[7] A workshop led by Scott McCloud was a major turning point in her career; it "really inspired [her] to draw some comics, and around this time [she] was also becoming increasingly bored with fine art.

"[8] Growing up, Walden read a lot of manga, which had an influence on her work, in particular the art of Yoshihiro Togashi, Osamu Tezuka, and Rumiko Takahashi.

"[6] Walden has also been influenced by graphic memoirs, such as Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Blankets by Craig Thompson, and Stitches by David Small.

It is told from the viewpoint of Lars, a feeble boy who lives in a fantastical palace and has a giant cat named Nemo.

[13] Spinning, Walden's first graphic novel memoir about her years as a competitive ice skater, was published by First Second Books in September 2017.

As Mia, the newest member, gets to know her team, in the present timeline, a flashback occurs to her past at school, where she fell in love with another student named Grace.

[19] To commemorate International Women's Day, Walden's piece "Minutes" was featured as a Google Doodle on March 8, 2018.

[22] In 2021, Walden was approached by Skybound to write a trilogy of graphic novels centering Clementine from The Walking Dead.

[27] In May 2024, Walden took up residency at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History to write a graphic novel about the relationship between Sylvia Drake and Charity Bryant.

[30][1] She is married to fellow graphic novelist Emma Hunsinger, whom she met when they were both attending the Center for Cartoon Studies.

[31][32] On October 4, 2023, the same day as Clementine: Book Two was released, Walden gave birth to her and Hunsinger's first son, Walter.