Ocean Vuong: The Emperor of Gladness at Calvary Presbyterian Church

Join us for the San Francisco launch of Ocean Vuong's new novel, The Emperor of Gladness, at Calvary Presbyterian Church. Presented in proud partnership with Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival.
The inimitable Vuong will join us in SF for a reading of his work and a conversation with another author, TBD, followed by audience Q+A.
Tickets include a signed copy of The Emperor of Gladness.
Entry-only student tickets are available while supplies last.
Doors 6:30pm, Event Start 7:00pm
Please see our FAQ for more details.
About The Emperor of Gladness
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.

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 novels On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and The Emperor of Gladness. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the American Book Award, he used to work as a fast-food server, which inspired The Emperor of Gladness. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he currently splits his time between Northampton, Massachusetts, and New York City.

FAQs

• Signed books will be available for pick up upon entry to the event.
• Seating will be first come, first serve. Priority seating will be given to wheelchair users and those with mobility devices and other attendees with disabilities. There are enough seats for everyone in attendance.
• This is an in-person, ticketed event and will not be livestreamed. No refunds will be given after the event date for those unable to attend. No refunds will be given to those who pick up their book but are unable to attend the event.
• If for whatever reason you are unable to attend but would still like your copy of the book, books will be available for pick up at 1231 9th Ave after the event at no extra charge. If you would like your book shipped, additional charges will apply.
• To attend the event, you must purchase a ticket through this Eventbrite page.
• Purchase of The Emperor of Gladness made through the bookstore website does not grant entry to the event. If you have already pre-ordered a copy of The Emperor of Gladness through the Green Apple Books website prior to March 20, 2025 and would like to attend this event, please contact [email protected].
• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
  Accessibility
• The venue is located on ground level, and there is a wheelchair accessible ramp at the venue's Fillmore St entrance.
• If you require space for a wheelchair or mobility device, you can choose a specification at checkout.
• Seating for this event is on both the ground level and up a set of stairs. Those who require accessible seating will be on the ground level.

Host or Publisher Green Apple Books