Third Coast International Audio Festival

This hour stories of detours, bad directions and finding the right path... on the road and in life. This Is Not The Way Home by Lea Redfern (360 Documentaries [ABC RN], 2009) If direction in life is a positive, what happens to those who have no sense of direction? And can a relationship be thrown off course by the introduction of an intangible, yet otherwise seemingly perfect, third person? Choir Boy by Katie Mingle (Love + Radio, 2014) Tom Justice came from a well-to-do family. He was senior class president at a swanky suburban high school, graduated from college and excelled as an athlete. Then, a bank and a bike lead him to prison. Off Route by Annie Costakis & Dennis Funk (Re:sound debut, 2014) A story about finding direction when your GPS has a mind (or minds) of it's own. Photo Richard Drdul http://bit.ly/1zD5u6k

This week on the Third Coast Podcast, we're sharing two of our favourite pieces that were entered to win the 2014 Little Mermaid Award. Into the Woods, Cell Phone, iPod and All by Amy Pearl (New Tech City, WNYC, 2013) In the city, things never seem to slow down. So producer Amy Pearl decided to get away and hike the Appalachian Trail for a few days with her dog. The plan was to be totally unplugged. Well, almost. Variety by Leo Hornak (In the Dark, 2013) A man with eclectic interests gives us a tour of his ancestral home in North Wales, and shares his philosophy on life. Listen to the Little Mermaid Award winners here: http://bit.ly/1y6Bb8c

The 2014 Third Coast Festival Broadcast, featuring the winners of our annual competition.

The 2014 Third Coast Festival Broadcast, featuring the winners of our annual competition.

This hour: Storied pasts and double lives. Fix by Sarah Lu, Nick van der Kolk and Brendan Baker (Love and Radio, 2012) As an investigative journalist, Jason Leopold had all the qualities he needed to break big stories, but the one story that nearly broke him was his own. Whitey's Rules by Gideon Brower and Eric Drachman (Re:sound debut, Third Coast ShortDocs Challenge, 2012) Residents of a quiet Santa Monica apartment building remember their neighbor, Charlie, also known as notorious Boston crime boss, James "Whitey" Bulger.

This hour, two stories in which random events change lives forever, and a third pulled from a random cassette. The Long Shadow [Excerpt] by Lea Thau (Strangers [KCRW], 2014) One day in February 1997, four young men decided they would go up to the top of the Empire State Building. What happened in the observatory that day was as random as it was terrifying and cast a long shadow over everything that came after. J Dilla's Lost Scrolls by Pat Mesiti-Miller (Snap Judgment [NPR], 2013) When record store owner Jeff Bubeck buys an old record collection out of an abandoned storage unit, he has no idea what he's (randomly) stumbled across. Jeff learns the collection once belonged to the late, great hip hop producer J Dilla. Along with the thousands of LP's from Dilla's personal collection, there's something else that's uncovered, something huge... The Diet by David Weinberg (Random Tape, 2012) A story unfolds from a cassette found at a yard sale, as a man instructs his family not to interfere with his plans to go on a diet that he hopes will cure him of AIDS. To find out more about the mysterious woman in this story, listen to Part Two here: http://bit.ly/1pbSJ00 Photo Weijie~ http://bit.ly/1yMgg7L

