Explore memoir-writing from start to finish as a wild, creative and body-led practice. Learn practical somatic techniques to tell your real, raw stories — with guidance from 30+ skilled memoirists and writing teachers.
Join us online, September 28th - October 1st
for current and curious memoir-writers
Learn how to write your life stories in a way that feels creative, honest and supportive.
During this free 5-day virtual Workshop Series you’ll:
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Discover new forms of memoir-writing & how to write & revise your personal stories
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Tap into the wisdom of your body & discover how memoir-writing is connected to your healing
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Finally get started (or unstuck) & develop a writing practice filled with delight & enthusiasm
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Discover ways to share & promote your personal stories to those who need to read it
Explore memoir-writing and creative non-fiction writing techniques that help you stop feeling stuck — and finally start, shape, and share your memoir.
This is not your average writing event.
It’s a uniquely curated experience designed to nourish, stretch and awaken your memoir-writing practice.
When & Where
Dirty Messy Alive runs from Monday September 28th - Thursday October 1st (with a bonus Kickoff-Call on Sunday).
Each day, you’ll have access to a range of presentations and workshops you can choose from.
This event is 100% virtual — attend from anywhere in the world with internet access and a desire to write what’s real.
Sessions with Memoirists & Writing Teachers
You’ll hear from over 30 writers, editors, and teachers — all bringing different perspectives and lived experiences to the page. Expect wide-ranging, practical sessions on topics like:
Outlining your memoir using fairy tale and myth
Body Stories: Pain, Protection and the Path to Embodiment
Speculative Nonfiction: Using the Imagined to Tell Deeper Truths
And much more
Your free ticket gives you access to every presentation during the summit.
Private Event Community
You’ll also be invited into our private online space - a vibrant, kind-hearted community of writers on a similar path.
This is where you’ll connect with other attendees and speakers, ask questions, share discoveries, and feel less alone on the memoir-writing journey.
Chances to Win
We love a little playfulness alongside the depth.
During the summit you can play Bingo, enter book giveaways, and through it all connect and celebrate the creative process.
Upgrade for a Supportive Experience
After signing up, you’ll have the option to upgrade to the All Access Pass — with lifetime access to every session, $1,000+ in speaker-contributed bonuses, and other supportive goodies.
We’ll share the full details once you’ve registered. This upgrade is optional but highly recommended.
Dirty, Messy, Alive was created with your memoir-writing path in mind. This isn’t just a workshop series.
It’s a gathering rooted in trust - trust in you.
Meet your Memoir-Writing Guides
This series invites you to write the stories that won’t leave you alone, and write them well.
Together, we explore the soil of our stories. The messy, charged places. The tangled middle. The beauty and ache of being alive.
Because your stories matter. Not just the hard ones — all of them.
Over five days, these brilliant memoirists, writing teachers and somatic healers will guide you through outlining, revision, writer’s block, and the healing power of writing from your body.
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Janelle Hardy
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This event is here to offer you embodied, experiential ways to write your personal stories, and write them with truth, care and courage.
Come explore what’s possible when you stop holding back.
Enrich your writing. Enrich yourself.
Hi! I’m Janelle Hardy.
I’m a writer, somatic healing practitioner and transformational memoir-writing teacher.
My writing path began in childhood. I had my first byline at 17, with a monthly column in the Yukon News about life as a Canadian exchange student in Japan.
My healing path began not long after — seeking relief from intense shyness, chronic fatigue, social isolation, jaw tension and relentless tummy trouble.
Eventually, I stopped trying to “push through” and started listening to my body. And it changed everything.
Now, I teach memoir-writing through the lens of the body, myth and memory — because writing and somatic healing together offer a kind of relief I didn’t know was possible. A kind of truth-telling that leaves you more whole, not less.
I’m the creator of The Art of Personal Mythmaking, my transformational memoir-writing course, and the host of annual events like this one, the Healing Through Writing Festival and the Stories from the BodyWriting Challenge.
