Our lineup is packed with craft, conversation, and community. Here’s what’s ahead, month by month. Not a member yet? Join now to attend these events free and support your memoir-loving community. IMWA members also have access to meeting recordings if they can’t attend.
Join Author Janell Strube in conversation with Marni Freedman, editor, writing coach and cofounder of the San Diego Writer’s Festival discussing Janell's new novel, Adelaide: Painter of the Revolution. January 22, 7:00 PM Barnes & Noble, Encinitas 1040 N El Camino Real Drive. Encinitas, CA 92024 In a world where women are seen but […]
Motherhood comes in many forms—through birth, adoption, foster care, and reunion. This Saturday, five remarkable memoir writers share their deeply personal adoption stories: a birth mother, adoptees, and an adoptive parent opening up about the courage it took to write what they lived. Join us for an honest conversation about family, secrets, healing, and the […]
Join award-winning poet and author, Jane Yevgenia Muschenetz, for a short reading and generative writing workshop around food and memory. Enjoy a poetic taste test and explore how your own stories about food can invite delicious and evocative writing. About Jane: Jane Muschenetz arrived in San Diego as a Jewish child refugee from Soviet Ukraine. […]
Join us for the 7th Annual San Diego Writers Festival. The San Diego Writers Festival is a free, community-based event designed to celebrate the power of writing and storytelling. Stories transform both the teller and the listener. In whatever form you welcome a story into your life—by reading a memoir or graphic novel, listening to […]
Join bestselling author Anne Lamott and writer-spiritual coach Neal Allen in conversation with Marni Freedman for an inspiring and entertaining evening that will change the way you think about language. TICKETS THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 36 ways to improve your writing Two writers show you how to turn a worthy sentence into a […]
Join us for a powerful and deeply human conversation as Annabelle Gurwitch, New York Times bestselling author, sits down with Tracy J. Jones and Marni Freedman to discuss her bold and unforgettable memoir, The End of My Life Is Killing Me. With wit, irreverence, and surprising tenderness, Gurwitch turns the traditional “cancer warrior” narrative on […]
Join the International Memoir Writers Association on June 6 for a powerful conversation with Mimi Nichter on “Writing About Trauma.” A finalist for the 2026 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award in Nonfiction, Mimi will discuss her gripping memoir, Hostage, which recounts surviving the 1970 hijacking of TWA Flight 741 and the lasting impact of […]
Every family has secrets. The memoirist's challenge is deciding what to reveal, what to protect, and how to tell the truth with both courage and care. Join USA Today bestselling author Andrea Leeb, author of Such a Pretty Picture, for a candid discussion about writing family secrets. Drawing from her own memoir journey, Andrea will […]
August 1 Writing about love, intimacy, and sexuality can be one of the most rewarding—and vulnerable—parts of memoir. How do you write honest, emotionally resonant scenes without holding back or crossing into oversharing? How do you navigate fear, shame, and the deeply personal nature of these experiences while remaining true to your story? Join authors […]
You’ve written your memoir—now comes one of the most intimidating parts of the publishing journey: the query letter. What makes an agent stop reading? What makes them ask for more? And how is querying memoir different from querying fiction? Join bestselling author Lyn Liao Butler for an inside look at what agents are really looking […]