Outreach

Today’s economy of celebrity is a threat to the heterogeneity of personal narratives. The mission of The (in)Visible Memoir Project is to publish—make visible—the diversity of individual stories, highlighting those outside the cultural status quo. The Project serves people of all ages and backgrounds, and encourages them to express their unique voice, gain confidence with written and non-textual narratives, discover new value in artistic expression—and see their efforts in print: Memoir Journal’s new periodical, Memoir, a Noun. 

The (in)Visible Memoir Project began as a writing workshop held at Woodside’s Juvenile Justice Facility in San Francisco. The program was developed by Kathy Guis, a former Memoir Journal Editor, and Rose Tully, a San Francisco-based writer and teacher.  Incarcerated youth attended a series of writing workshops, and their memoirs were published in the inaugural issue of Memoir, a Noun, Volume 1: Keep My Shine. To download a free PDF of Memoir, a Noun: Volume 1, click here.

Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of Memoir, a Noun are already available for purchase in Bay Area stores and on our website.  Volume 4 is on the way.  All proceeds from publication sales help fund this important work and develop future outreach initiatives.  Rose Tully and Megan Mercurio, an English teacher at Woodside, are currently finishing Volume 4, an issue focused exclusively on young women and girls in the juvenile justice system.

The (in)Visible Memoir Project has seen tremendous growth over this last year.  This year, Memoir Journal will expand the reach of these memoir writing workshops to serve other “invisible” communities.  If you would like to work with us or if you would like to suggest a group that would benefit from our program, call: 415.339.3142 or drop an email: jyarris [at] memoirjournal com