Odyssey is back! In front of a fully vaccinated crowd in Roscoe's backyard, we gathered in person for the first time in almost two years for drinks, a pool party, and most importantly, local storytelling! Appropriately, the theme was "Wasted," and we had four incredible storytellers, including: Jonathan Grinder Mary Jo Pollack Molly McCloy Roscoe Mutz Two spontaneous storytellers, who normally don't make the final podcast, but we're celebrating, dammit We’re incredibly excited to share...

Mother is a complicated subject for many of us, whether we are mothers ourselves, have memories of our mothers, or have witnessed mothering. Come join our amazing four storytellers who will reflect, muse, and touch your heart with their tales.  Storytellers include: Miles Schneiderman Mary Jo Pollack Ethel Lee-Miller Jeremy We’re incredibly excited to share that we have officially launched our Patreon site! As you know, we have not charged for shows the entire pandemic, and as I’m sure...

Once upon a time kale was used as a colorful, frilly buffet garnish, then thrown away. Nobody ate it. Then, seemingly overnight, everyone started eating kale. Once upon a time Snoop Dog was an anti-establishment gangsta; now he hosts a TV game show and is BFFs with Martha Stewart. Once upon a time nerds were not cool; now geek is chic. These are stories about reversals of fortune. Storytellers include: Troy Larkin Mel Blumenthal Joey Rodgers We’re incredibly excited to share that we have...

Camping, tramping, or glamping, the April 2021 Odyssey Storytelling show has it all. An International lineup of eight talented tellers will regale, scare, or entertain you with their outdoor experiences in the wilds of nature! Storytellers include: Drew Cronyn Sally Lanyon Anna Marie Trester Kevin Scott Chess Ron Lancaster Johanne Pelletier Julie Baker We’re incredibly excited to share that we have officially launched our Patreon site! As you know, we have not charged for shows the entire...

It’s Odyssey’s birthday again! Let’s celebrate with stories of all the beautiful cultures represented in our Odyssey family. We all come from very different backgrounds, races, ethnicities and experiences. These show up in our foods, our languages, the way we speak, what we wear and most of all how we treat each other. That’s the beauty of diversity! In the spirit of Odyssey’s mission to create community one story at a time – come listen, learn and appreciate difference. Storytellers...

After many centuries, 2020 is finally in the rearview mirror, and Odyssey Storytelling is celebrating with our Best of 2020 compilation show! In 2020, we had to cancel our live events due to COVID-19 and go virtual instead, but we remained committed to our goal of celebrating local storytelling. This episode consists of five hand-picked stories from the year that was in Odyssey, including: Ethel Lee-Miller (Quarantine) Yasmin Khan (Vagabond Dreams) Bryan Castle (Black Stories Matter) Bobby...

The primary symbol of the snowflake is uniqueness and individuality. They are delicate, fragile and fleeting.. As snowflakes tumble through the air, swirling and spiraling, they each take a different path to the ground. A beautiful thought for sure but not so fast. To some the term snowflake has taken on a more political connotation to indicate weakness in an opponent. Winter wonderlands, inspiration and family gatherings gone wild! Storytellers include: Pete Christensen Bethany Evans...

How do you flow on the river of life? Have you received instant rewards, or did they arrive after many twists and turns of the universal flow? Or did punishment come fast as lightning or after many spins around the sun? This one promises to produce instant rewards! Storytellers include: Gail Arrenholz Tim Foran Ron Lancaster Mary Jo Pollack Susan Allen Check out the video version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA4uaOorOxY The Karma show was recordeo online and curated by Bella...

An important announcement regarding the immediate future of the Odyssey Storytelling Podcast.

Worlds turned upside down. Unexpected, unexplained, or under-explained experiences. Familiar face or complete stranger? Things that give you goosebumps or make the hair on your neck stand at attention. Quirky or creepy? A little bit off...or completely off the charts? Get weird, eerie, and/or perplexed with Odyssey as we ponder and attempt to make sense of life’s stranger things. Storytellers include: Cassandra Bendickson Joe Silins Jan Stapleman Ursula Bachofer Linda Ray Robert Alvarez ...

For the first time ever, Miles Schneiderman is featuring one of his own stories on the Odyssey Storytelling Podcast...with a twist! After returning the October 2017 Haunted show, where Miles told "The Story of the Haunted Pizza Hut," Miles' mom crashes the podcast studio to talk about how she doesn't remember the Pizza Hut being haunted, and speculates on what might really have happened that night. From Miles' Odyssey bio: Miles Schneiderman is a freelance…everything, basically. Having never...

We have another story from the December 2019 Chill show for you this week, as newcomer Tanu Vyas takes us along for the ride on her physical and spiritual journey. From Tanu's Odyssey bio: Tanu Vyas was born in Jaipur, India and is an elementary school teacher by profession. She’s also an intuitive healer, does reiki, and holds meditation classes. This story was performed and recorded in front of a live audience at Sea of Glass Center for the Arts in Tucson, AZ, on December 5th, 2019, and...

Two versus one, twice as much- or perhaps- just invisible. Bilingual, bicultural and on the border- maybe unwanted, unseen and uncomfortable. However, also proud. “Speak English,” but why not something else? One world, two cultures, three languages in some cases. Invisible or unmistakable? Storytellers include: Czarina Nafarrate Albrecht Classen Alma Rosa Montañez Diego Piña Lopez Consuelo Hernandez Daniel Duncan Check out the video version here: ...

