# Event Details - **Event Name**: OFFSITE: Ocean Vuong with Kwame Dawes - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 14 Jul, 2026 at 07:00 pm – Tue, 14 Jul, 2026 at 08:00 pm - **Event Description**: Award-winning author Ocean Vuong discusses his latest novel, THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS.About this EventAn Unlikely Story is honored to host bestselling and award-winning poet and novelist Ocean Vuong, in conversation with author and professor Kwame Dawes. Ocean will discuss his most recent work, The Emperor of Gladness, a heartfelt and heartbreaking novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.This event will be held offsite at King Philip Regional High School, located at 201 Franklin St. in Wrentham, MA. Tickets are required to attend this event. Ticket options include:General Admission + Book: $31.25, admits one guest to the event. This option comes with a pre-signed copy of The Emperor of Gladness (paperback edition).General Admission: $10, admits one guest to the event.Additional copies of Ocean's books will be available for sale at the event. There will be no meet-and-greet or signing following Ocean and Kwame's presentation.We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please reach out to events@anunlikelystory.com.Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at An Unlikely Story up to 30 days following the event.STAFF PRAISE FOR THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS:"Yet again, Vuong has written a novel that changes our conception of what a novel is and what a novel could be, what a hero is and what a hero could be. Is a hero a pill-popping college dropout on the brink of suicide? Could he be? Vuong challenges us to face the unfiltered topography of American life and find the beauty and dignity in the hidden or ignored industries on which the USA is built." - Maddie"The Emperor of Gladness is a graceful symphony of emotion, empathy, and humanity. It follows one young man, who has lied to his mother, saying he is going to college, when he is really working at a fast food place, dealing with his addiction, and living with and helping a very old woman. The bond between the old woman and the young man forms the spine of the novel, as these two lost people try to make it the best they can in a world where they are considered disposable. The whole book is an epic about the people who live between the cracks -- the people who serve you food, who clean your home, who live in the shadows. Vuong makes the point that these 'invisible' people lead lives fraught with drama, danger, and uncertainty. It's a powerful book, one that lingers with you and haunts you long after the final page is turned. Bravo!" - BillABOUT THE BOOK:The instant New York Times bestseller • Oprah’s Book Club Pick • Named a Best Book of 2025 by TIME, The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, USA Today, NPR, People, Christian Science Monitor, Scientific American, and Kirkus Reviews • Longlisted for the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence“Stunning . . . A heartfelt and powerful examination of those living on the fringes of society, and the unique challenges they face to survive and thrive.” —Oprah WinfreyThe hardest thing in the world is to live only once…One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to transform Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community on the brink.Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Ocean Vuong’s writing—formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness—are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.ABOUT OCEAN VUONG:Ocean Vuong is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collections Night Sky with Exit Wounds and Time Is a Mother, as well as the New York Times bestselling novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the American Book Award, he was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and currently splits his time between western Massachusetts and New York City. The Emperor of Gladness is his latest novel.ABOUT KWAME DAWES:Kwame Dawes is the author of numerous books of poetry and other books of fiction, criticism, and essays. His most recent collection is Sturge Town (W.W. Norton, 2024). Dawes is Professor of Literary Arts at Brown University. He teaches in the Pacific MFA Program and is the Series Editor of the African Poetry Book Series, Director of the African Poetry Book Fund, and Artistic Director of the Calabash International Literary Festival. He is a former Chancellor for the Academy of American Poets and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Kwame Dawes is the winner of the prestigious Windham/Campbell Award for Poetry and was a finalist for the 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. In 2022 Dawes was awarded the Order of Distinction Commander class by the Government of Jamaica. He is the Poet Laureate of Jamaica (2024-2027). - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/wrentham/offsite-ocean-vuong-with-kwame-dawes/100001988927715337 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, workshops, performances, festivals, theatre, entertainment, meet-and-greet, science-fair, meetups - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - door_time: 2026-07-14T22:30:00Z - Duration: 1 hour - Location: King Philip Regional High School - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 11.49, max: 33.81, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Wrentham - **state**: MA - **country**: United States - **location**: King Philip Regional High School - **lat**: 42.0723951 - **long**: -71.3321485 - **full address**: King Philip Regional High School, 201 Franklin Street, Wrentham, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: OFFSITE: Ocean Vuong with Kwame Dawes - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/605f7dcdc69b647d09a63efe475077a37cd52c9d9a19b15aa2ee312d615991ca-rimg-w1200-h583-dc94391e-gmir.jpg?v=1778700607 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is OFFSITE: Ocean Vuong with Kwame Dawes being held? - **A:** OFFSITE: Ocean Vuong with Kwame Dawes takes place on Tue, 14 Jul, 2026 at 07:00 pm to Tue, 14 Jul, 2026 at 08:00 pm at King Philip Regional High School, 201 Franklin Street, Wrentham, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing OFFSITE: Ocean Vuong with Kwame Dawes? - **A:** OFFSITE: Ocean Vuong with Kwame Dawes is organized by An Unlikely Story. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** OFFSITE: Ocean Vuong with Kwame Dawes is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Wrentham, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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