Summer Rewind: The Loneliness of Sibling Loss with Alyson Shelton and Lynn Shattuck

Send us Fan Mail About this episode:I am currently on break so I can focus on my writing and some much-needed rest. Until I return with new episodes on September seventeenth, I’ve curated a summer rewind series of fan favorites. This week’s episode with Lynn Shattuck and Alyson Shelton was recorded in October 2024 Back then, the Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope anthology was a dream they were working to fulfill. This month, the book celebrated its first birthday. The wisdom in this episode, which fueled the publication of this book, is as timely as ever. Resources Mentioned During This Episode: Buy The Loss of a Lifetime There’s No Escape by Alyson Shelton What I Want You to Say When I’m Grieving by Lynn Shattuck: My 20-Year-Old Brother Died By Suicide. Here's Why I Almost Joined Him by Lisa Cooper Ellison Lynn’s Where I’m From Poem Lisa’s Where I’m From Poem Alyson’s Where I’m From Poem Get Your Free Human Design Report Ditch Your Inner Critic Now Episode Highlights: 3:23 Silent, Unacknowledged Grief 7:45: The Impact of the Hierarchy of Grief 12:23 The Benefits of Writing about Sibling Loss 18:31: Grieving and Writing in Community 23:49 Building the Sibling Loss Anthology 32:48 Getting to Know Alyson and Lynn 35:23 Lynn and Alyson’s Best Writing Advice Alyson’s Bio: ALYSON SHELTON is an award winning screenwriter and essayist. Her writing is widely published at outlets including The New York Times, Ms. and The Rumpus. She’s deeply proud of her collaborations with other female creatives, most notably, the comic, Reburn and the films, To Hold The Night and Eve of Understanding. She’s anthologized in Comics Lit Vol. 1 (Accomplishing Innovation Press), No Contact: Writers on Estrangement (Catapult), Root Cause: Stories of Health, Harm and Reclaiming Our Humanity (Editor: Jeannine Ouellette) and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope (Contributor and Co-Editor). She’s best known for her Instagram Live series inspired by George Ella Lyon’s poem, Where I’m From which celebrated episode 200 in summer 2025 and its partner podcast, Where I'm From. The poem also provides the spine for her memoir in progress. Lynn’s Bio: Lynn Shattuck writes on topics like grief, parenting, and mental health. She was a columnist at Elephant Journal for ten years, where several of her essays on the topic of grief and sibling loss, and parenting went viral.Lynn co-founded the website lossofalifetime.com, a hub of resources and community for those who’ve experienced sibling loss. She co-edited the essay collection, The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope, which was released in June 2025. Connect with Lynn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064888772287 Substack: https://lynnshattuck.substack.com/ Connect with Alyson Website: www.alysonshelton.com Instagram: @byalysonshelton Where I’m From poem project: https://www.alysonshelton.com/where-im-from.html#/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Byalysonshelton Connect with the Loss of a Lifetime Sibling Loss Group Website: https://www.lossofalifetime.com/ Instagram: @lossofalifetime Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production