Freelance Writing Direct with Estelle: Conversations with authors, journalists, agents, novelists, memoirists, niche writers, publishers, writing teachers, assigning editors and media experts. #137 Writing Through Rupture: Finding Belonging After Loss Featuring Casey Mulligan Walsh
What does it mean to truly belong — and how do we find our way back to ourselves after unimaginable loss? In this episode,I talk with memoirist Casey Mulligan Walsh about grief, belonging, resilience, and the journey behind her powerful book The Full Catastrophe.
In this episode:
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Casey's path to writing The Full Catastrophe and how the theme of belonging revealed itself [1:57]
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How early losses shaped her search for identity and home [4:42]
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Why grief looks different for everyone — and why there's no "right" way to heal [6:22]
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The moment Casey realized her memoir wasn't just about resilience, but belonging [9:32]
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How a writing book helped her plug in the structure the story of her life [18:29]
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The creative structure behind her memoir and how she used scene to deepen emotional resonance [20:11]
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The role of spirituality, dreams, and unexpected moments of peace in her healing journey [20:58]
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Casey's advice for memoirists about theme, structure, and trusting your story's evolution [33:17]
Casey Mulligan Walsh writes about life at the intersection of grief and joy, embracing uncertainty, and the nature of true belonging. Her memoir, The Full Catastrophe: All I Ever Wanted, Everything I Feared, was released from Motina Books on February 18, 2025. She has written for The New York Times, HuffPost, Next Avenue, Modern Loss, Hippocampus, Barren Magazine, and numerous other literary magazines, and her essay, "Still," published in Split Lip, was nominated for Best of the Net. She is a founding editor of In a Flash literary magazine. She also serves as an ambassador for and on the Board of the Family Heart Foundation, which raises awareness of the genetic lipid disorders that have affected her family across generations. Casey lives in upstate New York with her husband Kevin and too many books to count. When not traveling, they enjoy visits from their four children and ten grandchildren—the very definition of "the full catastrophe."
Connect with Casey
Website: https://caseymulliganwalsh.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casey.m.walsh.1
Facebook author: https://www.facebook.com/caseymulliganwalshwriter
Instagram: https://instagram.com/CaseyMulliganWalsh
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@caseymulliganwalsh
BlueSky: @caseymulliganwalsh.bsky.social
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-mulligan-walsh-522ba231/
Casey's Piece Still (originally from Split Lip Magazine): https://www.short-reads.org/still/
In A Flash Substack: https://inaflashlitmag.substack.com/
Submission Info for In A Flash: https://inaflashlitmag.substack.com/p/submission-guidelines?r=3uom7p&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true
Find The Full Catastrophe on Estelle's Bookshop
Estelle Erasmus: an award-winning journalist, is the author of WRITING THAT GETS NOTICED (named a "Best Book for Writers" by Poets & Writers Magazine), a Contributing Editor for Writer's Digest, and host of the podcast Freelance Writing Direct. She is an adjunct instructor for NYU's School of Professional Studies/Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts, has written for over 150 publications, including The New York Times, Next Avenue/PBS, WIRED, The Independent,The Washington Post, and AARP: The Magazine, and was the editor-in-chief of five national publications. Find out more at estelleserasmus.com
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