Who says there’s nothing to do in Tucson in the summer?  Coming up on July 30 you’ll have to decide between two fabulous events, Ignite Tucson and Odyssey Storytelling.

Ignite Tucson, the event that David Aguirre of Dinnerware Artspace started a year ago will be at the Screening Room, 127 E. Congress, and down the street at the Club Congress, 311 E. Congress, you can catch Odyssey Storytelling (disclaimer, I’m the producer).  Both events start at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30.  Don’t forget, parking is free on the street after 5 p.m.

IGNITE Tucson

Around 15 people will grace the stage in front of a projected Powerpoint presentation of 20 images, each on the screen for 15 seconds.  The speaker has five minutes to talk about a topic they are passionate about.

You’ll see Karen Falkenstrom, Kathleen Williamson, Joanna Frueh, Janet K. Miller, Jodi Netzer, Shipherd Reed, Danielle from Tucson Life Cache, and more.  There is a $5 donation at the door for everyone, including the presenters.

This is the 4th IGNITE, and, according to David, “all of them have been really, really fun, informative, a great way to get your message out, and a good way to network. IGNITE Tucson shows us creative and innovative projects and talent happening in Tucson.”

Odyssey Storytelling

Six invited storytellers have ten minutes to tell their personal stories on the theme ILLEGAL.  The stories are not read or memorized, they are told from the life experiences and creativity of the teller.

This month’s storytellers are writer, Tom Clark; author, Juliana Piccillo; fundraiser, Edna Meza Aguirre; private investigator, Lorna Soroko; retired warden, Duane Vild; and No More Death’s activist, Jim Marx.  Tickets are $7 at the door or can be purchased online at the Odyssey website.

Odyssey Storytelling has been entertaining and edifying audiences for over 5 years.  Because the storytellers are uncensored and from diverse communities the stories may be fun, amazing, messy, enlightening, disturbing, and entertaining . . . and more.

I'm tearing my hair out!!! Please rent my apartment!

My friend Denise owns an apartment building in Phoenix and has had a terrible time in this economy finding tenants.  Finally she was able to get all the units filled and she thought her troubles were over.  But soon she realized that she was housing the Tenants from Hell.

From toxic plumbing problems to toxic text messages, Denise has had her share of troubles.  And the way that she copes with all the stress is by entertaining her friends with hilarious renditions of her woes.  It helps that she has a degree in creative writing so she’s trained in using words, but much more importantly, she’s using her abundant sense of humor to get her though a tough time.

As one of the story listeners I can empathize with her pain while getting a few giggles and, after a while, we’ll be able to say “remember when . . . ” and laugh all over again.

The Healing Story Alliance of the National Storytelling Network explores and promotes the use of storytelling in therapy and health care.  They say that by telling our stories we can organize a seemingly random and painful event into a comprehensible whole, giving it some meaning in our lives.  Adding humor makes it so much easier to digest and share.

Just google “laughter is the best medicine” and you’ll come up with a myriad of physical benefits of laughing including lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, relief from depression and  less pain.

This month’s Ode (the magazine for intelligent optimists) is all about laughter, how belly laughs and grins can improve our lives.  A striking example is the organization called Clowns Without Borders, a group that brings “levity, contemporary clown/circus oriented performances and workshops into communities so that they can celebrate together and forget for a moment the tensions that darken their daily lives”.

I once got a fortune in a cookie that said “lighten up, you control the gravity on the planet”.  I took it very seriously.

The Spoken Word scene is an eclectic mix of events, some lofty, some earthy, some indescribable, but never (well, hardly ever) dull.

This in from Lindsay:  “Check out the 2009 Tucson Slam Team at the Surly Wench Pub for the official release of our new CD, This Is Some Feminist Shit! Featuring brand spankin’ new tracks by Doc Luben, Lindsay Miller, Maya Asher, Mickey Randleman, and Laura Lacanette, as well as group work the likes of which you’ve never heard before, this CD is available for $10 and comes in five delicious flavors.”

The team takes the stage at 10 pm on Saturday, July 18 at the Surly Wench Pub, 424 N 4th Ave, for this 21+ show.  It’ll cost you $5.  They promise to perform tracks from the CD as well as a variety of exciting surprises.

If there’s anybody out there that doesn’t know what a poetry slam is, Poetry Slam, Inc. gives this definition “. . . a competitive event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. Typically, the host or another organizer selects the judges, who are instructed to give numerical scores (on a zero to 10 or one to 10 scale) based on the poets’ content and performance.”

Ocotillo Poetry Slam is Tucson’s homegrown addition to the national scene and the Slam Team members are the winners of this years competition. They will represent us at the nationals.

You can usually catch a slam at Bentley’s House of Coffee and Tea on the 2^nd and 4^th Saturday of the month but I don’t know the summer schedule so better check before you go.  For info on how to compete go to Ocotillo’s page at Poetry Slam.com

For more information and to get on the email list contact Lindsay at linzm@email.arizona.edu.