Penelope Starr, 61, the woman behind Odyssey Storytelling, was inspired to start the series three years ago while attending a performance in San Francisco called Porch Light Storytelling.

"I decided Tucson needed something like that," Starr says.

Starr doesn't have any real experience in storytelling, but she finds common threads between the art of telling a story and her own line of work. She is a mixed-media artist, who combines different elements to produce something original.

"It's six people that don't know each other," she says. "But their stories blend together, creating a new reality."

Starr took a short hiatus from the event but is bringing it back for a third year, aiming to have it once a month.

She's even stirring up the pot a bit by holding an X-rated storytelling event next month.

"It might be a little raunchy," she warns.

A less scandalous theme was chosen for the Odyssey Storytelling event this weekend at Club Congress. Starr thought themes of "rebirth and renewal" were appropriate in honor of the event's comeback and anniversary.

Investment manager Doug Cornell, 60, will be one of the storytellers, discussing his own experience of rebirth while changing jobs.

This will be his fourth time as a storyteller. Even if he's not performing, he says he rarely misses an Odyssey event.

"I like to listen to the funny stories, which I guess is why I like to tell funny stories," Cornell says. "It's great fun when I can give the audience a good laugh."

Similarly, artist and teacher Simon Donovan, 47, enjoys being a comedian onstage.

"I like self-deprecating humor," he says. "I've never had any hesitation to discuss what other people might find too intimate for public."

Donovan, also a veteran storyteller, participated as a performer in December 2005 and told a story about the death of his dog, Betty.

He injected a little humor into the solemn tale by focusing on a misunderstanding between him and a friend who didn't realize that "Betty" was a dog and thought she was a mutual friend.

Donovan was pleased at the audience's reaction.

"You gotta get them to moisten their eyes and laugh - all at the same time," he says.

Knowing that audience members have been in similar situations, Cornell also doesn't mind disclosing a little self-humiliation. He once told a story about not being able to pick up on the different signals women give out.