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 29th - October 3rd

for current and curious memoir-writers

Explore memoir-writing and creative non-fiction writing techniques

that help you stop feeling stuck — and finally start, shape, and share your memoir

Learn how to write your life stories in a way that feels creative, honest and supportive, with sessions on outlining, overcoming writer’s block, craft, revision, promotion and more.

During this free 5-day virtual Workshop Series you’ll:

  • Discover various forms of memoir-writing and ways to write and revise your personal stories

  • Tap into the wisdom of your body through writing (and discover how memoir-writing is connected to your healing)

  • Finally get started (or unstuck from where you stopped) and write with delight and enthusiasm

  • Discover ways to tell, share and promote your personal stories

Get your free ticket and learn from 30+ memoir writers, editors and writing teachers.

Each one brings a distinct voice, real-world experience and practical techniques to help you write the stories that matter most.

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.

  • Outline Your Memoir Using Fairy Tale and Myth as Your Guide

    Janelle Hardy, host and creator/teacher of transformational memoir-writing course, the Art of Personal Mythmaking

  • Memoir Process Deep Dive: The Start to Finish Process of Writing your Memoir

    Margo Steines (She/Her), Writer & Creative Coach

  • Avoiding the Villain Edit: Writing the People in Your Life as Full Humans (Even If They Were Awful)

    Sabrina Estudillo Butler (She/Her), Book Coach + Editor

  • A Memoir in 36 Prompts: Writing Your Story One Scene at a Time

    Mary Adkins (She/Her), Founder of The Book Incubator

  • The Desire to Write -- On Sex, Story and Showing Skin without Shame

    Rebecca Woolf, Essayist, Writing Teacher

  • Writing What You Don't Know: Imagination, Recreation & the Ethics of Making Sh*t Up

    Allison K Williams, Editor & Retreat Leader

  • The Art of Graphic Memoir

    Tom Hart, Graphic Memoirist; Director, Sequential Artists Workshop

  • Writing Comedy and Vulnerability: How To Do Both By Doing Neither

    Alex Dobrenko (He/Him), Writer + Comedian

  • Writing Emotion In Memoir

    Traci Skuce, Writing Mentor

  • Your Body Is Your Life Story: Core Principles of Embodied Writing

    Jeannine Ouellette (She/Her), Writer and Writing Teacher

  • The Art of Seasoning: How to Craft Flavorful Sentences

    Joy Sullivan (She/Her), Author & Educator

  • Writing with Creative Intelligence: How Story Energy Bypasses Logic

    Sarah Selecky (She/Her), Author and Master Writing Coach

  • Your Fairy Tale, Your Story

    Dr. Sara Cleto (She/Her) and Dr. Brittany Warman (She/Her), Founders of The Carterhaugh School and Folklorists

  • Sitting With The Bones: Talking to the Dead as Memory Keeping

    Charlotte Henay, Ph.D, Memory Keeper, Deathworker, Recovering Academic

  • Owning Your Story: A Survivor’s Guide to Self-Publishing

    Kelsey Zazanis, Writer

  • ADHD, Neurodivergence, and Unconventional Writing Strategies

    Cathy Kirch (She/They), ADHD Writing Specialist

  • Giving Our Body a Voice Through Poetry

    Heidi Rose Robbins (She/Her), Poet, Astrologer, Teacher

  • Write it Anyway: A Tarot-Led Writing Workshop for Tender Writers Who Feel Afraid to Begin

    Giselle Vriesen (She/They), Author, Tarot Reader & Writing Teacher

  • Shifting Resistance and Writer's Block Using Your Body (working with trauma and your nervous system)

    Janelle Hardy, host, creator and teacher of transformational memoir-writing course, The Art of Personal Mythmaking

  • The Invitation of Pain: Navigating our Body Stories

    Ali Emerald (She/Her), Chronic Illness Somatic Embodiment Coach

  • Rebuild the Past, Reveal the Truth: Worldbuilding for Memoir Writers

    Heather Davis (She/Her), Certified Book Coach & Podcaster

  • Muscle Memory: Writing Memoir Through The Body

    Mikala Jamison (She/Her), Cultural critic, Writer/Reporter

  • How to Serialize Your Memoir on Substack

    Mercedes O’Leary, Essayist, Poet, and Writing Teacher

  • Writing Yourself as a Character: Fiction-Writing Techniques for Memoir

    Daniel David Wallace, Writing Coach & Founder of the Character-First Story Approach

  • What You Need to Know About Revision

    Racquel Henry (She/Her), Writer, Editor, and Writing Coach

  • Choosing the Right Narrative Structure for Your Memoir

    Rhonda Douglas (She/Her), Writing Mentor, Host of The Resilient Writers Radio Show

  • The Art of Auto-Ethnography: Exploring Culture, Subjectivity & Technology Through the Looking Glass

    Treena Orchard (She/Her), Associate Professor & Author of Sticky Sexy Sad: Swipe Culture and the Darker Side of Dating Apps

  • The Art of Chaos: A Memoir-Writing Journey of Healing and Transformation

    Nicole Dolan (She/Her), Memoirist & Depth Psychologist — Helping Writers Transform Life into Story

  • 3 Character Arcs for Memoir

    Megan Fuentes (She/Her), Story Coach

  • Rest and Write: Reclaiming Your Inner Voice

    Gursharn Rait (She/Her), Rest Mentor and Storyteller

  • Breathing Through Chaos to Clarity

    Lucie Forster, Transformation and Breathwork Specialist, CEO of VANA Breathwork App

  • Invoking the Holy Witness: Writing Hard Truths in Memoir and Knowing What to Leave Out

    Samantha Wallen (She/Her), Poet, Writing Guide, Book Coach

  • The Orgasmic Writing Practice: A Sensual Method for Hitting Your Creative Sweet Spot Every Time You Write

    Shawnrey Notto (She/Her), Sensual Embodiment & Creativity Coach

  • Your Stories in Your Hands: Stress-Free Self-Publishing

    Rachel Harrsion-Sund, Self-Publishing Strategist

  • How to Find Places to Get Your Writing Published Using Chill Subs

    Benjamin Davis (He/Him), Co-Founder of Chill Subs

  • Talking About Yourself Publicly: Social Media and Marketing for Memoir-writers

    Shelby Leigh, Bestselling Author and Marketing Teacher

  • TBA

    Georgia Webber

  • TBA

    Anna Gazmarian

As you can see from these thoughtful and wide-ranging presentations and workshops, this is not your average writing event.

It’s a uniquely curated experience designed to nourish, stretch and awaken your memoir-writing practice.

Join us for the Dirty Messy Alive: Embodied Memoir-Writing Workshop Series to learn from 30+ skilled (and kind!) memoirists and writing teachers, and explore how to write your real stories with craft, honesty and aliveness.

Inside Dirty Messy Alive you’ll explore the many options and 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.

Meet your host

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 Body Writing 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.

Claim your free ticket and join us to start, write and share your memoir with supportive writing processes and fascinating craft-of-writing sessions to guide you.

What to expect

When and Where

Dirty, Messy, Alive: the Embodied Memoir-Writing Workshop Series runs from September 29 to October 3.

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 Skilled Memoirists and 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

  • Writing from the body

  • The art of autoethnography

  • Healing through story structure

  • 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.

Participate during the summit to win prizes, connect, and celebrate the creative process.
Watch for your BINGO card and join us in the community space for all the ways to join in (and win).

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.

Plus! Apply for a full Scholarship to:

The Art of Personal Mythmaking

This is my signature live program — a six-month journey where writing meets body-based healing, mythic storywork, and creative reclamation.

Together, we:

  • Work with trauma-informed, body-rooted writing prompts

  • Use myth and fairy tale as powerful mirrors and guides

  • Write toward the first draft of your memoir — in community

As an attendee of Dirty, Messy, Alive, you also get first dibs to

to sign up for one of 36 spots in the next live round, which starts October 28th.

One of those spots will be awarded as a full scholarship, covering the entire $4500 USD tuition.

If you're ready to write your memoir — and heal through the telling — this might be the next right step for you.

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.

In your discernment. In your hunger for growth. In the wisdom of your body, your creativity, and your stories.

Dirty, Messy, Alive is about writing, yes — but it’s also about exploring. It’s about inviting in depth, curiosity, confidence, and alternative, embodied approaches to memoir.

It was created specifically for sensitive, thoughtful, creative writers like you. People who:

  • love writing and other creative practices

  • feel the pull to shape life experiences into story — but keep getting stuck

  • are hungry to grow beyond what their cultures, societies and families have told them they are

  • sense the potency of memoir-writing as a transformational path

  • Have stories they’ve held inside too tightly for too long

  • Don’t want to write alone anymor

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 yourself with the Dirty Messy Alive: Embodied Memoir-Writing Workshop Series

Have questions? Here are some answers.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 😬

  • 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

  • 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

Join the Dirty Messy Alive: Embodied Memoir-Writing Workshop Series today and move forward on your memoir-writing journey!