Odyssey Storytelling Presents: Transformation
Curated by Tony Paniagua
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Doors at 6:30, show at 7
The YWCA, Francis McClelland Community Center, 529 N. Bonita Ave.
$8 Adults, $6 Students
Back to school, out of the closet, joining a gym.
Climbing the corporate ladder, running away, over the hill.
Free at last?
New people, perspectives and places.
Breaking addictions, breaking traditions, breaking up, brokenhearted, broke.
Life?
Fantasies, dreams, generations.
Children, caterpillars, tadpoles, The Ugly Duckling.
Trans. Action, gender, formation.
Storytellers include:
Martin Pepper suffers from self-induced ergophobia and has taken drastic measures to maintain this dysfunction by acquiring four college degrees while developing skill sets in professional swimming, scuba instruction, photography, carpentry, metalsmithing, electronics, plumbing, mechanics, sailing, flying and waterfowl husbandry. In order to evade the local triggers of this affliction he has taken employment in extreme locations from violent remote islands in Papua New Guinea to the highlands of Iceland. As his finale he has been working towards the coveted Darwin Awards, something he has narrowly missed 3 times. He currently works for the U of A as a researcher and lecturer with small gigs hosting different television science documentaries around the globe.
Jana Segal-Stormont earned her BA in Speech and Theater from Avila College and an MFA in Dramatic writing from Brandeis University. After moving to Tucson, she raised two creative boys and divided the rest of her time between scriptwriting, teaching workshops, and making the occasional no-budget short. Acting as president of the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, she initiated the Three Minute Thriller horror contest. She went on to found Reel Inspiration to promote meaningful films on her review blog and to inspire filmmakers with directing and screenwriting workshops. Jana and her new husband Dan are doing their part to get Tucson’s rivers flowing again through rainwater harvesting and sustainable gardening. You can read about her adventures (and misadventures) in transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle at sustainablelivingtucson.org and join her in the good fight at desktopactivisttucson.blogspot.com.
Avai d’Amico is a filmmaker and adventurer who moved to Tucson for the warm climate and inexpensive cost of living, but quickly fell in love with dangerous hobbies like scaling vertical cliff faces and barreling full speed toward patches of cholla while riding on only two wheels. He lives in what is possibly the smallest house in southern Arizona. In between documentary film productions and life-threatening excursions, Avai also does social work during the day and dances the blues at night.
Juan Bayardo was just another ordinary guy, cruising through the universe, until he decided to change his path in life. Born in Nogales, Mexico, this immigrant and long-time Tucson resident retired his butcher knives and picked up a pen and paper to begin a new career as a writer. After a couple of completed manuscripts, “Juan John” packed his belongings and hit the road for a fifty-state adventure of a lifetime. Learn the keys to making those dreams a reality, and transforming oneself into whatever your heart desires.
Juanjohnsgigsacrossamerica.com Facebook- Juanjohn Bayardo
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 books Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond and contributed to the upcoming Eat Mesquite and More: A Cookbook for Sonoran Desert Foods and Living. Treasure hunting on bike or foot revives him, thus you’ll often find him scouting a back alley, dumpster, ancient ruin, or water hole. Treasure planting enlivens him, so you can join him digging rain nets, sowing wild food plants, and weaving living corridors through minds and neighborhoods.
Andrea Carmichael landed in Tucson 21 years ago after a short stint in the Valley of the Sun. From Tucson, life took her on a ten-year adventure through Canada, Russia and Tajikistan before she returned to the Old Pueblo. With a background in education and linguistics, she now works at the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, providing grants to many of the amazing non-profit organizations in the region. Her passion in life is to connect people with each other and with their inner selves, empowering them to live wholehearted, authentic lives.