Listen:
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.
I’ve known Casey from various groups for years, now, and she is a wonderful literary citizen and a talented writer. I was delighted to speak with her about her compelling memoir, her literary publication, In A Flash, and more.
In This Episode
- Casey’s path to writing The Full Catastrophe and how the theme of belonging revealed itself [1:57]
- How early losses shaped her search for identity and home [4:42]
- Why grief looks different for everyone — and why there’s no “right” way to heal [6:22]
- The moment Casey realized her memoir wasn’t just about resilience, but belonging [9:32]
- How a writing book helped her plug in the structure the story of her life [18:29]
- The creative structure behind her memoir and how she used scene to deepen emotional resonance [20:11]
- The role of spirituality, dreams, and unexpected moments of peace in her healing journey [20:58]
- Casey’s advice for memoirists about theme, structure, and trusting your story’s evolution [33:17]
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About Casey
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
BlueSky: @caseymulliganwalsh.bsky.social
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
Find The Full Catastrophe on Estelle’s Bookshop
Connect with Estelle
Listen to Her TEDx Talk “How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond”
