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Yowei Shaw Yowei Shaw is the co-host and editorial lead of NPR's Invisibilia.
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Yowei Shaw

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Thursday

Friday

Power Tools
James Blue for NPR

Invisibilia

Power Tools

Bad bosses. Obnoxious coworkers. Unfair compensation. There are so many reasons people feel disempowered in the workplace. But how can our feelings about power enable or disrupt the larger dynamics we hate at work? This week, Yowei Shaw seeks answers from a power researcher and a union organizer.

Power Tools

Listen · 34:58
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Friday

The P-Word
Sasha Fominskaya for NPR

Invisibilia

The P-Word

Alex is a comic who feels perfectly comfortable commanding a packed, rowdy audience, but consistently submits to what other people want in everyday life. This week, a look at how uncomfortable feelings about power can backfire on ourselves and the people we love. We get the help of a power expert - a dominatrix - to untangle Alex's power dynamics, and find out what it takes to treat a power allergy.

The P-Word

Listen · 41:44
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Thursday

Therapy, with Friends
Sonnenzimmer for NPR

Invisibilia

Therapy, with Friends

Would you ever consider going to therapy with a friend?Two best friends who call themselves brothers were drifting apart, so they asked psychotherapist Esther Perel to help — and we listened in. This episode was recorded in collaboration with Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel and a companion episode can be heard on her podcast.

Therapy, with Friends

Listen · 39:08
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Thursday

A Friendly Ghost Story
Sonnenzimmer for NPR

Invisibilia

A Friendly Ghost Story

It's one of the most common and infuriating friend mysteries out there - a friend disappears into thin air. But where do these ghosts go? And why are we so haunted by them? If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

A Friendly Ghost Story

Listen · 48:34
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Thursday

How To Correct Misinformation
sorbetto/Getty Images

Short Wave

How To Correct Misinformation

(Encore episode) The World Health Organization has called the spread of misinformation around the coronavirus an "infodemic." So what do you do when it's somebody you love spreading the misinformation? In this episode, Maddie talks with Invisibilia's Yowei Shaw about one man's very unusual approach to correcting his family. And we hear from experts about what actually works when trying to combat misinformation.

How To Correct Misinformation

Listen · 14:18
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Thursday

The Chaos Machine: A Looping Revolt

Artwork by Qieer Wang. Qieer Wang for NPR hide caption

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Qieer Wang for NPR

Invisibilia

The Chaos Machine: A Looping Revolt

Is 209 Times helping or hurting the community it claims to serve? What does the site mean for the future of local news in America? And what can be done about it? In the final installment of "The Chaos Machine" series , Yowei finds herself in the middle of a long-standing tug of war over who owns the truth.

The Chaos Machine: A Looping Revolt

Listen · 46:46
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Thursday

The Chaos Machine: Wrathful Lord

Art by Qieer Wang. Qieer Wang for NPR hide caption

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Qieer Wang for NPR

Invisibilia

The Chaos Machine: Wrathful Lord

The man behind 209 Times is not who you'd expect. In Part 2, co-host Yowei Shaw discovers the website's surprising origin story, and ends up at the frontlines of a revolt against the mainstream media and a fight over who gets to own the truth.

The Chaos Machine: Wrathful Lord

Listen · 49:08
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Thursday

The Chaos Machine: An Endless Hole

Art by Qieer Wang. Qieer Wang for NPR hide caption

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Qieer Wang for NPR

Invisibilia

The Chaos Machine: An Endless Hole

Yowei gets a tip about Russian trolls in Stockton, California and falls down a hole of swirling conspiracy theories. At the center is a scrappy, controversial website that has become one of the most popular sources of local news in town. Some say it's doing important investigative journalism while others say it's spreading hateful lies about progressive leaders. In part 1 of The Chaos Machine series, what happens when traditional local news runs out of resources and reporting the narrative of a community is anybody's game?

The Chaos Machine: An Endless Hole

Listen · 38:21
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Tuesday

The Lost Joys Of Talking To Strangers
Artur Debat/Getty Images

Short Wave

The Lost Joys Of Talking To Strangers

With a lot of us stuck at home, trying to physically distance from each other, one part of daily life has largely disappeared: bumping into strangers. On today's show, Maddie talks with Yowei Shaw, co-host of NPR's Invisibilia, about the surprising benefits of stranger interactions. And Short Wave tries out QuarantineChat, a workaround to our current strangerless existence. (Encore episode)

The Lost Joys Of Talking To Strangers

Listen · 12:11
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Friday

White v. White?

Artwork by Leonardo Santamaria. Leonardo Santamaria for NPR hide caption

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Leonardo Santamaria for NPR

Invisibilia

White v. White?

A city council candidate says he's black. But his opponent accuses him of being a white man pretending to be black. If race is simply a social construct and not a biological reality, how do we determine someone's race? And who gets to decide? We tell the story of a man whose racial identity was fiercely contested... and the consequences this had on an entire city. | To learn more about this episode, subscribe to our newsletter. Click here to learn more about NPR sponsors.

