A free 4-day virtual salon for memoir writers to help you claim and write the deeper story you’re here to tell.
July 7 - 10, 2026
Join 20+ bestselling authors and literary professionals to learn how to harness the story living inside you — with permission, techniques, and strategies to own your truth.
You’ve likely been circling your story for a while
Showing up to the page, studying craft, listening for what wants to be written.
And yet, you’re carrying a quiet frustration, something still feels just out of reach. You sense there’s a story underneath the one you’re telling, and you’re longing for a more honest relationship to your material, your voice, and what you’re actually here to say.
Even if it scares you.
Maybe you’re …
Conflicted about
exposing yourself and others
“Am I sharing too much?”
Worried you don’t have the
skills to do your story justice
“Should I hire a ghost writer?”
Stuck in the messy
middle with many pages
of raw material
“Where do I go with all
of this?”
Wondering if your story
really matters
“Is this worth writing?”
Aware you have a story
to tell but lack the discipline
and commitment to write it
“Why can’t I seem to stick
with it?”
Feeling overwhelmed or
confused by what your story
is really about
“It all feels important,
what do I focus on?”
Even if you question yourself, the story refuses to stay quiet.
You know it’s time to write your deeper story.
There’s no formula for writing a compelling story,
but there is a way to meet your story differently
Writing the Deeper Story offers practical guidance from acclaimed memoirists and literary professionals to help you turn lived experience into a resonant narrative.
You’ll learn to use narrative tools to shape your material with greater intention,
and to work more skillfully with the challenges that arise along the way.
Writing the Deeper Story is designed to help you:
Learn how to access the
deeper meaning of your story
so you’re not just recounting
events but discovering
what matters
Understand what makes
memoir work
so you can use the genre to
its full range and impact
Gain tools to help you
shape the story you’re carrying
so it feels more intentional
and coherent
Trust that your story is worthy
so that you’re ready to claim it
Feel more capable writing
about hard experiences
so you can channel your
experiences onto the page
Meet the incredible lineup of speakers
you’ll be learning from at Writing the Deeper Story
Day One: Why Tell This Story?
Day One explores the deeper question at the heart of memoir: Why tell this story at all?
These conversations explore the pull to tell your story, why it matters, and what it takes to claim it as your own.
No One Survives Alone: On Writing, Grief, and Connection
Emily Rapp Black
Say the Thing You’re Not Supposed to Say
Andrea Askowitz
From Pathology to Mythology:
Reclaiming Your Voice
Regina Louise
Memoir is Women’s History, dammit!
Leslie Lehr
What Memoir Gives Us That Fiction Doesn’t
Cathi Hanauer
You Don’t Need Permission to Tell Your Story
Jennifer Pastiloff
Owning Your Cultural Lens
Madhushree Ghosh
The Hidden Power of Everyday Stories
Lindsay Kavet
Day Two: The Deeper Writer’s Toolbox
How do you turn lived experience into story?
Day Two offers practical craft approaches for memoirists, exploring the techniques that help writers uncover meaning, build narrative momentum, and bring their personal stories vividly to the page.
Story Structure: Finding the Shape of Your Memoir
Samantha Dunn
The Misbelief Your Character
Must Confront
Lisa Cron
Seeing Your Memoir
Through a Mythic Lens
Maureen Murdock
Braiding the Personal
and Historical Narrative
Cassandra Lane
Creating Emotional Immediacy
on the Page
Julia Scheeres
Radical Vulnerability: Writing Without the Mask
Terri Cheney
The Paradox of Likability in Memoir
Erin Khar
Cut the Crap: How to Distill Your Story to What Actually Matters
Adam Skolnick
Day Three: The Messy Middle
Writing memoir is rarely a straight path.
Day 3 is for the writers who are in the thick of it—stuck, uncertain, or questioning how to move forward. These conversations explore what it takes to stay with your story, even when the path isn’t clear.
Writing Against Expectation
Gina Frangello
Writing About Grief
Without Falling Apart
Hope Edelman
Getting Out of Your Head: Using Play & Improvisation to Write Your Story
Ann Randolph
Why Writers Don’t Finish (and How to Change That)
Rachel Langer
Trusting Your Creative Process Through the Ups and Downs
Karen Kinney
When the Truth Involves Other People
Laura Davis
Do You Need a Ghostwriter—or Something Else?
Amy Friedman
The Truth About
Getting Stuck
Dennis Palumbo
Day Four: Claiming Your Story
Our final day focuses on what it means to fully claim your story. Through live conversations and a guided writing workshop, we turn toward the courage, clarity, and commitment required to carry that story forward.
Live Masterclass: The First Key to Unlocking Your Story
Karin Gutman
Where the writing begins to shift.
On the final day of the summit, Karin will lead a live guided writing session centered on the first key to unlocking your story.
This isn’t a lecture. It’s an experience.
