Details

"The Memoir Incubator program has been exactly what I needed, in ways I didn't know I needed. The structure of the program requires us to produce and revise work; the demanding schedule includes lots of reviewing and workshopping the other participants' work - which also turns out to be enormously valuable. Our class has become a wonderful, trustworthy source of feedback and suggestions. The craft lessons often hurt my head, I am learning so much. 

I started this program with a strong idea and a good chunk of my book drafted. I now have the full draft of a slightly different book written and am feeling confident about the next steps. An ideal program for me. I believe that's also true for all my classmates."

—Molly Howes

• 110 Hours of Instruction 

  For the 12-month program, students meet in three-hour workshops on Wednesday evenings predominately at GrubStreet HQ, interleaved with pre-planned Zoom sessions. Workshops are led by instructor Xujun Eberlein, who also provides written feedback and lectures on various elements of the craft of memoir-writing. These classes will include analysis of published memoirs and impromptu discussions about the memoir-writing process. The workshop schedule includes breaks to allow for vacation time. Because workshop participation is crucial, the full 12-month schedule will be available to students at the time students are notified of acceptance into the program.

• 8 hours of individual consultations with the instructor 

  After each workshop meeting, students whose manuscripts were workshopped will meet with the instructor individually on a mutually agreed-upon date and time. The goal of these meetings is to allow the writer to synthesize the multiple perspectives students have heard at the workshop meetings, as well as strategize more specific plans for their work. Each writer will receive a minimum of 8 hours of individual consultation: a 1-hour meeting following each workshop for each writer (5 hours total per person), a 1-hour meeting after the writer’s editorial consultation during or between the 2nd and 3rd segments of the class, and a 2-hour meeting after the Muse & Marketplace conference, to allow the writer to come up with a concrete plan for next steps. In addition to these hours, the instructor will be available for weekly "office hours" sessions, at which students may drop in and discuss their projects as needed.

• Weekly word count check-ins

  To ensure that your manuscript develops, you will turn in 2000 words of rough draft or 3000 words of revised material every week the Incubator is in session. These words will not be workshopped, but everyone will be required to complete them. The more you write, the easier it is to write!

• Additional full memoir consultation and meeting with established author

  As part of the course, students receive detailed written feedback on their revised memoir draft as well as a one hour face-to-face or phone/Zoom discussion with an established author who will act as a second reader. This meeting will be scheduled to occur at the end of the second section of the class or between the second and third segments, depending on readers’ availability. The program considers this outside voice vital in providing a well-rounded response to the memoir as a whole.

• Manuscript Mart appointment at the Muse and the Marketplace 2024

  In addition to the Manuscript Mart appointment, students will receive admission to Muse and the Marketplace 2024 programming and events that will be announced in early 2024.

• Tell-All Boston reading series

  Students are invited to submit to Tell-All Boston, a seasonal nonfiction reading series run by graduates of the Memoir and Essay Incubator Programs. After graduating from the Memoir Incubator students may join the Tell-All committee or work on other alumni initiatives.

Tuition

The entire cost of the program is $8,595. Tuition is payable in two installments, the first in May, 2023; the second in October, 2023.

Fellowships are available and based on a combination of merit and financial need.

See more information about our submission guidelines, instructors, students and the curriculum overview.

Free Open House & Info Session

Thinking of applying? GrubStreet offers informal Q&A sessions each year with alumni and instructor Xujun Eberlein to answer any questions you have about the Incubator, including the workload, the application process, what the program does and doesn’t entail, the schedule, the philosophy behind our approach, and anything else on your mind.

The next Open House & Info Session will be on Thursday, March 2nd, at the GrubStreet Center for Creative Writing in Boston, from 6:30pm-7:30pm. Click here to register!

Memoir Incubator instructor Xujun Eberlein will also be hosting a virtual Q+A session on Thursday, March 9th, from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Click here to register!