A Directory of Grieving Parents on Substack: Finding Community in Loss

Grieving parents on Substack

40+ publications by bereaved mothers and fathers sharing their journeys of love, heartache, and healing.

There are over so many grieving parents writing on Substack. Each of our grief journeys is as unique as the child we’ve lost. Many of us have met, messaged, or spoken by phone. Let’s formalize our group with a directory.

These are the publications I’ve enjoyed reading to date.

1. Blankets & Biscuits - Bereaved mother, writing my way through with books and biscuits. Spaniels also may feature. I talk a lot too. Louise’s son Fred (14) died from leukemia.

2. Between Grief and Joy - Yolande Clark-Jackson’s newsletter is a gentle exploration of that in-between space, where we learn to hold both grief and joy as sacred companions on our journey. She lost her daughter Divine to an inoperable brain tumor.

3. Beyond the expected - David Murray offers practical advice and reflections on grieving a loved one gone well before their time.

4. Blue Sunflower - An artist and bereaved parent who writes the pivotal stories of my life of then and now. Susan Fusco-Fazio is an artist who lost her daughter Laura (14) to Congenital Heart Disease.

5. Br[eat]he - Rohini Contractor - Br[eat]he is inspired by our daughter, Anoushka’s, fight to breathe and eat over 8 relentless years of crossing chasms through her existential crisis of birth, life and death. Rohini’s daughter Anoushka (8) died from a rare genetic condition.

6. Connected - Stories of grief, healing, and reconnection by Carla Kaufman Sloan, mother, Emmy-winning writer, spiritual medium, and founder of the CC Awesome Foundation.

7. Channeling Grief - Reflections on grief and ways to channel the heartache of a grieving parent. My son Henry (18) died in an accident on his first day of college.

8. Dear William - "Dear William" is my heart laid bare, a place where I share memories and the deep ache of living without my son. Susie Shaw’s son William (9) died in a ski accident.

9. Effectively Jettisoned - Mother of 3, writer, and caregiver sharing stories of grief, faith and motherhood after losing her son Brady at age 17.

10. Emily’s Substack - Writing (about illness, caring, dying, death, grief and more) and artwork (mostly paintings of Neve). Emily Tammam’s daughter Neve (10) from a brain tumor

11. Everything’s Jake - Heather Straughter, who lost her son Jake (4) following a series of medical events, writes about finding balance between life’s ups and downs—grief, empty nesting, and living your best life—while embracing laughter along the way!

12. Fein by me - A memoirist (Breath Taking) and podcast host (“I Don’t Know How You Do It”) who’s obsessed with family stories – yours, mine, and ours. Jessica Fein’s daughter Dahlia (17) died from Myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERF).

13. Good Grieving - OFein by mptimist. MS. Mom to Han. Wife to Mike. Love pugs. Grieving the death of my baby. Amy’s baby son Han died from heart disease.

14. Grief & the 12 Steps - How working the steps healed me after the death of my son. Donna Wies lost her son (27) and husband to addiction.

15. Grief Positive - Karen Kelly writes about her spiritual journey and the teachings she received after the death of her son Bix in September 2022.

16. Grief 2 Growth - Here, we explore grief, healing, and the soul’s journey—this life and beyond. Brian D. Smith’s daughter Shayna (15) died in her sleep (Grieving Dad).

17. Hands on nursing in a germ factory - Nancy E. Holroyd, RN is “an old-school, experienced School Nurse celebrating 50 years as an RN.” Nancy lost her daughter Sheila, who had Down Syndrome.

18. Hillary Ramos Joyful + Rising - Hillary is a pediatric physical therapist turned Christian writer and content creator. Hillary’s baby daughter Marsaili died from a rare terminal neurological disorder called Lissencephaly (Faith & Christianity).

19. I can’t imagine - Grief Journal processing the loss of my daughter (1998-2022). Christ-centered commentary. A mother who suddenly lost her daughter, Morgan (24) (Faith & Christianity).

20. Improving the condition of man - Straightforward ideas for MEN on Grief, Growth and Getting Through Life's Hardest Days. Jason MacKenzie’s daughter Chloe (19) died in a car accident (Grieving Dad).

21. Inspired Grief Recovery - Stunned to find amazing, unexpected gifts in the crushing loss of three of my children. Marla Grant writes about the loss of three children.

22. It takes a village not to lose a child - Davina lost her brilliant and neurodivergent son Sam (19) to an education system that couldn’t see him. Sam died by suicide.

23. Jayne Says - Jayne writes weekly about marriage, grief, parenting, memory, and midlife—what simmers beneath the surface when life doesn’t go the way you pictured it. Her son Ravi (17) was killed in a car crash.

24. Let’s find out - Essays on grief, trauma, and life after sudden loss. Katie Serbian lost her son Gabe (44) to suicide.

25. Let’s talk about grief - Nikki Meyler Miller’s son Garrett (33) died from fentanyl.

26. Letters from Turkeytown - Traveling the back roads in an RV. Bringing you stories of love, loss and hope from the wild and lonely places. Tina Hedin’s daughter Kiki (25) died from a food allergy reaction

27. Life after Lucas - Aaron Sorensen’s 17-year-old son Lucas died by apparent suicide in 2021. He writes about his story and working through the grief.

28. Life, actually - Narratives about the messy art of living openly, wholeheartedly, and fiercely. Lorie Adair lost her son Mitch (15) to suicide.

29. Life is honestly so beautiful Therapist, mother, writer. Sally McQuillen’s son Christopher (21) died in a boating accident

30. Look Mom I Can Fly - Poet, grief activist. Luna Jaffe lost her son Hunter (21) to addiction.

31. Losing my son to suicide: Hope Healing and Joy (HH&J) Discovering Hope, Healing and Joy after losing my son to suicide. Esther Stanway-Williams lost her son Dom (30) to suicide.

32. Melodies of Courage - Author Kelly lost her son Kevin (22) to cancer.

33. Mourning Mom Time Travels - Author, Psychologist, Bereaved Mother. Julie Neches lost her daughter Alix (25) as a result of mental illness.

34. Obsessively yours - A community for emotionally intelligent survivors & obsessive rebuilders. k.d. lost her son (18) to suicide.

35. Pathways of Connection - Award-winning author who entwines energy healing, dream guidance, narrative therapy and journaling to create authentic spaces. Janine De Tillio Cammarata’s son Nick (13) died of leukemia.

36. Rarely Written - Elle Daniel tells stories about medical motherhood, advocacy and finding triumph and joy within the challenges. Her daugther Ruby (2) died from an ultra-rare genetic metabolic condition called PMM2-CDG (Congenital Disorder of Glycosylation).

37. Res Ipsa with Melissa J. Hogan - Examining the intersection of the law, faith, and abuse. Melissa lost her son, Brock (16) to a fentanyl overdose.

38. The Halfway Path - Essays about navigating parental grief, aging, and soon-to-be empty nesting (with an occasional rant). Jacqueline Dooley lost her daughter Ana (15) to cancer.

39. Toeing the Golden Line with Taryn Jarboe - Taryn lost her eighteen month old daughter June to neuroblastoma.

40. Tracy Hirsch Writes - Tracy lost her son Ethan (24) in 2025; cause of death undetermined. She writes about learning a new way of existing in the world with more love and less fear.

41. Transforming pain into purpose - Proud mom. Writer. Survivor. Critical thinker. Truth teller. Community organizer. Molly Steinsapir Foundation leader. Kaye Steinsapr lost her daughter Molly (12) after an e-bike accident.

42. Unpalatable - Tender, tough, and still bleeding. Tanja Rohn lost her daughter Chloe (19) in a car accident.