Memoirist is the online magazine for literary autobiographical writing, including translations. 

Though a piece we post may happen to involve psychological trauma or address socio-political injustice, this emphatically isn't the site's primary purpose. 

We created memoirist.org in Autumn 2019 because we felt there was a gap in the market for the kind of literary memoir writing we favoured. We're very proud of what we've created... many pieces getting over 100 readers and some over a thousand!

Have you published a longer memoir? We are happy to publish a 'stand alone' extract here to promote your work. 

We are also on the look out for longer memoirs and literary fiction with Dogberry Books, our associate publisher where you will also find details of our competition!

Memoirist

Now accepting nominations for the 2026 Memoir Prize for Books! 
Deadline: Extended to September 1, 2026!
Now in its 6th year, the Annual Memoir Prize awards Memoir and Creative Nonfiction book-length works of exceptional merit in the categories of traditional, self-published, and previously unpublished prose.
General Guidelines: 
Submit a book-length work on any theme. 
Traditionally published, Small, Academic, and Independent presses, Self-published, and Unpublished Manuscripts are all accepted for Grand Prize consideration. There are no restrictions on the type of press, subject matter, length, nationality of origin, or the year of publication. 
Entries will be evaluated on content, writing quality, and overall quality of production and appearance. 
All entries must be in English. 
Memoir Magazine will award $5,000 in cash prizes for books of memoir in any style, sub-genre, or state of publication to a Grand Prize winner and 3 Finalists.*
Winning entrants will receive one year of free Book Promotion by Memoir Magazine, a digital award seal for use in promoting their win, and excerpts will be considered for publication in Memoir Magazine. In addition, 10 Category selections will be chosen as Memoir Magazine Recommended Reads, to be featured on the winning announcement page, website, and social media outlets. You may submit published or unpublished work as a manuscript, a full-length book of memoir or creative nonfiction, a collection of essays, or a graphic narrative as a single entry. 
Multiple contest entries and multiple category entries are allowed. You may submit more than one book by filling out a new submission form and paying the fee for each entry.  
Deadline: September 1, 2026!
Entry fee: US$100 per book   
Submissions: Please, specify the category, along with the theme, and subject matter of your memoir. Next, add your brief bio. Finally, UPLOAD your entry as a digital file (PDF, epub, MOBI, Word doc, or Audiobook,) or send us a gift link or code to download or access your Kindle or Audiobook as a gift. 
We will not be accepting print versions this year. 
The MEMOIR MAG team truly loves discovering and promoting a variety of new books and authors throughout the year, and your entry fee supports all the good work we do at our literary magazine. This Contest allows us to offer free creative nonfiction content for the public and guarantees authors' work will always be discovered by new readers and students who rely on our archive of first-person narratives.
We can’t wait to read your story. Best of luck!

MEMOIR PRIZE FOR BOOKS 2026

All true (and creatively true) stories are welcome regardless of the subject matter, educational level, achievement, race or sexual orientation of the author. In fact, marginalized voices are encouraged to submit.We want real stories. We want to feel something and we want to share that feeling with the world. Send us your blood, your sweat, your laughter, and your tears.*Stories and essays (up to three per submission, no more than 3,000 words total) should be typed, double-spaced, and paginated, with your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address title and word-count on the first page. * You may submit Memoir and Creative Nonfiction in any form or subject matter, including Personal Essay, Essays on Craft, travel writing, novel excerpts and flash nonfiction or any kind of unconventional expression of your truth. *For excerpts of forthcoming works, please make a note with publication date in your cover letter.

Nonfiction Essay Submissions (Max 3000 words)

* Memoir Magazine is always looking for innovative, original illustrations and photography, especially works that represent the mysteries of human transformation or interaction with their environment or emotional landscape. In fact, we will be happy to consider submissions of art in any medium, including graphic storytelling and visual narratives.
*All images must be at least 300 dpi and include the artist's name in the title.
*Upload all pieces at one time (max 10 files), not as individual submissions.
*In your cover letter please include a bio or link to your personal website/online portfolio if you have one.
*For all other work, or works that are too large for upload in the online submissions manager, please query the Editor at memoirtherapy@gmail.com.

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Nonfiction Essay Submissions (Max 3000 words)