White v. White?

Listen · 1:00:48
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Monday

Race

How The 'Majority-Minority' Projection Took On A Life Of Its Own

Maybe you've heard that by mid-century, the United States will no longer have a white majority. But what if that projection wasn't realistic? Here's how a statistic took on a life of its own.

How The 'Majority-Minority' Projection Took On A Life Of Its Own

Listen · 8:00
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Friday

The Profile

Photo by Chrissy Tashjian Chrissy Tashjian hide caption

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Chrissy Tashjian

Invisibilia

The Profile

A mysterious profile pops up on a dating app - leading to a bubble of chaos and confusion. A story about trying to sort fact versus fiction, how destabilizing that can be, and a very strange confrontation with the truth. NOTE: Since this story was originally published, we have added some background reporting and context to the episode.

The Profile

Listen · 22:25
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Monday

Research News

'Invisibilia' Team Takes A Deep Dive Into The Science Of Desire

Most of us have a "type" — certain quirks and qualities we're just more into, that pique our sexual desire. But why are we attracted to the people we're attracted to?

'Invisibilia' Team Takes A Deep Dive Into The Science Of Desire

Listen · 7:08
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Friday

A Very Offensive Rom-Com
Christina Chung for NPR

Invisibilia

A Very Offensive Rom-Com

A young woman discovers a pattern in her dating habits that disturbs her - a pattern that challenges her very conception of who she is and what she believes in. The realization sets her off on a quest to change her attractions. But is this even possible? And should we be hacking our desire to match our values?

A Very Offensive Rom-Com

Listen · 58:42
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Thursday

Reality

Marina Muun for NPR Marina Muun for NPR hide caption

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Marina Muun for NPR

Invisibilia

Reality

How is it that two neighbors can look out their window at the exact same thing, and see something completely different? This is a question many people in America are asking now. We explore it by visiting a small community in Minnesota, called Eagle's Nest Township, that has a unique experience with the reality divide: some of the people in the town believe that wild black bears are gentle animals you can feed with your hands, and others think they are dangerous killers. This divide leads to conflict and, ultimately, a tragic death. So, is there a "real" truth about the bear, or is each side constructing its own reality?

Reality

Listen · 42:53
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Friday

Monday

From Feeling Lost To Army Strong, With The Help Of Poetry

Daisy Armstrong began performing poetry when her mother took her to a youth poetry group. Soon, she was winning competitions — but she was also kicked out of school after a slam poetry tour. Daniel Schaefer/Courtesy of OutlierImagery.com hide caption

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Daniel Schaefer/Courtesy of OutlierImagery.com

National

From Feeling Lost To Army Strong, With The Help Of Poetry

Daisy Armstrong struggled in school. She was homeless for a time. Then she began performing poetry — and it helped her, a gay woman, find a niche where she never thought she'd belong: the Army.

From Feeling Lost To Army Strong, With The Help Of Poetry

Listen · 5:20
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Friday

At 28, A Long Jumper Eyes Her Last Olympic Leap

Shameka Marshall won the silver medal in the long jump at the Pan American Games in Mexico last October. At 28, Marshall may be making her final push to be on the U.S. Olympic team. Julie Jacobson/AP hide caption

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Julie Jacobson/AP

London 2012: The Summer Olympics

At 28, A Long Jumper Eyes Her Last Olympic Leap

Long jumper Shameka Marshall is training for what may be her last shot at the Olympics. Her attempts to make the team in 2004 and 2008 didn't work out. So this year, Marshall is working hard to compete at the U.S. track and field team trials in June.

At 28, A Long Jumper Eyes Her Last Olympic Leap

Listen · 4:26
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Monday

History

Historic Ships Struggle To Stay Afloat

The USS Olympia in Philadelphia helped defeat the Spanish flotilla at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898. Now, the ship needs a new steward and $10 million in repairs.

Historic Ships Struggle To Stay Afloat

Listen · 4:01
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Monday

Zumba dance classes are all the rage, but some critics say the fitness craze shouldn't be considered Latin dance.

Zumba dance classes are all the rage, but some critics say the fitness craze shouldn't be considered Latin dance. Christopher Futcher/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Christopher Futcher/iStockphoto.com

Pop Culture

Zumba Is A Hit, But Is It Latin?

The high-energy dance classes are all the rage, but some critics are taking issue with the fitness craze being labeled as Latin dance. Authentic or not, with 12 million people dancing off the pounds, Zumba business is booming.

Zumba Is A Hit, But Is It Latin?

Listen · 4:18
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Sunday

Performing Arts

Healthy Cooking, A Performance Artist's Statement

Performance artist Robert Karimi has made it his mission to fight Type 2 Diabetes by making healthy cooking the basis for his performance art installations. Karimi takes his show on the road to the unlikeliest places to show his audience that healthy cooking can be exotic and fun. Yowei Shaw reports.

Healthy Cooking, A Performance Artist's Statement

Listen · 4:49
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