800 contemporary stories
People living today will share the everyday moments and life-changing experiences that shaped how they live and relate to others.
Empowering the next generation
Ignite Humanity Memoria
What humanity chooses to remember becomes part of what humanity carries forward.
Explore the collection ↓
- 16
- Volumes
- 16
- Expressions of Humanity
- 1,600
- Stories
The vision
The responsibility of remembrance
Imagine what happens when we deliberately preserve the very best of who humanity has been, who we are, and who we have the capacity to become.
Memoria is Latin for memory, remembrance, and recollection. History records our wars and discoveries. Who remembers the stranger whose kindness changed a life, or the moment someone found the courage to forgive?
Ignite Humanity Memoria brings together personal and historical stories from across cultures and generations. Through them, readers can come closer to understanding what life felt like for someone else.
The original language of learning
Stories that live within us
Long before libraries and written records, people taught one another through stories.
A story gives us a way to imagine what someone else lived through and connect it with our own experience. A moment of courage can change what we believe is possible. A moment of forgiveness can change how we understand another person.
Ignite Humanity Memoria preserves those moments so future readers can learn from the people who lived them.
The collection
One collection.
One human legacy.
Each volume explores one Expression of Humanity through 50 original stories from people living today and 50 historical stories researched and written by the Ignite Humanity editorial team.
- Love
- Kindness
- Courage
- Wonder
- Resilience
- Forgiveness
- Gratitude
- Faith
- Art
- Music
- Sports
- Exploration
- Connection
- Innovation
- Determination
- Joy
Stories across generations
The voices of our present and past
800 historical stories
Drawing on documented sources, the editorial team will explore the human qualities behind contributions that continue to shape our world.
The art of the collection
Humanity through the eyes of artists
Sixteen artists representing sixteen countries will each create an original artwork interpreting one Expression of Humanity. Each work will shape the visual identity of its volume.
Humanity at the threshold of a new era
Teaching the future about humanity
As we teach technology what humans can do, we must also preserve what it means to be human.
Artificial intelligence is learning from the records we leave behind. Those records can tell us when a discovery was made or a conflict ended. A personal story can tell us what it took to care for someone, to forgive, or to begin again.
Ignite Humanity Memoria is being created as a lasting record of those experiences for future generations, educators, and researchers, including those exploring how emerging technologies learn about humanity.
A global legacy
Preserving humanity for generations
Our goal is to gift and install the collection at 25 significant institutions around the world.
An archival master collection, carefully produced physical editions, and securely maintained digital records will support the long-term preservation of these stories and make them accessible to future readers, educators, and researchers.
The placement vision
A collection for the world to discover
We envision future readers encountering these volumes in libraries and cultural institutions devoted to knowledge, peace, and heritage.
Explore prospective institutions
- Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt
- Royal Library at Windsor Castle, England
- Library of Congress, United States
- UNESCO World Headquarters, Paris
- Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
- National Library of Singapore
- Peace Palace, The Hague
Vision, preservation, and publishing
The vision behind the collection
Business leadership · Publishing · Human connection
Lady JB Owen
CEO, Ignite Publishing & Ignite YOU
Chief Humanity Officer™, Ignite Humanity™
Lady JB Owen is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, 26-time international bestselling author, and knighted lady whose work brings together business development, personal leadership, and the power of storytelling. As CEO of Ignite Publishing and Ignite YOU, she helps people turn their experiences and expertise into stories, books, and purposeful work that reaches others.
Her publishing work has helped more than 800 authors share their voices. She brings a heartfelt understanding of the journey from an individual’s first story to a finished publication, along with the leadership, grace, and passion needed to bring writers, editors, artists, and collaborators together around a shared vision to raise the consciousness of all humanity.
As Chief Humanity Officer™ of Ignite Humanity™, Lady JB leads initiatives that connect storytelling with cultural understanding and contribution. Through the Ignite Humanity Preservation Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, Ignite Humanity Memoria brings these commitments together to focus on preserving the stories that celebrate humanity for future generations.
Ignite Humanity
Guides the collection’s mission to celebrate and preserve the expressions that connect us across cultures and generations.
Ignite Humanity Preservation Foundation
Supports the charitable mission of preserving and sharing the collection for future generations.
Ignite Publishing
Brings editorial and publishing experience to the development of the volumes and the stories within them.
A personal invitation from Lady JB Owen
What will we leave for someone we will never meet?
One day, someone will open these books and discover how we loved, what we stood for, and how we found the courage to keep going.
They may live in a world we would barely recognize. Yet a story of kindness could still make them feel less alone. An act of forgiveness could help them understand someone they had judged. A moment of courage could give them the strength to begin.
We have the opportunity to leave that reader something deeply human. Your experience, your generosity, and your belief in what we can become can help make it possible.
Your voiceShare a story worth carrying forward
Offer a moment from your life that could help someone understand their own.
Sponsor an Expression of Humanity
Help storytellers bring their experiences into a volume that future readers can discover.
Your legacyBecome a founding patron
Help bring the collection into the world and support its preservation for generations to come.
Let’s explore your place in the collection
A conversation with Lady JB Owen
I invite you to help us bring Ignite Humanity Memoria to life.
Whether you feel called to share your story, sponsor an Expression of Humanity, or become a founding patron, I would love to hear what draws you to the collection.
During our conversation, we’ll explore your interests, answer your questions, and discuss the ways you could contribute. Together, we can discover how your experience, vision, or support could become part of this lasting legacy.
Choose an available time in my calendar to begin our conversation.
Schedule a Conversation with Lady JB ↗Because the greatest legacy we can leave humanity is the humanity we choose to preserve.
Lady JB Owen Chief Humanity Officer, Ignite Humanity
