riva ...more
Jun 22, 2015
Caroline
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Dec 14, 2017
Celeste
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Jan 10, 2020
Jonathan
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Feb 17, 2021
Erica
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Jul 22, 2025
Davida "Davi"
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