Time is a Mother

Ocean Vuong’s Time is a Mother is a deeply intimate second poetry collection that navigates life in the wake of his mother’s death. The poems search for meaning within grief while carrying a determination to endure beyond it. Juxtaposing sorrow with moments of tenderness, the book contends with personal loss, the meaning of family, and the value of joy amid a fractured American moment. The work sustains a vivid, brave, propulsive voice that speaks directly to our humanity and the present moment.

Following the acclaimed Night Sky with Exit Wounds, Time is a Mother continues Vuong’s exploration of language, memory, and the intimate fabric of family. The collection presents a powerful meditation on loss, love, and survival, framed by Vuong’s precise, resonant poetics.

• Deeply intimate second poetry collection by Vuong
• Grief after mother's death and resilience
• Explores family, joy, and a fractured America
• Bold, propulsive language with tenderness
• 112 pages, paperback edition by Vintage Publishing
• Published 01/06/2023