The IMWA is excited to announce Michelle Balacek, IMWA Board member and Treasurer,  as our January 2024 Member of the Month! Please take a minute to read Michelle’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner. 1. How did you first discover IMWA? In 2021, my good friend knew I was attempting to write a book, so she introduced me to her neighbor, Lauren Cross, a writer. We all drank wine in the backyard ,and Lauren encouraged me to download Scrivener and sign up for the Memoir Certificate course with Marni Freedman and Tracy J. Jones. I learned of the IMWA in the certificate course and wa ..read more

The IMWA is excited to announce Debbie Russell, the author of “Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir,” as our November 2024 Member of the Month! Please take a minute to read Debbie’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner.   How did you first discover the IMWA? I first discovered IMWA when it was still SDMWA. Jeniffer Thompson and I connected on what was then Twitter, and when I learned that she was in San Diego, I set up a phone call with her, and the rest is history! Because half of my book takes place in San Diego, I felt like the group would be perfect for me to make some co ..read more

How did you first discover SDMWA? Marni Freedman and I have been friends and colleagues for many years. We both teach and lead groups at San Diego Writers, Ink and so I was nearby when inspiration paid a visit to Marni (as it often does), in 2017 and she and her band of volunteers started the group. I’ve been a member and supporter since the organization’s beginnings and will continue ad infinitum. I’m a great believer in the importance and value of community and SDMWA (IMWA) provides a warm and welcoming place for all. Have you always been a writer? I always knew I was going to be a write ..read more

The IMWA is excited to announce Jennifer Gasner, the author of “My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis,” as our September 2023 Member of the Month! Please take a minute to read Jennifer’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner. 1. How did you first discover the International Memoir Writers Association? I was taking Marni Freedman and Tracy Jones’ Certificate in Memoir, and she promoted it. 2. Have you always been a writer? Yes, I wrote really bad poetry when I was younger, and I’ve always enjoyed essay questions on exams, as opposed to multiple choice. 3. What ..read more

The IMWA is excited to announce KishaLynn Moore Elliott, author of the “Black Woman Grown: A CHILDish Continuation,” as our August 2023 Member of the Month! Please take a minute to read KishaLynn’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner. 1. How did you first discover the IMWA? Jeniffer Thompson of Monkey C Media interviewed me for The Premise Podcast, and she told me about this group. I signed up right away. 2. Have you always been a writer? No. I was a reader first, starting at age three. Words always came naturally to me, and I learned to read early as a result of my mom’s commitment ..read more

The IMWA is excited to announce Marijke McCandless, author of the upcoming memoir/self-help book “Naked in the Now: Juicy Practices for Getting Present,” as our July 2023 Member of the Month! Please take a minute to read Marijke’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner. How did you first discover SDMWA? My first book, a memoir called “More…Journey to Mystical Union Through the Sacred and the Profane” (written under a pen name), was published in June 2016. At that point, I had been working closely with Marni Freedman. She had talked to me about wanting to create SDMWA. I was totally on ..read more

We are excited to announce our June IMWA Member of the Month: Shelby Stanger How did you first discover IMWA? The folks at TEDx San Diego connected me to the amazing Jeniffer Thompson of The Premise Podcast, and she told me how awesome you all are. Have you always been a writer? I started writing as a kid, first just diary entries, then as a journalist. Writing was always a way to sort out my thoughts—when something moved me. Then as a way to tell other people’s amazing stories.  Will to Wild is my first book. I have a lot of respect for anyone who writes a book. What impac ..read more

The IMWA is excited to announce Jessica Keith, author of “Saying Inshallah With Chutzpah,” as our May 2023 Member of the Month! She has just sold her book and it will be published later in 2023! Here is Jessica’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner. How did you first discover IMWA? My mother told me to do it. She nagged me for two years, saying the Memoir Certificate at San Diego Writers, Ink with Marni Freedman and Tracy J. Jones would be the best class I ever took. Ugh, it turns out my mother was right… yet again.        Have you always been a writer? I wrot ..read more

International Memoir Writers Association is excited to announce Nancy O’Sullivan as our March 2023 Member of the Month! Please take a minute to read Nancy’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner.  How did you first discover IMWA? I found IMWA in 2020 when I had time to write. I signed up for Marni and Tracy’s Memoir Certificate class in January, stepped away in March, and returned the next year to complete the program.  Have you always been a writer? In my senior year of college, I took a creative writing class for fun as I completed my “serious” classes in Literatu ..read more

International Memoir Writers Association would like to congratulate 2023 February Member of the Month…Sybilla Green Dorros! Please take a minute to read Sybilla’s interview with IMWA Board Member Janet Hafner. 1. How did you first discover IMWA? In January 2020, I started attending weekly memoir writing classes with Marni Freedman and Tracy J. Jones through San Diego Writers, Ink. I naively assumed I could learn everything I needed in the first six-week series (The Memoir Map), but I ended up attending the entire Certificate Program in Memoir Writing throughout 2020. Marni and Tracy encour ..read more