Martha Retallick, Home

The great thing about Odyssey is that you never know what kind of story you're going to hear. On this show, we've had funny stories, sexy stories, emotional stories told by people who lay bare the pain in their hearts and in their souls...but one of the reasons we love this story, told by Martha Retallick at the "Home" show in October 2015, is that on the surface, it's just a story about turning a backyard into a garden. And yet, it's also so much more than that -- a simple but profoundly beautiful tale of struggle, kindness, and community.

(Also, the editor may or may not have been reading a lot of Swamp Thing comics recently, I'm sure that had nothing at all to do with his selection.)

From Martha's Odyssey bio:

Martha Retallick lives – and dreams of being an urban farmer – on a tiny lot near Downtown Tucson, Arizona. There are times when the agricultural thing works out. Then there are those days when the neighborhood insect life says, "Five-star restaurant at Martha's place! And it's free! Let's go!" In addition to her city sojourns, Martha has bicycled through all 50 of the United States. It only took 12 years – and 15,000 miles. Along the way, she met such on-the-road challenges as traversing the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains and the Southwestern deserts. Martha also experienced many off-the-bike adventures, including a visit to former President Jimmy Carter's residence in Plains, Georgia, a brief stint as a Kansas wheat farmer, and a night in an Arkansas jail.

This episode was performed and recorded in front of a live audience at The Screening Room in Tucson, AZ, on October 1st, 2015, and was curated by Jen Nowicki Clark. For more information about Odyssey Storytelling, please visit www.odysseystorytelling.com