ODYSSEY STORYTELLING PHOTOS and BIOS
Alden Fields: I am a joyfully unemployed, feminist FTM transgender activist. I arrived in this blessed metropolis after a stitch as a cast member at the Happiest Place on Earth and 2 years as an LDS missionary wearing ridiculously long skirts and Wal-Mart drone in St. George, UT. I am currently spending my days working toward a degree in a field with no practical application, trying to defeat anti-gay legislation and attempting to maintain a safe distance between my overtly queer self and my Christian conservative family.
OCTOBER 21, 2006 "Coming Out: Elders and Youth Tell Their Stories"
Jackson R Howa grew up in a conservative LDS household in near Salt Lake City, Utah. His family later moved to Mesa, AZ - another area with a high concentration of Mormon families. In the last few years, Jackson has participated in various LGBT panels, volunteered for Wingspan, and regularly writes letters to the editors of Arizona newspapers. He will graduate from the University of Arizona next year with a B.A. in Political Science, and plans to attend law school next fall.
Merlin Spillers: I've appeared on stage as a dancer and actor in around 20 productions. This is my first official storytelling experience. My partner Lee and I have become too socially busy in Tucson to be able to do very much theatre work nowadays.
Lee Roden: I have been in several plays, mostly musicals. I've also appeared in front of groups such as college classes and LGBT youth groups speaking as myself. I moved to Tucson in 2004 with my partner Merlin. We were both cast in "Othello" within a week-and-a-half of moving here. This is my first time as a storyteller.
Tom Clark: Leaving a career in finance a few years ago, I found relaxation by writing. What started as random sketches from encounters at the Millennium in Paris, evolved into short stories and on to a couple of small stage plays and on to three film scripts that held up well in international competitions. This summer I completed my first novel, a dramatic GLBT story of the Old West that is being examined for possible publication. For me, writing is refreshing, energizing and necessary to make my day pleasant and complete. This is my first time onstage, and the first time to tell my story. Currently, my only partner is Marco, my loyal and loving dog who goads me into hiking and playing ball and enjoying the good life in Tucson.
Dea Brasgalla: I am a 73 year old lesbian who has been out of the closet since I was 22. I am a political protestor who has a big mouth and I certainly use it: Speaker's Bureau, letters to the editors, protests and rallies, button-maker, and generally protest against discrimination in whatever form it takes or who is involved, and I volunteer all over town.
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