Broadside Bookshop is pleased to welcome Ocean Vuong – New York Times Bestselling author and proud western mass local – to the stage at the Academy of Music in downtown Northampton to celebrate his new novel, The Emperor of Gladness.
What You Need to Know:
Your ticket price includes a hardcover copy of The Emperor of Gladness.
A book signing will follow the reading.
Signing line will be limited to two books per person.
The Emperor of Gladness will be released on Tuesday, May 13th.
If you would like to pick up your book before the event on July 1st, you may do so in-person at Broadside Bookshop (247 Main St. in Northampton) anytime on or after May 13th by showing proof of ticket purchase.
Alternatively, books may be picked up at the Academy of Music on the evening of the reading.
Additional books, including Ocean’s backlist, will also be available for purchase.
Student tickets are available for $10 per ticket and do not include a book. These can be purchased by visiting the Academy of Music box office during their hours below and showing a valid student ID. There are a limited quantity of student tickets available on a first-come first-served basis and they are unable to be purchased online.
For questions about book pick up please contact roz@broadsidebooks.com
For questions about ticket sales please contact the Academy of Music box office at boxoffice@aomtheatre.com or 413-584-9032
About Ocean Vuong
A writer, professor, and photographer, Ocean Vuong is the author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, a novel that debuted for six weeks on The New York Times best-seller list and has since sold more than a million copies in more than 40 languages.
A recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, Vuong is also the author of the poetry collections Time is a Mother, a finalist for the Griffin Prize, and Night Sky with Exit Wounds, a winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Whiting Award. He has also worked as a line cook, tobacco harvester, nursing home volunteer, and fast-food server, the latter becoming inspiration for The Emperor of Gladness.
About the Book
Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.
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.
This event is participating in the Card to Culture Program! They will be offering 10 seats at a discounted price of $10 to any patrons with a valid EBT, WIC, or ConnectorCare card. To purchase these tickets, please visit or call the box office Tuesday through Friday between 3:00pm and 6:00pm. Limit 4 tickets per cardholder per show. Tickets are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. Find out more at: https://massculturalcouncil.org/organizations/card-to-culture/
Fees always apply to purchase. Tickets can be purchased in person or over the phone Tuesday through Friday 3pm to 6pm. Tickets can also be purchased online at any time for no additional cost/fee. All Sales are final. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact the box office at boxoffice@aomtheatre.com or (413) 584-9032 X105.
Show Date/Time:
Tuesday, July 1st at 7:00 pm
Doors at 6:00 pm
Ticket Prices:
$10.00 – $40.00 ($13.95 – $46.82 after Fees)
Where/ How Tickets Can be Purchased:
Purchase online using the button on the top or bottom of the page. You can also visit or call our box office at 413-584-9032 ext.105.
Box Office Hours are 3pm – 6pm, Tuesday – Friday. Service fees always apply with purchase.