Shows
This American LifeChildren of DaveBoen Wang has a theory that a lot of the misery in his life can be traced to a single moment that happened years before he was born. So he makes a pilgrimage to see if he’s right.
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Prologue: Ira talks about what it’s like to go back to 1119 Bayard Street in Baltimore. (6 minutes)Part One: Boen visits Norman, Oklahoma, where he was born, to meet the man he thinks changed his parents’ lives—and his life, too. (31 minutes)Part Two: Boen’s friend, Andre...2025-05-191h 01
This American Life (Unofficial)835: Children of DaveBoen Wang has a theory that a lot of the misery in his life can be traced to a single moment that happened years before he was born. So he makes a pilgrimage to see if he’s right.2024-06-2900 min
This American Life Archive835: Children of Dave (Promo)Boen Wang goes back to a day that changed the course of his family's story.2024-06-2100 minThis American Life Archive835: Children of DaveBoen Wang goes back to a day that changed the course of his family's story.2024-06-2100 minThis American Life Archive835: Children of DaveBoen Wang goes back to a day that changed the course of his family's story.2024-06-2100 min
Self Evident: Asian America's StoriesSelf Evident Presents: “How to Wash Your Brain” (by Boen Wang and Feet in 2 Worlds) Boen’s mom thinks he’s brainwashed by the New York Times. Boen thinks his mom is brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party. But when Boen starts listening more deeply to his mom’s stories of growing up in China and then immigrating to the U.S., he spots the signs of his own political conditioning — and unravels the threads of Chinese and American history that led to the very fabrication of “brainwashing” as a concept. This story comes from our friends at Feet in 2 Worlds, originally airing on their podcast, A Better Life? — and was written and...2023-04-2538 min
Smash Boom Best: A funny, smart debate show for kids and familyBaths vs. Showers: A bubbly debateTurn on the tap, and grab your shower cap… cuz it’s baths vs showers! Moment of Um producer Anna Weggel bubbles for baths in this soapy smackdown with writer, producer and shower-lover Boen Wang! Which splashy past-time will win? Sprinkling showers or bubbly tubs? Slip and slide over to smashboom.org to vote for the team YOU think won!Also… do you have your Smarty Pass yet?? Get yours today for just $4/month (or $36/year) and get bonus episodes every month, and ad-free versions of every episode of Brains On, Smash Boom Best, Moment of Um, and...2023-04-0634 min
Democracy WorksFeet in 2 Worlds: Immigrants in a Divided CountryThis week, we bring you an episode from Feet in 2 Worlds and its series Immigrants in a Divided Country, which explores the current political landscape from the perspective of immigrants. In this personal audio essay, writer and audio producer Boen Wang goes looking for answers. He always thought his mom—an immigrant from Mainland China —was brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party. His mom, on the other hand, thinks he’s been brainwashed by the New York Times and CNN. To break the deadlock Boen interviews his mom about the evolution of her political beliefs—which are on the op...2023-03-2738 min
Feet In 2 WorldsHow to Wash Your BrainWriter and producer Boen Wang and his Chinese-born mom disagree on almost every political issue. Each suspects that the other has been “brainwashed”, because how else could they have such extreme views? In this personal piece, Boen unpacks the epistemology and history of the term brainwashing, and goes on an intimate exploration of his mom’s childhood and experiences in the U.S. to figure out what has actually shaped her political beliefs—and his own.
Visit abetterlifepodcast.com for a complete list of credits for this episode.
2023-03-2237 min
Radiolab Podcasts (Radiolab)The Theater of David Byrne's MindIt all started when the rockstar David Byrne did a Freaky-Friday-like body-swap with a Barbie Doll. That’s what inspired him — along with his collaborator Mala Gaonkar — to transform a 15,000 square-foot warehouse in Denver, Colorado into a brainy funhouse known as the Theater of the Mind.
This episode, co-Host Latif Nasser moderates a live conversation between Byrne and Neuroscientist Thalia Wheatley at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The trio talk about how we don’t see what we think we see, don’t hear what we think we hear, and don’t know what we think we kno...2022-10-0700 minRadiolab Podcasts (Radiolab)InfinitiesIn August 2018, Boen Wang was at a work retreat for a new job. Surrounded by mosquitoes and swampland in a tiny campsite in West Virginia, Boen’s mind underwent a sudden, dramatic transformation that would have profound consequences—for his work, his colleagues, and himself.
Special thanks to Grace Gilbert for voice acting and episode art, and to Professors Erin Anderson and Maggie Jones for editorial support. Episode credits:
Reported and produced by Boen WangOriginal Music provided by Alex Zhang HungtaiFact-checking by Diane KellyEdited by Pat Walter...2022-08-1200 min
BodiesIndie Spotlight: “Infinities”On today’s indie spotlight, we share “Infinities,” by Boen Wang. It’s about mental illness, toxic workplace environments, Egyptian Rat Screw, and the nature of infinity. Find more of Boen’s work at Boen.cool.2021-10-1326 min
Re:soundOf Bodies and MindsThree stories grappling with the messiness of the mind, the body, and being a person. This episode is best listened to with headphones and/or in a quiet place!"Of Bodies and Minds" is one of four episodes of Best of the Best (2020), a nationally broadcast radio special produced each year by Third Coast. Each of episode of the series features winning stories from the 20th annual Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition.Songs of Speculation (excerpt) [abridged], by Jillian Walker and Ben Williams for category-other...2021-02-221h 08
Third Coast Audio Library :: WinnersInfinitiesConcerning mental illness, toxic workplace environments, Egyptian Rat Screw, and the nature of infinity.Year: 2020Producers:Boen Wang2020-11-0625 minThird Coast Audio Library :: AllInfinitiesConcerning mental illness, toxic workplace environments, Egyptian Rat Screw, and the nature of infinity.Year: 2020Producers:Boen Wang2020-11-0625 min