This hour: we’ll bob from the biggest maritime disaster that you've never heard of, to a man who saved thousands of shipboard lives with a deceptively simple design. The Sinking of the Lancastria by Susan Marling and presented by Allan Little (BBC, Radio 4, 2010) People have always been fascinated by ship-related disasters. The Titanic, for example, has captured our imaginations in hundreds of books and films over the years. But buried in history is a far bigger shipwreck — one that killed more people than the Titanic and the Lusitania combined. The ship was called the Lancastria, and now the last remaining survivors and their children tell its story. A Cheer for Samuel Plimsoll by Roman Mars (99% Invisible, 2011) In the 1800s, shipping disasters were commonplace. Even without icebergs and bombs to aid their demise, ships regularly sank because of overloading. The problem was so prevalent that a crusading British member of Parliament pledged to do something about it. His solution was so simple, so ingenious and so effective, that it is still in use today. A Nightingale Among Ye by Sam Greenspan (Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, 2006) All of the safety regulations and procedures that saved the lives of sailors and seamen killed some of their best traditions. Case in point: the sea shanty. As the steam engine ushered in modernization, it ushered out the onboard work songs that helped time go by and ease difficult tasks. Fortunately, they haven’t disappeared altogether, thanks in part to Bob Webb. Big Ship Diary by Allison Swaim (WBEZ, Front and Center, 2011) Regardless of all the modern conveniences and technological advances, life on a ship in the middle of the water, for weeks at a time, can be difficult, isolating and lonely. Radio producer Allison Swaim spent nine days aboard a bulk ore ship (a ship so big it would take a thousand semi-trucks to carry the same load) to bring us this modern tale of life on the water.

This hour: we present two very different stories about the Texas State Penitentiary. Both are about soul — the kind you dance to, and the kind you pray for. Prisoner Soul by Vivienne Perry, presented by Gary Younge (BBC Radio 4, 2013) In the late 60s and early 70s, the Texas prison system chose to put a little more cash and a lot more creativity into its effort to stave off prisoner violence, boredom and recidivism by allowing prisoners to form bands and record music. NOTE: Due to limited rights from the BBC this piece is only available to stream on our website until 29 October 2014 Listen Here: http://bit.ly/1nst2XS Ministry of Presence by Matt Holzman (KCRW's Unfictional, 2013) The very same Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville featured in Prisoner Soul currently houses the busiest death chamber in the country. Meet Carroll Pickett, who has spent many agonizing years on death row, but not as a prisoner.

This week, Israeli soldiers speak out to advocate for Palestinian rights. Breaking the Silence by Cathy Peters (producer) & Dr Peter Slezak (presenter) (360documentaries [ABC RN], 2012) In 2012, writer Peter Slezak took a tour of the Palestinian Occupied Territories where he met with Palestinians and Israelis — including members of an Israeli NGO called Breaking the Silence, which gives tours around hotspots in the West Bank and Gaza. Slezak witnessed what Occupation means in terms of the human rights abuses that occur routinely, and the annexation of Palestinian lands to large Israeli settlements and to the 700 km long Separation Wall. Interview with Rabbi Brant Rosen Brant Rosen was rabbi at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Illinois until his resignation in September 2014. He left the position because he felt his advocacy for Palestinian rights, and criticism of the Israeli government was creating divisions among his own congregation.

The Last Days of Hollywood Park by David Weinberg (KCRW, 2013) After 75 years, the last race at Hollywood Park was run in December 2013. Once the celebrity playground of Hollywood stars, who owned thoroughbreds and stock in the racetrack, we visit the grounds in their final days. More from David Weinberg at www.randomtape.com Photo jondoeforty1 http://bit.ly/1vlOfBJ

This hour: people who start out as bitter enemies and end up in places you could never predict. The Rabbi and the KKK by Anna Sussman (Snap Judgement, 2011) When Rabbi Michael Weisser moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, self-avowed anti-semite Larry Trap was determined to make an enemy out of him. And he tried really hard. But despite his best efforts, he just couldn’t do it. Two Enemies, One Heart by Mignon Aylen with Jonathan Groubert (The State We're In, 2011) Zoom out on any war and you’ll see a tragic picture. The first Persian gulf war was no exception. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost and countless atrocities were committed. But zoom in, and in the midst of all the darkness you’re sure to find pockets of breath-taking bravery and compassion. Such was the case with the two soldiers in Two Enemies, One Heart. Mary Johnson and Oshea Isreal Jasmyn Belcher (Morning Edition, 2011) Mary and Oshea refelct on their relationship in this short but powerful story of unlikely friendship and remarkable forgiveness. Their story was recorded for the national oral history project, StoryCorps.

This hour: the dinner table and all that it inspires. Big Night by Jonathan Goldstein (This American Life [WBEZ], 2002) Producer Jonathan Goldstein made every girl he ever dated watch the home movie of his family's Rosh Hashanah dinner he made when he was 17. He hoped that seeing his family life on film might make the women more sympathetic to his shortcomings Naked Dinner by Gwen Macsai (Weekend Edition Saturday [NPR], 2005) Once a month in New York, a particular group of friends gathers to dine at various restaurants around Manhattan... nude. Re:sound host, Gwen Macsai, has this report from her first Clothing Optional Dinner at a restaurant called Dorian's. Dreaming of Fat Men [Excerpt] by Lorelei Harris (Documentary on One [RTÉ Radio 1], 1994) Five very fat women meet to feast and discuss their relationship with food. Dreaming Of Fat Men is at once funny and sad and presents a portrait of women, food and desire that is rarely seen. Listen to the full story: http://bit.ly/1v0p87E A Square Meal, Regardless by Jennifer Nathan (Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, 2007) When Cedric Chambers and John Gallagher met by chance 45 years ago, neither imagined that they’d be caring for each other into old age. But after John’s wife passed away and his children moved across the country, John turned to Cedric when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Together they faced the end of his life. Happy Birthday, Darling! by Dmitry Nikolaev (Radio Russia Kultura, 2013) A story of how love can turn into a hatred that destroys everything and kills everybody... but performed in a wordless radio pantomime. Photo Dan Cunningham http://bit.ly/1pm29PU

This hour: the story of Sandra Willson. Tit for Tat: The Story of Sandra Willson by Catherine Freyne, with sound engineer, Phillip Ullman (Hindsight [ABC Radio National], 2011) In Australia, Sandra Willson is known for many things: she established the first halfway house for women leaving prison, she was a consultant on a popular TV series and an important figure in the gay rights movement. When Willson died in 1999, she left behind an unpublished memoir and a slew of personal papers. From these sources as well as archival interview tape, producer Catherine Freyne tells the story of Willson’s life, from the murder that put her in prison to her later activism. Readings from Willson's memoirs are done by actor, Linda Cropper. Photo Created using original artwork by Jan Mackay http://bit.ly/1ADmrdS

This hour: two stories of regular old days that started out static and ended up seismic. Birdy by Michael O'Kane (Documentary on One, RTE, 2010) Ewa Wisnierska was an experienced paraglider. She won the world cup in 2005, and a training run for the same competition two years later began as a routine exercise. But on that day, storm clouds moved in quickly and imperceptibly. In mid-flight, Ewa was sucked up into a storm cell that catapulted her higher than Mount Everest and changed her average day into one that was anything but. Man in the Road by Nick van der Kolk, Ben Bombard and Rehman Tungekar (Love + Radio, 2011) Melvin Dummar was driving home from work when he spotted a man lying in the road. He did the man a kind turn by giving him a ride and a little bit of money. It was a decision that would come back to haunt him years later.

This hour: Two stories of people who are far away — physically, emotionally and/or spiritually from the place they call home. Home is Always Somewhere Else by Nguyen Qui Duc and Dmae Roberts (Crossing East National Series, 2006) When home is a war-torn country, leaving it can be a matter of survival, not choice. But that doesn't make it any easier. When the war in Vietnam ended in 1975, thousands of Vietnamese came to America. Nguyen Qui Duc was one of them. He and his family moved to Maryland when he was 17, but his heart never really left Vietnam. Circle of Care by Delaney Hall (Re:sound premiere, 2012) The paths that immigrants pave to get to this country are well worn and rutted. Whether the goal is to seek better opportunities, follow dreams, or escape bad circumstances, people struggle to get here. It can be especially difficult for women, who often have to leave behind children and aging parents. Alma supports her family back home in the Philippines by taking care of someone else's family in New York. Read an update on Alma from producer Delaney Hall on our website, thirdcoastfestival.org. Photo Grzegorz Łobiński http://bit.ly/VVumWc