Class Description
Many writers spend years building their memoir drafts only to feel a little lost when it comes to transforming their memoirs from an assortment of memories and personal experiences into a compelling manuscript ready to pitch to agents and editors. It’s also difficult to find reliable, consistent, and skilled writing groups ready to read multiple chapters and/or full manuscripts. Over the course of 12 months, the Memoir Incubator provides a supportive and accelerated dive into the memoir form where a small and committed group of ten writers will revise their memoirs, strengthen their knowledge about the memoir form, and gain a thoughtful introduction to the publishing world, which includes industry and alumni guest speakers. Even after the program concludes, Memoir Incubator writers become a part of a wider alumni community that informally continues the spirit of mutual learning and support.
Whether you’ve been writing for decades or only started a year ago, writers of all experience levels and backgrounds/identities are welcome to apply to the program. We believe that the best writing is born out of an expansive mindset in the way we read and write, and of course, grow together, especially in areas less familiar to us.
The ideal applicant will have previously participated in some kind of writing group or workshop that includes giving/receiving feedback, and they should have a generous, community-building mindset with an openness to learning ambitious craft skills together. Ideal applicants will also have a complete memoir draft (even if it’s a very rough draft), and all styles are welcome. Writers who still need to build toward a complete memoir manuscript should consider the Memoir Generator program prior to the Memoir Incubator; however, it is not a requirement and does not guarantee acceptance into the Memoir Incubator program. They are distinct yet complementary programs designed for writers at various stages of the memoir writing process.
Below is a quick list of key dates and information. More details about the program can be found via the side links.
Key Dates & Information
- Location: The 2026-2027 Memoir Incubator will be held remotely via Zoom. Writers everywhere are encouraged to apply.
- Application Opens: December 8, 2025
- Submission Deadline: February 18, 2026
- Decision Notifications: March 2026
- Program Duration: June 2026 – May 2027
- Class Time: Wednesdays from 6–9pm ET
- First Day of Class: June 3, 2026
- Tuition Total: $6,500
- Scholarship Info: Available in the amount of 25% to 75% off the total tuition cost. The optional and brief application is attached at the end of the standard program application for your convenience.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.