The San Diego Memoir Writers Association is honored to present volume three of compelling true stories drawn from our annual Memoir Showcase contest. This year’s winning selections address the theme of I Didn’t See That One Coming. While these stories were written before the global pandemic, they offer insight and reflections on how unseen events shape our lives.

The stories within these pages are awe-inspiring. Our authors bravely share their life-altering surprises and vulnerable moments no one ever saw coming in a collection that is thrilling, heartwarming, humorous, and moving.

This bold and entertaining volume is filled with stories about being kidnapped at gunpoint and solving the mystery of a father you never knew, to having the best sex of your life in your eighties. In the spirit of the Shaking the Tree series, this book goes there—unapologetically.

You can’t make this stuff up.