DIRTBAG QUEEN: A Memoir of My Mother by Andy Corren - Spotlight

 

“Because she was my mother, the death of zaftig good-time gal Renay Corren is newsworthy to me, and I treat it with the same respect and reverence she had for, well, nothing. A more disrespectful, trash talking woman was not to be found.”
  
So began Andy Corren's unforgettable obituary for his mother, Renay Mandel Corren, a tribute that went on to touch the hearts of millions around the globe. In his brief telling of the life and legend that was Renay, a “loud, filthy‑minded (and filthy‑mouthed) Jewish lady redneck who birthed six kids,” Andy captured only a slice of his loving and fabulously unconventional mother.

In this uproariously funny, deeply moving family portrait, readers meet the rest of his absurd clan: his brothers, affectionately nicknamed Asshole, Twin, and Rabbi; his one-eyed pirate queen of a sister, Cathy Sue; and then there’s Bonus, who Andy isn’t aware of until later in life since this mysterious oldest brother grew up at the Green Valley School for Emotionally Disturbed and Delinquent Children.

 A story of love and forgiveness, as well as a celebration of a woman who was “great at dyeing her red roots, weekly manicures, filthy jokes, pier fishing, rolling joints and buying dirty magazines," Dirtbag Queen is an entertaining and poignant portrayal of the complex and heartfelt humanity that unites us all—especially family.

Playwright, performer, and first-generation Jewish redneck Andy Corren was born and raised on the wrong side of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and now lives in Harlem. 

Andy has performed live sketch & standup, told his stories, written & produced his plays, and sent a lot of unanswered emails in a show business career that spanned multiple firings over three, checkered decades. 

Andy has a worthless BFA and wasn't accepted into any MFA programs, but has an amazing dog named Hudson and a cabin in the Catskills, so on balance he feels God is on his side.