The Odyssey Storytelling Podcast

There's a special time in a young person's life....well Odyssey's there too! Sweet sixteens, quinceañeras, coming of age, and whatever else helped you grow up. Our anniversary show has it all! This show was recorded prior to the coronavirus becoming a full-on pandemic, so please keep that in mind as you listen -- also, our founder, Penelope Starr, is doing just fine at the moment, despite being to...

We're almost finished with the winding road that is the August 2015 Detours show! In this penultimate story, Jana Segal-Stormont discusses the journey of her brilliant, creative, and occasionally eccentric son. From Jana's Odyssey bio: Jana Segal-Stormont was blessed to be a stay-at-home mom while pursuing her first love of screenwriting. The natural transition was writing reviews of meaningful fi...

The world is kind of terrible and scary right now, so it's probably a good time for a hilarious, lewd, or not-entirely-appropriate story of some kind. Fortunately, Roscoe Mutz specializes in all three of those things. You should know that this story, from the September 2016 Forgiveness/Grudges show, includes a pretty awful slur. It's not included hatefully and is being repurposed for comedic effec...

Everyone has to leave the nest sometime, and for us, it's time to grow up and let go of the July 2015 Independence show, because this is the last story from that event! Fittingly, it features Stephanie Frederick's tale of breaking free from her hometown, despite the objections of her father and the traditions of her ancestors. From Stephanie's Odyssey bio: Stephanie Frederick grew up on the bayous...

Tarnished, messy, grubby, or gross. Dirty jobs reluctantly (or excitedly) completed. Pollution, contamination, and related activism. Cheating, scheming, and deeds done dirt cheap. Bawdy, edgy, filthy, and certainly not safe for work. Pack an extra change of clothes and a bottle of hand sanitizer, because Odyssey is getting "Dirty" in February. TRIGGER WARNING : The "Dirty" show contains more matur...

We don't usually rerun stories that aired previously as part of complete shows, but we're making an exception for Vene Aguirre, who took the stage at the May 2018 "Fake" show to talk about her struggles with pretending to be like everyone else, and her discovery of why she wasn't. From Vene's Odyssey bio: Veneranda Aguirre debuted her spoken words talents at the 1983 Golfistas golf tournament with...

Let's be honest: Regardless of how you feel about religion, it would have sucked to do the Mission show without a single missionary story. That's what Ellen Morrell provided the Odyssey audience on the night of February 2nd, 2017, inviting them along with her on her journey to South Sudan. From Ellen's Odyssey bio: I was born and spent most of my life in or close to Indianapolis IN. My first caree...

Alex Ruiz has a slow, calming style of storytelling, which helps when you're imagining homemade tacos sizzling in the fire. At the April 2016 Contradictions show, Alex talked about transitioning from his mother's tacos to the ones served in public schools and fast food restaurants, and the strange similarity between them. From his Odyssey bio: My name is Rafael Alejandro but everyone calls me Alex...

Stories from the shoulda – coulda – woulda club. They say hindsight is 20/20. If you knew then what you know now . . . how would your life be different? Would you make the same choices or would you take a different path? Are our lives predetermined by fate or do we exercise free will? Or, is it some odd combination of the two? Storytellers include: Judy Ben-Asher Pamela Rose Matthew Taylor Mike Ca...

The January 2017 Labor show comes to an end (except for one story that didn't get recorded properly because it was Miles' first Odyssey show) with this short one from Vic Roych, who meditates on the social phenomenon of "two ships passing in the night." From Vic's Odyssey bio: Vic Roych is an actor. A SAG-AFTRA member, he has appeared in about 50 movies and hopes for a revival of the Arizona film...

The December 2015 Body show completes its podcast journey with this story from Georgette "George" Rosburg, which is funny, sad, and heartwarming by turns, as you might expect when both Alzheimer's and cup sizes are involved. From George's Odyssey bio: Georgette "George" Rosberg is originally from a one stop-light town in Upstate New York.  She moved to Tucson in 2001.  She is a volunteer, photogra...

Lori Riegal's story from the March 2016 Strange show was all about education -- both her own and her daughter's. In it, she discusses how she made the unlikely transition from depressed undergrad to award-winning graduate student, how she felt upon seeing her daughter begin the same journey, and the strange things they encountered along the way. From Lori's Odyssey bio: Lori Riegel is the Developm...

