"She gave birth to most of us in the room above the door. We called it the Boudoir."

To writer Tamara Pollock, her childhood as one of 8 children wasn't anything special. Never mind the 24 Italian students that came to live with them, or the strangers who sometimes appeared at their dinner table. It was only later she came to see that all her mother had done for the family. Tamara celebrates her mother's daring, distinctive style and quirky personality in this charming addition to the 100 voices for 100 years project. 

Tamara Pollock completed her MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck in 2010. Her stories have been published in the Sunday Times Magazine and broadcast on Radio 4. Her story, Elsa, was longlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award.

She runs creative writing groups for Kensington Libraries and is a member of Cathy Galvin’s Word Factory team. She has just completed a collection of short stories.