Description

---

The Radical Act of Community Storytelling is everything it claims in the title. It is the story of a radical step of faith taken by Penelope Starr to open her life by bringing community storytelling to her community. It is the story of voices that often go unheard having the opportunity to speak and be heard. And it is about community building from start to finish ... including everything any radical would need to start a community storytelling organization in any community.
—Adam Hostetter, Adult literacy educator, writer, and community storytelling producer

About the Author

---

Born a New Yorker, Penelope lived in Woodstock in the 60s, Denver in the 70s, Sedona, Arizona in the 80s, and now she hails from beautiful Tucson. Penelope feels incredibly lucky to have always been in the right place at the right time to witness great societal changes in our country.
Penelope is the founder, producer and artistic director of Odyssey Storytelling, a monthly event showcasing local people telling personal stories. She is the Executive Director of StoryArts Group, a 501c3 nonprofit community-funded arts organization, whose mission is to create, support, preserve, promote and celebrate the art of storytelling.
Penelope holds a BS in Human Services and Women’s Studies and has a background in teaching, counseling, and organizing. Besides her career as the “Odyssey Lady,” she restores Navajo rugs, is a mixed media artist, LGBT community activist, filmmaker, citizen folklorist, and writer.

Praise For…

---

“More than just a how-to manual for apprentice producers and curators, The Radical Act of Community Storytelling is itself a collection of stories. Starr has artfully woven amusing anecdotes and cautionary tales into her DIY guide to illustrate, step by step, the process of developing a successful event. Even if you have no interest in producing events, you can’t help but laugh, cringe, worry, wonder, and celebrate right along with the author as she stumbles through creating Odyssey Storytelling, now one of America’s longest-running monthly community storytelling series.”
— C. Michael Woodward, MPH, author, consultant, and conference director

“Penelope Starr has given the storytelling world more than a road map for how to create and produce community storytelling events. It is a map with helpful “insets” of detailed how-to information, and marvelous stories that support what she has gleaned from ten years of research and experience. Penelope’s generous spirit also offers many forms and lists that guide any reader wishing to produce storytelling events that feed the community spirit.” 
— Mark Goldman, author of Storytelling Tips: Creating, Crafting and Telling Stories.