Ocean Vuong in conversation

Ocean Vuong in conversation Wednesday 27 May 2026, 7pm Stoller Hall Personal Assistant - see our "Access Scheme" : ?24 / Signed Book & Ticket: ?24 Book tickets We are thrilled to welcome Ocean Vuong?to Manchester?s Stoller Hall to?celebrate the paperback release of The Emperor of Gladness. The acclaimed author of On Earth We?re Briefly Gorgeous?weaves an innovative and lyrical novel centred on a wayward young man who finds himself unexpectedly caring for an elderly woman with dementia. The?Emperor of Gladness?is?a big-hearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. Ocean is joined by fellow author Josh Silver?(Fruit Fly, HappyHead) to discuss this stunning novel. Tickets are ?24 and include a pre-signed paperback copy of The Emperor of Gladness.? Please note that this event will not include a book signing. 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 Sunday Times?and New York Times?bestselling novel On Earth We?re Briefly Gorgeous. A recipient of the MacArthur ?Genius Grant? and the American Book Award, he was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and currently splits his time between western Massachusetts and New York City. JOSH SILVER was born on a farm in the Lake District and lives in Manchester. In his twenties, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), performing in the West End, including alongside Nicole Kidman, before changing career to become a mental health nurse working with teenagers. His writing has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize and Traumaland?was named one of The Observer Book?s of the Year in 2025. Fruit Fly?is his much anticipated adult debut published in April 2026. It has already been selected by the BBC as one of their ?12 Books to Read in 2026?.