All of which is to say: you’re in very good hands with me :-)
I care deeply about the people I serve.
I trust this work. I trust the body. I trust the writing. And I trust the incredible lineup of skilled (and kind) memoirists and writing teachers joining us inside Dirty, Messy, Alive.
But most of all, I trust you. Your desire to tell the truth. To get raw. To get real.
To get dirty, messy, and alive.
Show up and explore the forms memoir can take.
From body-deep truth to finely tuned craft, we’re not offering one way to write your story — we’re offering dozens.
So you can find the one that fits.
Plus! Apply for a full Scholarship to:
This is my signature program — a 13-month journey where writing meets body-based healing, mythic storywork, and creative reclamation.
With my support, you will: Work with trauma-informed, body-rooted writing prompts, use myth and fairy tale as powerful mirrors and guides, and write your way to the first draft of your memoir — all while surrounded by a vibrant and inspirational community of fellow students.
As an attendee of Dirty, Messy, Alive, you get first dibs to sign up for a spot in this transformational program.
If you're ready to write your memoir — and heal through the telling — this might be the next right step for you.
Have questions? Here are some answers.
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You’ll learn (and try) a wide range of supportive writing processes and simple memoir-writing techniques from 25+ skilled healers and writers.
We’ll cover a wide range of experiences that support (and hinder) your memoir-writing, and how to create transformation and flow in your writing journey by working with the challenges instead of against them.
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If you’re curious about memoir-writing, if you enjoy writing and stories, this event is for you!
We’ll be specifically talking to people with a desire to work with their life stories and write their memoir.
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The Dirty Messy Alive: Embodied Memoir-Writing Workshop Series runs from September 29th - October 3rd. Live calls are typically at 8am, 9am, 11am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm and sometimes 5:30pm, all Pacific Time.
Once you sign up you’ll have access to the full event schedule.
You’ll also be able to join our private online community after you register.
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The event's presentations are a mix of pre-recorded and live elements. All recordings and replays are available for the four days of the festival, with your free ticket.
I encourage you to attend live if you can!
Set aside time during the event week to attend the live sessions, watch the pre-recorded presentations, and participate with others who are healing through writing.
However, if you’re not able to attend all of the sessions live, go ahead and grab your free ticket because you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade to the All Access Pass for extended access to all of the presentations.
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Your free ticket includes access to each of the presentations for the duration of the event.
If you need more time, you can always upgrade your ticket to the All-Access Pass after registering, which will give you extended access to the presentations along with exclusive live sessions during the event week and premium bonuses from our speakers.
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About half are live and half are pre-recorded.
Once you sign up you’ll get access to the full schedule.
All live presentations will be uploaded and available as replays right after they’re taught.
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No.
When you register, you’ll be added to the Dirty Messy Alive: Embodied Memoir-Writing Workshop Series' email list so I can send you updates for the event and links to each day’s presentations.
After the event is over, you’ll continue to hear from me, Janelle Hardy, but you can unsubscribe at any time.
Each of the speakers will have free resources available that you can access by providing an email address, but the speakers will not get your email address unless you choose to give it to them specifically.
That way, you only hear from the people you really love and don’t have to worry about getting added to 25+ email lists that you’re not interested in. 😬
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Yes.
All presentations have closed captioning.
Please reach out if there’s anything we can do to ensure you’re able to enjoy this event: jaha @ janellehardy.com
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If you still have questions, I encourage you to go ahead and sign up.
Your questions will will likely be answered during the event or in the online community, which you’ll be able to join right after getting your free ticket.
However, if you need to ask a question before registering, feel free to send an e-mail to me at jaha @ janellehardy.com or via DM on instagram @janellemackinnonhardy
Register for your spot at the Dirty Messy Alive: Embodied Memoir-Writing Workshop Series today and move forward on your memoir-writing journey!