Writing While Caregiving—and Grieving—with Eirinie Carson

Guest: Eirinie Carson

In this episode, Sue Campbell speaks with writer Eirinie Carson about balancing writing with caregiving and processing grief through writing. Carson is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir https://bookshop.org/a/113574/9781685890469 (Melville House, 2023) and the upcoming novel Blood Fire Baby (February 2026).

Key Discussion Points:

• Writing while parenting two young children
• Processing grief through writing after the loss of a close friend
• The importance of creating space for creative work as a caregiver
• Experience at writers' residencies, particularly Hedgebrook
• The role of supportive partners in maintaining a writing practice
• How motherhood inspired Carson to pursue writing seriously
• Writing both memoir and fiction about grief and family history

Notable Quotes:
"Writing looks like nothing... It's not like I am toiling in a field. But writing also looks like reading. It also looks like taking a walk. It also looks like thinking about things." —Eirinie Carson

Books Mentioned:

• The Dead Are Gods by Eirinie Carson
• Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden
• Blood Fire Baby by Eirinie Carson (forthcoming in 2026)

Resources:

• Hedgebrook Writers Residency
• The Writers' Grotto in San Francisco

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