Mark your holiday calendars for this must-see show. We'll be hearing from newcomers to the Odyssey stage and perennial favorites on wide-ranging and riveting stories. Mind-numbing cold and case of frostbite on the snowy slopes of Mt. Aconcagua. A fond remembrance of a snow-filled childhood. Changes in one man's body that force him to 'chill.' A hair-raising story that promises to bring chills. And...

We have officially bridged the distance between the beginning and the end of the February 2016 Bridges show, as this is our final story from that night's program. It features Dea Brasgalla, and carries the lasting image of her standing for the first time on the bridge her father built. From Dea's Odyssey bio: Michigan born Dea Brasgalla, 82, first came to Phoenix, AZ , in 1953 during a summer vaca...

We are officially finishing off the October 2015 "Home" show, and there's no better to do that than with Brad Lancaster's love letter to Tucson and ruminations on how he, personally, found his home. From Brad's Odyssey bio: Brad Lancaster  is an opportunistic, exotic weed rooted in the Sonoran Desert where he strives to be of service. Towards that aim he authored the just released, full-color, rev...

Claire Swinford's life has taken many detours, and she talked about several of them during the August 2015 Detours show. But while her the precise nature of her dreams many have changed over the years, she has never stopped pursuing them. From Claire's Odyssey bio: Claire Swinford is a writer, performer, activist, and the best electrician you know. A second generation tradeswoman, she has over 25...

Surviving deadly beatings or the Big C with humor and optimism. Courage to tell a long-withheld tale. A teacher's abiding influence. Sad loss of old loves giving way to new. The surprising possibilities of fostering a pregnant cat. Come hear diverse, touching, heartfelt stories of pain, shock, anger, fear woven with humor, joy, love and transformation. The unexpected rewards that life's second cha...

Surviving deadly beatings or the Big C with humor and optimism. Courage to tell a long-withheld tale. A teacher's abiding influence. Sad loss of old loves giving way to new. The surprising possibilities of fostering a pregnant cat. Come hear diverse, touching, heartfelt stories of pain, shock, anger, fear woven with humor, joy, love and transformation. The unexpected rewards that life's second cha...

The final story from the December 2016 "Fraught" show comes courtesy of Gloria Elizalde, the first person to ever have two individual stories on this podcast. Yes, it has something to do with the fact that the producer is a new father, don't worry about it. The important thing is that we're wrapping up Fraught with a doozy -- the show-closing litany of Gloria's numerous vehicular manslaughter vict...

Due to unexpected life complications (i.e. the producer's wife is nine months pregnant and we keep thinking she might be going into labor) this episode is a couple of days late, and for that, we ask your forgiveness. Appropriately, this week's offering comes from the September 2016 Forgiveness/Grudges show, and features a really, really excellent story from Robert Ronquillo, who turns a hostile co...

The themes of Odyssey shows are always open to broad interpretation, and Ryan Malco's story from the 2015 Independence show was a unique take on the idea. In explaining his religious views (or more accurately, lack thereof), Ryan tells the tale of what was, for at least a few seconds, his own death, and the freedom he derives from his first-hand knowledge that there is nothing whatsoever beyond th...

The Natural show from October 2016 was the source of the first individual story on this podcast, and as of this episode, we have released all six stories from that show! We close out Natural with Jess Kapp, whose life was changed forever when she found things that came naturally in places she'd never expected. From Jess' Odyssey bio: Jess Kapp is a geologist, educator, and writer. She teaches geol...

"Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit," wrote e.e. cummings. This episode, we'll hear stories from true believers in spirits of the heart and soul; ghosts past and present; and of course spirits in a glass with ice and a twist. This week's storytellers include: Christina Early Sergio M. Gonzalez Kermie Woh...

The February 2017 Mission show was one of our editor's first live Odyssey events, and it was also an early milestone in the storytelling career of Steve Braun, one of Odyssey's most peerless volunteers. Steve told the assembled audience about all the reasons he considers himself mission-driven, not obsessed. Although, sometimes, also obsessed. From Steve's Odyssey bio: A recent graduate of the U o...

Here at the Odyssey Storytelling Podcast, we love all our stories equally. For the most part. At the risk of breaking that objectivity, though...this is a really,  really good one, y'all. Possibly one of our favorites. In April 2016, Kadon Izaac Sellers opened up the Contradictions show with a story that's both heartfelt and hilarious, both tragic and beautiful. It's about clothing, and gender, an...