Braden Storytelling Grant

My Mexican Dream by ​Andrea Flores

I would have been born here, had my parents never left this town for the U.S. In my journey, I retrace my steps back to Malinaltenango, Mexico, the land my parents have always called home and a land I have never really known on my own. During my time here, I struggle with ideas of identity, belonging, family, and trauma. I re-open wounds that have long been sealed to make sense of my life in relation to my grandmothers. “It’s a part of my history that I never like to think about, because it makes me sad, or maybe guilty for being born when I was and where I was. Or maybe I don’t think about it because it makes me fear loneliness. Because what if they pain of loneliness is just as transferable as their love?”
Producer: ​Andrea Flores

What I’m Grateful For by Besher Ashouri

Besher grew up in Syria till the war forced him, and his family, to flee. This non-narrated portrait follows his journey from Aleppo to California and finally to Stanford Medical School.Produced as part of MED 232 Global Health course (2018)
Producer: Besher Ashouri(and Jake warga)
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/seier/1477997213

A Postcard from Mariana by Gabriela Nagle Alverio

Hurricane Maria revealed a dependency on the government but there was one community that used it as an opportunity to claim their independence. “There was no government here. And we couldn't wait for the government. We couldn't wait for anyone.” In this story I visit of the community of Mariana that has tried to separate themselves from the government.
Producer: Gabriela Nagle Alverio
Music: Puerto Rico from Pastel Beach by Englewood, Elementary wave by Erokia, Night Cave by Lee Rosevere.

The Taste of War: The Koreans and U.S. Combat Ration by Won-Gi Jung

What does a war taste like? Tracing the history of U.S. military combat ration in Korea, the podcast tells the Koreans’ bittersweet encounters with America.
Producer: Won-Gi Jung
Music: “Submerging Blue-Black” by Podington Bear, in Fathomless-Ambient“Memory Wind” by Podington Bear, in Fathomless-Ambient

Seeing with Sound by Chloe Barreau

If sound matters, why? I am not alone in fearing blindness, because we live in a world of visuals. Whether I am reading a book, following street signs, or hopping on a train, I can’t imagine navigating a world without my eyes. I tune out the cacophony of cars, squeaks, barks, and pedestrian crossings on a daily basis. In privileging sight, what am I missing in sound?
“When you close your eyes you begin to feel your body. You become aware of your non-visual abilities,” said Thomas Tajo, a blind echolocator. I speak with human echolocators, eye researchers, and music professors to discover just how much sound has to offer. Close your eyes. Tune in, and listen to what is revealed.
Producer: Chloe Barreau
Music:Veni Creator Spiritus by John Dunstable (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dYAEpf-A-A)Lost and Found by Podington BearThree Colors by Podington Bear

Respite: a Journey Into Foster Care by Rachel Vaughan

You’re six years old. Child protective services removed you from the only life you’ve ever known and placed you in state custody, into the foster care system.
Producer: ​​Rachel Vaughan
Music:​​Junior85 - You can calmly put this thing together Lee Rosevere - And So ThenPodington Bear - Daydreamer

Ghost Temples: The Spirit of Taiwan by Katie Lan

Some people pray to gods, but other people pray to ghosts. In this story, Katie Lan explores the temples and folk religion in Taiwan, where her parents and the rest of her family is from. Here, she explores ghost temples and even learns to pray to a dog?
Producer: Katie Lan
Music:晶晶 1969 鄧麗君www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI0lHGnKtSI

Sandbranch: a Deep-rooted Community by Claudia Heymach

Sandbranch is a community outside of Dallas that hasn’t had running water or well water for decades, but the residents refuse to leave. Founded by former slaves, it used to be a thriving town of over 500 people. In the 1980s, its wells were contaminated. The residents have been fighting for running water ever since. Now, led by a pastor, an environmental lawyer, and past and present residents of the community, Sandbranch is on the brink of change.Producer: Claudia Heymachfeaturing:Eugene Keahey, Mary Nash, John Wiley Price, Mark McPherson, Ivory Hall, Chess Jones,and the choir of Mt Zion baptist church.Special Thanks: Carol Francois, Clay Jenkins, Edward Shore, the residents of Sandbranch, Catherine Girardeau, Jackson Roach, and Jake Warga.
Music: Music used (Title(s), Artist, Album. Include links and permissions)From freesound.org: Slow Sad Tones by TJ Mothy freesound.org/people/TJ%20Mothy/sounds/92734/Wind Howl 2 by swiftoidfreesound.org/people/swiftoid/sounds/117610/

Genocide Haunts Our Home by Bunnard Phan

How does one build a new home after losing all of one’s family? A son interviews his mother, a Cambodian refugee and genocide survivor, about her experience resettling in the U.S. He learns how her past has shaped his life.
Producer: Bunnard Phan
Featuring: Nickie Phan, Bunnard Phan,
Music:Khnom Min Sok Chet Te by Pan RonChnam oun Dop-Pram Muy by Ros SereysotheaOrchestral version of “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers performed at The (Military) Music Show of Nations 2002 Bremen, Germany (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejm3Q5ZKr28)