book inc is excited to announce Michele Cantos Garcia and Jennifer Chauhan will be the Peer Artist Leaders for the 2026 Memoir Incubator.
Peer Artist Leaders (PALs) are experienced writers who co-facilitate book inc’s programs. They work on their own book projects alongside participants to create a supportive, non-hierarchical environment where writers at all stages of their journey can thrive.
We sat with Jennifer and Michele to learn more about their experience writing a memoir in a community setting, and what they hope to bring to this memoir incubator cohort.
book inc: Congratulations on writing your memoirs in the last year-ish! What was that like? What did you learn?
MICHELE: It’s surreal! Getting to 50,000 words is already such a life-changing moment, but nothing made me feel like more of a writer than doing it with other writers and having them read my manuscript—the raw, unedited, full-of-typos version. The whole process crammed in about half a lifetime’s worth of creative milestones over the course of the year so it felt gentle enough to be sustainable in the long term. That’s why I’m back for another incubator!
JENNIFER: I agree with Michele’s idea that it was surreal. I’ve written full fiction manuscripts before but this felt like a journey beyond putting words on a page. It felt like an exercise in self-exploration and self-discovery. I ended up changing the focus of my memoir after the first few weeks of the program, which scared me at first, but I learned how important it is to stay open to the process. I’m excited to come back for another year and to see what evolves from here.
book inc: What were you reading during your year of writing? Alternatively, what are you reading now that you’ve finished or just because it’s summer?
MICHELE: I struggled to read anything pertinent to my memoir and instead chose to escape into fiction, so I won’t share what I read last year. I’m reading all sorts of guilty pleasures but I’ll share the more literary works I’ve picked up recently: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman and If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura.
JENNIFER: I loved that our incubator read a memoir together, Inheritance, by Dani Shapiro. I had read it previously but enjoyed re-reading it to look more closely at the narrator’s transformation and how Shapiro depicted this. I also reread Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner (one of my all-time favorites), and read Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, by Suleika Jaouad. I also read some fiction: Miranda July’s All Fours and Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life. For all of them, paying attention to the narrative arc of the character.
book inc: Getting back to the incubator, what surprised you most about it — either as a writer or co-PAL?
MICHELE: Being a PAL motivated me to study up on my storytelling craft, even though I like to think that I am more intuitive in my approach. In turn, that helped me get comfortable talking about the craft and honing all the other skills and traits (time management, discipline, self-editing, etc.) that help one succeed as a writer. I now feel like I’m a more well-rounded writer, with additional writing outlets, like a six-week memoir class with Project Write Now, and less fear about publishing select pieces.
JENNIFER: For me, it was realizing that I had a different story I had to tell first. I came in with an idea, and then during the first few weeks when we were journaling, I realized I couldn’t write the story I wanted without first writing the other story. I was surprised by how easily I embraced this change but that speaks so much to how this program is designed. Another thing—which wasn’t as much of a surprise as I’ve been teaching memoir for more than 10 years—but I loved how much our cohort bonded and how supportive we were of one another through the process.
book inc: How did you help people stay connected to their writing when life inevitably got in the way?
MICHELE: It’s a balance of trusting that folks know when they need to rest or pause at any given point, while also encouraging them to prioritize the writing . . . even if it’s in small ways like doing 10 minutes of writing, 100 word sprints, or planning what they’ll write about the next time they return to the page—whenever that is. For me, self-care is crucial to sustaining my writing life, but self-sabotage is always around the corner, so I try to remain vigilant.
JENNIFER: I completely agree with Michele. Especially with memoir, which can get emotionally charged and even draining, it’s important to honor when you need to rest or pause. We talked a lot about “touching” our story every day, even if we weren’t writing, which could mean thinking about the story, reading something inspiring, or doing research. I also took advantage of Project Write Now’s Morning Pages and used that one hour in the morning to get the words down.
book inc: Speaking of life outside of writing, what are some other creative outlets you indulge in when not writing?
MICHELE: While I wrote, I committed to an intense yoga regimen with another writer. I also meditated daily. Both nourished my creativity and helped me keep anxiety about the writing at bay. I also enjoy singing, dancing, and the occasional paint-by-numbers canvas, but I find that writing tends to swallow most of my energy these days.
JENNIFER: I have a pretty regular morning routine of meditating, journaling, and yoga (all very brief stints of about 10 minutes each). I also love listening to podcasts that are inspiring and motivating. Walking most days outside in nature also inspires my creativity. And teaching! I learn so much from my students!
book inc: And a final question for you both, what’s one thing you’re really excited to bring to the 2026 cohort?
MICHELE: I’d like to incorporate more in-class writing time, even if it’s just 5 or 10 minutes of generative writing after we’ve done our check-ins and completed any craft lessons. I want our memoirists to walk away inspired and a little less afraid of the process each session, and writing in class with a prompt can be a powerful/tangible way to do just that.
JENNIFER: Yes, more in-class writing for sure! I’m always amazed by what my students create when they freewrite in response to prompts. I’m excited to meet everyone who joins our cohort and be in community with one another through all of it! And to see how our stories move from ideas in our heads and hearts to fully realized manuscripts. (OK, that was more than one thing.)
book inc is accepting applications through the end of the year. APPLY NOW to write your memoir in 2026.
UPDATE: Scholarship Available
We still have one scholarship available for the Memoir Incubator. Our Sankofa Scholarship supports black women writing memoir. Memoirs involve making sense of the past to direct the present, and they can be a witness and record of marginalized lives. Complete the application to apply for the Sankofa Scholarship.