About this episode
Ocean Vuong’s poem “ Seventh Circle of Earth ” is an homage to the love and intimacy shared by Michael Humphrey and Clayton Capshaw, a gay couple who were murdered in their home in Dallas, Texas. In the midst of recognizing the violence and threat LGBTQI communities face, the poem holds space for tenderness — and honors their love. A question to reflect on after you listen: What examples have you seen of love and power enacted, even in the face of threat? About the poet: Ocean Vuong is an assistant professor in the MFA program for poets and writers at the University of Massachusetts — Amherst. His New York Times bestselling novel is On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous , and his poetry collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds , was awarded the T.S. Eliot Prize and Whiting Award. In 2019, Vuong was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Grant. “Seventh Circle of Earth” comes from Ocean Vuong’s book Night Sky with Exit Wounds . Thank you to Copper Canyon Press, who published the book, and to Ocean for letting us use his poem. Read it on our website at onbeing.org . Find the transcript for this episode at onbeing.org . The original music in this episode was composed by Gautam Srikishan . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.