3.27.25

WSU theater alum set to release debut novel, “Just Willa”

After decades of penning critically-acclaimed biographies, Helen Sheehy ’70 is switching her literary purview to tell a new story. The author is set to make her debut in the world of fiction with the release of “Just Willa” on April 13, 2025.

Set in Oklahoma during the Great Depression, “Just Willa” is a fictional retelling of the life of Sheehy’s own mother. Although only semi-biographical, the author says her process for writing the novel looked much the same as writing biographies, of which she has penned three on the lives and legacies of women in theatre: Margo Jones, Eleonora Duse and Eva Le Gallienne. Le Gallienne and Duse’s biographies were recognized by the New York Times as notable books from 1996 and 2003, respectively.

“I used much of the same methods I used in biography. Walking the ground my characters walked, researching their life and times, listening to the music they listened to,” Sheehy said. “But I soon learned that all those methods could only take me so far. At some point, you have to let imagination take over.”

Willa, the novel’s eponym, grew up on a farm, accustomed to unrelenting chores and destitution. Although a stellar student, Willa was unable to continue her education after graduating from the 8th grade when her father would not pay to send her to high school. Willa sees education as a door to a better life for her children, drawing from some of Sheehy’s own life experiences.

Sheehy, a theatre alum, studied under Dick Welsbacher, Joyce Cavarozzi and Warren Kliewer as a student. “As a freshman just off the farm, and for the next four years, they dazzled me,” she said. “They loved to teach, but they also wrote, acted, directed, consulted and were enthusiastic about their work. I wanted a life like that.”

After graduating, she set out to make a life like that for herself. She spent years as a dramaturg at the Hartford Stage Company and at Southern Connecticut State University. In addition to her biography work, she co-authored an annual desk diary called “On Writers and Writing.” “WSU gave me confidence,” Sheehy said, “a confidence rooted in a solid educational base and the tools to continue to learn and grow.”

She nods to her alma mater in “Just Willa.” Willa’s youngest daughter, Ellie, and Ellie’s husband, Mark, both graduate from Wichita State – much like Sheehy and her husband, Tom ’71/73.

“Just Willa” is available for pre-order or purchase on April 13, 2025. You can also hear from the author herself at the launch party at Watermark Books in Wichita at 2 p.m. on April 13.