Meet the Instructor

Kayla Degala-Paraíso

Instructor Statement

"To write a memoir is to build a lighthouse: a place where the most tender, powerful, vulnerable, bold parts of you can find safety. A beacon for anybody who needs it and comes near.

When we feel called to tell our truths without the facade of fiction, it’s because we crave the most profound and intimate connection with our readers.

Writing without that facade, though, is both enthralling and horrifying. How do you choose which of your precious memories stay and which ones go? How do you portray real people – hell, real people you care about and who might just read your book – in a way that’s honest, ethical, and compassionate? How do you tell your story so it resonates with readers instead of alienating them – or, worse, alienating yourself?

Learning to write a memoir is as much about navigating the emotional stuff that comes up in the process as it is about honing your craft. My goal as your facilitator is to create a container where you and your fellow writers can authentically reflect on your lives and find a genuine and supportive community. Together, we can figure out how to craft your story such that it lights a new path with clarity, certainty, and heart."

About the Instructor

Kayla Degala-Paraíso (she/they) is an NYC-based, Filipinx-American experimental writer with a B.A. in Creative Writing. She has taught creative writing workshops at various institutions, including the University of California- Los Angeles, Literary Cleveland, the Queer Muslim Project, and Elegant Literature (2026). As a professional genre-breaker, she blends fabulism, poetics, and memoir in her own work. Published under “K. Degala-Paraíso,” Kayla’s work has been published in [PANK] Magazine, Okay Donkey, ANMLY, and elsewhere. Her work has received the Bea Matas Hollfelder Award, a Pushcart Prize nomination, a Best of Small Fictions nomination, and three Best of the Net nominations. More at kdegalaparaiso.com.

Testimonial

The Memoir Incubator has been one of the most rigorous and yet rewarding experiences of my life. Although we "incubees" are all writing different types of memoirs, we have learned a common vocabulary, and the feedback during workshops has been incredibly helpful. Everyone's memoir draft has improved–significantly. You will work hard, but it will be worth it.

— Ann MacDonald