Step by step, you’ll enter the raw material of your life and begin to discover the deeper emotional truth that your story holds.
Live Panel: What Happens When You Claim Your Story
Join a candid conversation with writers Karin has mentored as they share what shifted when they stopped circling their stories and began shaping them with intention.
Miriam Jacobson
Mary Bartlett
Rachel Perry
Marie Hyon
Wendy Adamson
Serious voices.
Real craft.
Meaningful conversations about story.
Meet Your Host
Hi, I’m Karin!
I’m the founder of Spirit of Story, a creative space devoted to helping people discover, shape, and write their true, personal stories. For over 20 years, I’ve mentored writers through the process as they peel back the layers and make meaning of their lived experience.
Writing can be a solitary road. I created Writing the Deeper Story because I believe in the power of community to support the vulnerability and courage it takes to own our stories and speak what we know to be true. I also believe in the power of personal narrative not only to transform our own lives, but to create understanding, connection, and a shared sense of humanity.
This gathering is about coming together in that spirit—to claim our stories, strengthen our work, and amplify our collective voices.
I’d love to have you join us!
Writing the Deeper Story isn’t about quick tips, surface-level inspiration, or one-size-fits-all frameworks. It’s a thoughtful, curated gathering of serious voices in memoir and storytelling — designed to deepen how you understand story, authorship, and why your story matters.
What to Expect at Writing the Deeper Story
WHEN & WHERE
Writing the Deeper Story will run from July 7-10, 2026, with a variety of presentations to choose from each day. This event is entirely virtual, so you’ll be able to attend from anywhere in the world with internet access.
COMMUNITY
All registered attendees will be invited into a private Facebook group where you can connect with other writers, continue conversations from the sessions, and participate in community activities.
STORY EXPERT SESSIONS
Attend presentations from our lineup of 24 memoirists and literary professionals offering tools, techniques, and fresh ways of thinking that guide writers to harness their stories more deeply and intentionally. Your free ticket includes 48-hour access to each presentation during the week of the salon.
UPGRADE FOR A VIP EXPERIENCE
After registering, you’ll have the chance to upgrade to the All-Access Pass which includes ongoing access to the conversations after the event wraps up, as well as premium bonuses and a collection of writing prompts from our speakers. You’ll get all the details after grabbing your free ticket!
GIVEAWAYS
Participants who engage in the community space will be eligible for special giveaways, including signed books from participating authors & speakers and a scholarship to the daylong memoir workshop, Entering the Story.
Writing the Deeper Story was created for writers like you
who feel called to write their personal story.
Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, this virtual salon guides you to land fully inside your story—with both feet on the ground—so the creative work you’re carrying can take shape with intention.
This virtual event brings together:
—> Conversations led by acclaimed memoirists and literary professionals who approach writing with depth, care, and nuance
—> Sessions that address both craft and process, offering narrative tools as well as support for the inner challenges of the work
—> A salon-style gathering designed for reflection, connection, and shared inquiry—alongside other writers on the path and trusted guides who can help illuminate the way
FAQs
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This summit is for anyone who feels called to write their personal story — whether you’re just beginning, deep in the writing process, or somewhere in between. It’s for memoirists, personal essayists, storytellers, and writers who want to engage their stories with greater depth, clarity, and intention.
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The summit runs from July 7-10, 2026. You’ll also be able to join our private Skool community as soon as you register, so you can connect, participate, and engage right away.
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While most of the presentations for the summit are pre-recorded, there are some live elements, and the pre-recorded presentations are only available for 24 hours with your free ticket. So we encourage you to attend live if you can! We would love for you to set aside some time during the summit week to attend the live sessions, watch the pre-recorded presentations, and participate with others who are walking this brave path alongside you.
However, if you’re not able to attend all of the sessions live, go ahead and grab your free ticket, and you’ll have the opportunity to upgrade to the All-Access Pass for extended access.
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Your free ticket includes 24-hour access to each presentation during the summit week. You’ll have the option to upgrade to the All Access Pass for extended access, live bonus events, and premium speaker content.
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To avoid tech glitches, give you the best possible experience, and keep things easy for the speakers, the presentations are pre-recorded and will be released at a scheduled time during the summit. However, the speakers will be hanging out in our private Skool community with dedicated threads where you can connect with them and ask your questions! There will also be opportunities to join us for bonus live events throughout the week.
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No. When you register, you’ll receive summit updates and presentation links from us. Speakers will only receive your email if you choose to opt in to their individual resources.
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If you still have questions, we encourage you to go ahead and sign up. Your questions will likely be answered during the event or in the Facebook community, which you’ll be able to join right away after grabbing your free ticket.
However, if you need to ask us a question before registering, feel free to send us an email at spirit@spiritofstory.com.
GET YOUR FREE TICKET
This is your invitation to harness the story living inside you.
REFUNDS | TERMS & PRIVACY
© 2026 Spirit of Story, Inc.