Cam Juarez returns to the Odyssey Storytelling Podcast, with his December 2019 story about the concept of "chilling," or "being/staying chill," particularly when life is throwing you weird curveballs and doctors and nurses are glancing warily between you and the tests they've just performed on you with ominously confused looks on their faces. From Cam's Odyssey bio: Cam Juárez was born to migrant farm worker parents in Yuma, Arizona. Cam holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the UofA...

At the November 2019 Second Chances show, the Odyssey crowd was treated to an appearance from Riley, whose unique storytelling style underpins her retelling of events that made her who she is today. From Riley's Odyssey bio: I’m Seminole-Creek from Oklahoma. I was raised by my Grandmother and her sister and spoke only Seminole till I had to go to school at age 6. I’m an artist, head injury survivor, and long-time resident of Tucson, Arizona. I like to cook tasty meals and sometimes do yard...

"Spirits" was a theme that could have been (and was) interpreted in any number of ways. However, it was also the October 2019 show, and Sergio Gonzalez went straight for the Halloween angle. Of course, it helped that Sergio attended one of the most haunted schools in America, and he has the stories to prove it! From his Odyssey bio: Sergio M. Gonzalez has been a Tucson resident for about 4 years. Prior to Tucson, Sergio lived in Phoenix but is originally from El Paso, TX. He resides with his...

The essence of our organization is to create community one story at a time. We hold space for people to tell their stories and, share their lived experiences and, more importantly, for others to simply listen. Time and again this has created connections and strengthened our Tucson community. Odyssey Storytelling is proud to present a special event to honor and enhance Black voices. Many storytelling organizations have held similar shows across the country, and similarly we are donating any...

It's only been eleven months since Karla Campillo-Soto told her story at the September 2019 Disaster show, but trust us, it's worth hearing again. Using her experience with the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, she tells a gripping tale of family, resilience, and being okay when disaster strikes. From Karla's Odyssey bio: Born in Mexico in 1973, Karla Campillo-Soto came to the U.S. in her early twenties as a teacher. Karla’s love for storytelling started when she had the opportunity to listen to...

When Troy Larkin returned to the Odyssey stage for the December 2018 "Mortified" show, anyone who had seen him tell stories before knew that he was probably going to be talking about his balls. But that knowledge did not prepare the audience for what came next. Suffice it to say that you'll have to listen to the episode to discover the specific type of fruit that was, at one point, the same size as one of Troy's testicles. From his Odyssey bio: Troy E. Larkin is a lawyer by day and...

It was nearly two years ago that Manny Mejias stepped onto the Odyssey stage for his public service announcement, which, to paraphrase the man himself, blew our hair back. One of the most singularly powerful stories in Odyssey history, Manny spoke to us about his journey, advised us to listen to kids and give them what they need, and reminded us to love one another. From Manny's Odyssey bio: Manuel “Manny” Mejias serves as a Reentry Coordinator for Pima Prevention Partnership where he works...

Award-winning author Nooshie Motaref showed up to the May 2018 Fake show with an interesting interpretation of the theme: the idea of a "fake door." In explaning this idea, she told the story of her departure from her native Iran after the ascension of Ayatollah Khomeini, and the difficult journey that ultimately took her to the United States. From Nooshie's Odyssey bio: Nooshie Motaref, author of award winning novel, Tapestries of the Heart, has gone through many challenging life...

A vagabond is a person who wanders from place to place without a home or job. Right now we find ourselves confined and unable to wander to escape the summer swelter like years past. While the idea of being footloose and fancy free and living on the road is appealing, so are the comforts of stable housing and employment/income during this time of economic upheaval. For Odyssey Storytelling's third online show, we invite you to leave these concerns behind and join us on a journey of...

Sometimes you trip over obstacles you make yourself, sometimes over obstacles other people make for you. Sometimes the obstacles are things you're just born with. In December 2017, Kuvaal Patel told the story obstacles from all three categories, and how he overcame them and proved everybody wrong. From Kuvaal's Odyssey bio: Kuvaal Patel is a student at the University of Arizona. Born in Chicago, Kuvaal moved to Las Vegas with his parents before leaving at the age of 11 to attend boarding...

In September 2017, the Tucson YWCA hosted Odyssey for the first time, and while the podcast audio suffered from some sound issues, the stories themselves were absolutely incredible. One of the stories came by way of Juan Bayardo, whose "Gigs Across America" would eventually take him to all fifty states...but that kicked off with a startling story of transformation. From Juan's Odyssey bio: Juan Bayardo was just another ordinary guy, cruising through the universe, until he decided to change...

About a year ago, at Odyssey's Dissent show, Barbara Lewis introduced the concept of "unintentional dissent." It's what happens when you succeed despite living in a system designed to help you fail -- also known as being Black in America. From Barbara's Odyssey bio: Barbara Lewis– not the singer- arrived in Tucson at the age of 18 months and grew up in a loving but strict Roman Catholic household which meant she had to “improvise” to enjoy some adventures. She attended segregated Dunbar...