Best of the Best is Third Coast’s annual ode to audio storytelling, taking listeners on a journey through the full breadth of what’s possible in stories made from sound. This hour of the program showcases two of the winning stories from the 19th annual Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition. Host Gwen Macsai introduces the winners of the Best New Artist Award and the Best Documentary: Gold Award, plus a behind-the-scenes interview with producer Sayre Quevedo. Mardi Gras Is A State Of Mind, produced by Mara Lazer. Winner of the 2019 Best New Artist Award This is a story about the idea of shape shifting, with a friend, via testosterone. What does it mean to be a lesbian separatist who might actually be a man? The Return, produced by Sayre Quevedo, with editors Marlon Bishop and Sophia Paliza-Carre for NPR’s Latino USA. Winner of the 2019 Best Documentary: Gold Award Javier Zamora came to the US at the age of nine and built a life there. But when his Temporary Protected Status was threatened by the Trump Administration, he had no choice but to return to El Salvador for the first time in 20 years. You can hear all the winning stories from the 2019 Competition at ThirdCoastFestival.org. The program is made possible with support from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and distributed to public radio stations by PRX. Music by Sieur Bigorneau (“Bleue”), Genki the Producer (“Crossroad”), toupie (“light meter”), Pablo Torri (“Sonho”), and Aviscerall (“Lullabyes”). For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy