Your Story Matters. Your Community Is Waiting.

Led by Someone Who Has Lived It

Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D. is the founder and president of NAMW and one of the most trusted voices in memoir writing today. She is the author of two award-winning memoirs—Don’t Call Me Mother and Song of the Plains—and the prize-winning historical novel The Forger of Marseille. Her forthcoming book, The Heart and Craft of Writing a Healing Memoir, distills more than 35 years of memoir coaching into an essential guide for writers who want to transform their life experiences into a powerful, publishable story.

Linda Joy knows what it means to write through fear, family complexity, and the weight of the past. She brings that lived understanding—along with deep craft expertise—to everything she offers NAMW members. 

The Power of Writing a Healing Memoir

Memoir is not just storytelling. For many writers, it is the path back to themselves.

Research by Dr. James Pennebaker and others has shown that writing about significant life experiences—especially painful or unresolved ones—can improve mental and physical health, reduce anxiety, and create new meaning from old wounds. At NAMW, we take this seriously.

Linda Joy has guided hundreds of writers through the terrain of healing memoir: how to face difficult memories without being overwhelmed by them, how to write toward truth with compassion for yourself and others, and how to find the narrative thread that transforms your experience into something that can speak to readers everywhere.

Whether you are writing about loss, family estrangement, trauma, illness, or simply a life fully lived, NAMW gives you the support, skills, and community to do it well.

What You Receive as a Member

Monthly Live Member Events on Zoom
Each month, Linda Joy hosts a live, recorded conversation with an esteemed memoir author or expert—writers like Helen Fremont, Jordan Rosenfeld, and Christina Baldwin. These sessions explore the craft, the emotional process, and the publishing landscape of memoir. All events are recorded and added to a growing archive you can access anytime.

Monthly Group Coaching with Linda Joy
This is one of NAMW’s most beloved benefits. Members join Linda Joy on Zoom for intimate laser coaching—bringing their questions, chapters, titles, structural challenges, and breakthroughs. Everyone benefits, whether or not it’s “their turn.” Recordings are available after each session so you can return to the insights again and again.

A Library of 40+ Recorded Member Events
Dive into a rich archive of past conversations with memoir experts, covering everything from structure and scene-writing to healing, family ethics, voice, and publishing.

The Virtual Book Club
Each month NAMW explores a published memoir together—a chance to read as a writer, study what works, and connect with others who love the genre.

Members-Only Facebook Group
A private, supportive space to share your progress, ask questions, celebrate wins, and find encouragement from fellow memoir writers around the world.

Discounts on Workshops, Classes, and Writing Resources
Members receive exclusive discounts on NAMW workshops, online courses, and craft tools—including programs co-taught by Linda Joy.

Free eBooks and Resource Downloads
Including Linda Joy’s own Memoir Writing as a Healing Journey—a guide to writing through memory, integrating past and present, and finding freedom in telling the truth.

Featured Member Spotlight
Each month, one member is featured on the NAMW website and in our newsletter—a chance to share your project, your progress, and your presence with the wider memoir-writing world.

The Monthly NAMW Newsletter
Stay current on memoir news, resources, upcoming events, member stories, and inspiration delivered to your inbox each month.

Who NAMW Is For

NAMW welcomes memoir writers at every stage of the journey:

• Beginners who have a story burning inside them but don’t know where to start
• Writers in the middle of a draft who need structure, support, and fresh perspective
• Experienced writers honing their craft and preparing to publish
• Anyone drawn to memoir as a path of healing, self-discovery, or legacy

You don’t need to have written a word yet. You just need the desire to begin.

Membership Options

Monthly Membership — $19.99/month
Full access to all member benefits. Renews automatically each month. Cancel anytime through My Account.

Annual Membership — $199/year
The best value for committed memoir writers. Includes all member benefits for 12 months.

Renewal rate: $179/year. You’ll receive a reminder before your membership expires.

Lifetime Membership — $725 (non-members) | $595 (current members upgrading)
Join once and never think about it again. Full, permanent access to everything NAMW offers—now and as new benefits are added.

To upgrade as a current member, log in and visit My Account.

Any current promotional pricing will appear in the shopping cart before you enter payment details. Membership fees are non-refundable—please explore the benefits page before purchasing if you have questions.

A Personal Note from Linda Joy

I started NAMW because I believe every person has a story worth telling—and because I know how hard it can be to tell it. Memoir asks you to be brave. It asks you to return to places you’ve been and find the words for everything you’ve carried, and to trust that your voice matters.

I’ve seen writers arrive scared and overwhelmed and leave with a finished book. I’ve watched people find healing they didn’t know was possible. I’ve been honored to witness stories that needed to exist in the world, finally being shared and celebrated.

That’s what NAMW is here for. I hope you’ll join us.

— Linda Joy Myers, Founder & President, NAMW

Copyright 2007-2026 National Association of Memoir Writers