Cressida Leyshon interviews the writer Sheila Heti about her story “The St. Alwynn Girls at Sea,” which appears in the January 27, 2025, issue of The New Yorker.
This interview was featured in the Books & Fiction newsletter, which delivers the stories behind the stories, along with our latest fiction. Sign up to receive it in your in-box. I guess it came fully formed. I had a dream last spring about a girls’ school on a ship. I went to a girls’ school in Toronto called St. Clement’s for a good part of my childhood , and I think I always imagined that one day I might write about a girls’ school.
As for expanding upon the war, I hadn’t imagined going into more detail about it! But I like that idea, even if part of what was fun about writing this story was focussing on the sorts of details that those who like war stories would find trivial and exasperating. The story can sometimes seem as though it’s set in the forties or fifties, but at other times the references are far more contemporary.
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“The St. Alwynn Girls at Sea,” by Sheila HetiFiction by Sheila Heti—the author of “Motherhood,” “Pure Colour,” “Alphabetical Diaries,” and more—about a girls’ school that takes to sea on a ship during a time of war.
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Thousands more Native Americans died at boarding schools than originally disclosed: reportAn investigation published Sunday by the Washington Post shows that far more Native American children died at the U.S. government’s turn-of-the-century boarding schools, including at Carlisle, than previously reported.
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More Than 3,100 Indigenous Students Died at US “Boarding Schools”Fearless Independent Journalism
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At least 78 Native American children died at Colorado boarding schools, new investigation findsSeventeen of the 78 deaths in the state stemmed from tuberculosis, making it the most common cause of death. Seven suffered from pneumonia. Three drowned.
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At least 76 Native American children died at Colorado boarding schools, new investigation findsSeventeen of the 76 deaths in the state stemmed from tuberculosis, making it the most common cause of death. Seven suffered from pneumonia. Three drowned.
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Malibu Schools Closed Due to Severe Weather, Santa Monica Schools Remain OpenAll Malibu schools are closed Tuesday due to dangerous weather conditions, while Santa Monica schools remain open. The district is taking precautions to ensure safety.
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