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Tell Your True Tale

Volume 7

ay te wacho

¡Ay Te Wacho!

¡Ay Te Wacho! 1024 683 LA County Library

When I was little, my Gramma would chase me around saying “I’m gonna eat you up!” and when she would catch me, she would pinch me and bite me. I would squeal – not because I was in pain, but because I found delight in her love and attention.

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Tell Your True Tale volume 7 cover and logo

7 | Introduction

7 | Introduction 1024 683 LA County Library

The stories always get so good. That’s what I love about the storytelling project I began years ago known as Tell Your True Tale. Sometimes it takes a while. Writing, as our motto says, is about rewriting – and editing and more rewriting. But eventually you get to great, unexpected tales

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aureliano and esther

Aureliano and Esther

Aureliano and Esther 1024 679 LA County Library

In our family no one ever separated and God forbid they even think of divorcing. Granny Love always said, “Course they’s some orta-had nevah got hitched in the first place.” My Aunt Bertha Mae was scared to divorce. “God may strike me dead ifen I divorce. I jest wants to be rid of ‘im,” she would say. This is her story.

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Crazies In The Hood

Crazies In The Hood 150 150 LA County Library

My family thought I was crazy buying a house in a crime-infested, gang-ridden part of L.A.

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fire CJ Salgado

Fire

Fire 1024 683 LA County Library

The average house fire burns at 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit.

So I am in San Francisco having dinner; gorgonzola penne with shrimp, clam chowder, and sourdough toast at Cioppino’s on the wharf. My cell phone rings. It is my younger sister.

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fruit of labor

Fruits of Labor

Fruits of Labor 1024 696 LA County Library

Naked, standing in a puddle of water, my hands were cuffed behind my back, and the redhead again asked where I got the weed. Once more, I lied.

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heaven knows Fabiola Manriquez

Heaven Knows

Heaven Knows 1024 681 LA County Library

I remember my brother Oscar and his friend Richard sneaking into Richard’s bedroom with the album under his armpit covered by his jacket.

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manifest destiny

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny 1024 683 LA County Library

I wore a pink satin dress with a bow that tied in the back. My dad wore a white short-sleeved button down shirt. His mother taught him to always wear a collared shirt when going out in public.

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okasan Felicia Howell

My Okasan

My Okasan 1024 683 LA County Library

There I was butt-naked in all my glory. All of my fullness on display to behold. Though I dug deep to exude some composure, I moved as graceful as a mother seal sliding past a flock of watching seagulls.

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padrino

Padrino

Padrino 1024 683 LA County Library

I met Padrino in a dream before I met him in person. I dreamt about a man with a horsetail whisk, dancing and waving it around his head. He was dressed in white. I told Costello, my boyfriend, about my dream.

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