Written by: Ally LeMaster
Whenever Ocean Vuong releases a new book or poetry collection, I snatch it up.
There are few authors who have me invested in their work. I’ve never really been a person who always gravitates toward reading pieces from the same author, but titles like On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Time is a Mother, and Night Sky with Exit Wounds are always mentioned in some of my favorite works.
Vuong’s poetry is dreary, truthful, and beautiful, often focusing on the relationship he has with his family as well as his identity as a queer, Asian American man.
Many other outlets and professional book reviewers have much more profound things to say about his work. There are countless articles from well-established sources that delicately analyze his diction, themes, and how his life experiences influence his poems.
…
I’m not that girl.
I love his work, but something I can tell about is his social media.
…
Moments after reading On Earth We’re Briefly, I immediately found and followed his Instagram. I always pictured Vuong as having a mysterious, almost elusive social media presence: only posting twice a year and under no circumstance posting on his story.
I love that I was so wrong.
The moment I started really paying attention to his Instagram was when he posted his 2023 Spotify Wrapped. One of his top artists of the year was Big Thief. The city that had the same music taste as him was Burlington, Vermont. Not us sharing the same city.
A day or so later, Vuong posted a picture of him wearing an American Football t-shirt, while rocking a mullet. I do that, lol.
Image from @Ocean_Vuong’s Instagram
He will also post pictures of him on hikes.
Image from @Ocean_Vuong’s Instagram
And him fangirling over 50 Cent’s mention of him on Spotify.
Image from @Ocean_Vuong’s Instagram
While there are many reasons why social media is the absolute worst, something I’ve come to appreciate is how modern authors break the veil of mystery surrounding their lives on the internet.
In the literary world, we create lore around writers and build up these figures to be almost mythical. Look at F. Scott Fitzgerald or Sylvia Plath. Writers in the past have been untouchable and unattainable to the general public.
What I really appreciate about Ocean Vuong and authors who have a fun, realistic social media presence is they break down the preconceived notion that authors are these isolated creatives who stay in their room and suffer.
Writer’s don’t have to be figures, they can be regular people who are amazing at writing.
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