My Real Mother

In this creative non-fiction, storyteller Tina Katamay weaves together a tale based on true events and fabrications told to her over the years by both her mother and the aunt who raised her (and who she all but rejected out of the love and loyalty she felt for the "e;real"e; mother).Tina longed to understand her "e;real"e; mother, who gave birth to her and then left in pursuit of her dream to be a singer. She wanted to know her mother as a child. What was her upbringing like? What were her deepest desires, her biggest secrets, her failures, and her triumphs? She wanted to understand the mother she loved so completely that she couldn't abandon her to accept the love of her "e;other"e; mother, the one who raised her.She also wrote the story to help her siblings understand their mother: the child bride who never wanted to marry, never wanted children, and longed to pursue her own dream.