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 school un upstate New York. He just turned 20, and is graduating in his 3rd year at University. Kuvaal ..read more

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. Living in downtown Tucson, I enjoy a little of the night life and checking out the local talent. I have played in a number of bands and I look forward to some new shows with my new one. I support th ..read more

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Odyssey has featured a lot of voices over the years, and we love all our storytellers and our community, but the fact of the matter is that a whole lot of those storytellers have been White. And considering everything happening in our country right now in the aftermath of the lynching of George Floyd, the murders of Breanna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and all the other people who have been killed or injured by the police over the course of the last ten days, I think it’s important right now to be elevating the voices of people of color rather than White people who, let’s be hon ..read more

Well folks, our mission (to bring you all six stories from the February 2017 Mission show, in this case) has come to an end. This final story from that event features Jordan Wilson, who provides an exciting, possibly even educational, window into his experiences in Afghanistan as part of the Air Force. Not going into combat or anything, just...hacking the mish. From Jordan's Odyssey bio: Jordan Wilson is a Linguist stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.  He’s a graduate of The Ohio State University and a six-year veteran of the United States Air Force. When he isn’t flying around ..read more

Awake again, no shut-eye or rest even though I try my best. Insomnia, that dreaded companion. Tried calming music, melatonin, and meditation- but all I get is aggravation. Relaxing and breathing, no electronics, “highly-recommended” herbal tonics. Yet insomnia has settled in, invisible and inescapable. Will I ever fall asleep? How I long for one that’s deep. Tired and fatigued once more, thanks again to that awful boor. Storytellers include: Ron Lancaster Steven Braun Jerry (Che) Diaz Brian Taraz (aka Satan)   We are a nonprofit that relies on proceeds from our live shows to stay financia ..read more

Fierce, ferocious, untamed. Savage can incite feelings of fear and brutality. The attack of a wild animal. A remorseless assault. But also, the word oozes strength and power. Something you did that was so positively fierce it changed your life forever! Maybe it was the ferocious will to live, or an untamed passion for something (or someone) you love. We all have a savage within us, just waiting to be unleashed. For love. For survival. For adventure! What ignites the savage within you? Storytellers include: Ana Gaskin Sergio Gonzalez Martin Pepper This is Odyssey's first-ever fully online sho ..read more

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 a poem about her fish Fred. She has since spoken to crowds from Tucson to the United Nations. Vene is a writer and attorney (inactive). When not writing, she can be found making lipsync videos for In ..read more

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 chances offer. This week's storytellers include: Paloma Ibanez Andrea Victoria Susy Plummer Riley Gina Rooney and Jennifer Treece Tim Bentley This episode was performed and recorded at Sea of Glass Cen ..read more

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 Vivante and Ethel Lee-Miller. For more information on Odyssey Storytelling, please visit www.odysseystorytell ..read more

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 fully understood the concepts of “getting a job” or “finding a career,” he is happy to accept mone ..read more