Memoir Nation
Exclusive Classes and Community
I’ve been teaching memoir for since 2012, offering up various courses and classes that I teach or coteach myself, and I have hosted countless memoir teachers, from Kiese Laymon to Lidia Yuknavitch, to Ashley C. Ford and Piper Kerman.
In 2025, I launched Memoir Nation with Grant Faulkner. Grant and I host a weekly podcast, Memoir Nation, which started in 2018 as Write-minded. Memoir Nation grew into a community in 2025, and here we offer monthly classes and other benefits, as well as a free community with lots of offerings and support for memoirists at all stages of their writing journeys.
Offerings
Memoir Expertise
I’ve been editing and publishing memoirs since 2004 in my role as Executive Editor at Seal Press. In my current role as Publisher of She Writes Press, I publish around 60-70 memoirs a year. I’m the author of three books on memoir, and I bring my love of the genre to every class, event, and offering.
Write Your Memoir in Six Months
Since 2010, I’ve been teaching memoir classes. I’ve been teaching Write Your Memoir in Six Months since 2012. This class is limited to ten students and runs every six months (July-December and January-June). Discover more details at Write Your Memoir in Six Months.
Best-selling Memoir Classes
An archive of best-selling memoir classes that I’ve taught over the years is available for purchase. If you are looking for live classes, please check out Memoir Nation’s offerings here.
Alumni
Write Your Memoir in Six Months was, without question, the most useful and inspiring writing class I have taken. The insight and practical tools I learned about character, dialogue, how to make my story universal through the use of takeaways and reflection inspired me to do another full revision with a sophistication and lens I simply did not have before. Best gift I could have given my writing self!
Real Results
Gretchen Cherington
Gretchen Cherington joined Write Your Memoir in Six Months in 2018 and published her memoir, Poetic License, in 2020. She joined the class to rewrite her 100,000-word manuscript and shaved off 15,000 words while she was at it.
“I only wish I had taken this class about fifteen years earlier!” she shared.
For Gretchen, the accountability of the course, including the buddy system and coaching calls, helped her with the emotional challenges of writing a complex family memoir. Poetic License is a multiple award-winning memoir and was reviewed by The New York Times.
"I landed in exactly the right place, with the right people to find my voice, express it on the page, and see the book to print. It was the best investment I made in my writing career."
Next Memoir Course: The Courage to Write Fearlessly
6 Tuesdays: September 20-October 25
4pm Pacific | 7pm Eastern
Featuring:
Carmen Maria Machado, Stephanie Foo, Mychal Denzel Smith,
Jonathan Kirsch, Brooke Warner & Linda Joy Myers
Early-bird price: $250