Real Stories, Professional Actors: The San Diego Memoir Showcase

Courtesy of Nicolas Hoizey

Nine stories. Eight actors. One spectacular showcase. 

The San Diego Memoir Showcase, led by Marni Freedman and Tracy J. Jones, brought short memoir stories to the stage with professional actors performing nine selections. 

I didn’t really know what to expect. I had always imagined memoir to be a little boring, sort of like long-winded tales one might nod along to, or even a history lecture. Memoir sounded interesting, but nothing more than that. 

When I arrived at the showcase venue, tables lined the outside of a hall, with a few enthusiastic authors behind tables and others set up for San Diego Writers Inc., as well as a publisher with a strong San Diego presence, Acorn Publishing. There was a small stand with drinks, and a gumball poetry machine sat temptingly on one of the tables.

However inviting, all precluded the main event: the memoir showcase, with the theme, “No, Really, I’m Fine.” 

As a volunteer, I handed out brochures to a swelling crowd of well-dressed people, flocking towards the entrance as we, the ushers, urged showtime to hasten on. The clock finally hit 7 pm, and, promptly running out of programs, I entered the theatre and into one of the performances. 

Each actor performed an author’s story, which had been submitted to the annual memoir selection at the International Memoir Writers Association. 

Azra Samah’s story, the first full-length performance I watched, had me gripping the edge of my seat. As a little girl, she attempted to cross the border from Slovenia to Austria with her family, walking in the woods in winter. And they were caught. 

The atmosphere grew lighthearted later as laughter arose at another performance written by Bailey Wolff, as his actor performed the sometimes bothersome, but in the end, perhaps endearing way loved ones, such as in-laws, can get to us. 

Humour mixed with awe at a story of a high-profile bank robbery, entitled The People in the Bank Are Lying on the Floor!

Other stories included Bearing Witness by Teresa Whitney, Space Cakes by Jennifer Coburn, What’s for Breakfast by Kristen Hogan, and A Calf is Born by Jerry Berberet. 

As I sat there, I felt chills. These were real stories. This was raw. And the authors of these narratives sat in the audience.

Boring? I think not.

Before the show, I’d had the opportunity to meet two of the authors. I was introduced to Anique Mautner, who had kind eyes and a graciousness about her that was lovely. I also met Deb Miller, who wore her memoir as a book purse. 

I’ll be keeping a tab on the Memoir Showcase anthology, Shaking the Tree, on Amazon so I can later read the stories myself. This would be Volume Nine of the anthology. 

In the meantime, I had the opportunity to view a fellow volunteer, Mary-Jean Zampino’s, story from one of the years prior, which I found on YouTube: "7.9 Seconds."

Get Involved

The International Memoir Writers Association provides members with networking opportunities, educational classes, expert talks, and ways to collaborate and get your memoir published. They hold Zoom meetings on the first Saturday of the month. 

Marni Freedman, founder of the association, is also co-founder and programming director of the San Diego Writers Festival, coming soon on March 28, 2026. This annual event is a can’t-miss for Southern Californian writers and authors. 

We should all tell our stories, and in the meantime, support others who have something important to say. Then, maybe others will feel less alone. Maybe they will laugh, maybe they will cry. 

I applaud the authors of the 2025 Memoir Showcase for leading the way.