Yavapai College Common Read Program

Riders Read

This Year’s Selection: Never Whistle at Night

Edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

Riders Read fosters dialogue across the college and community through shared reading experiences, discussions, events, and author engagements.

Explore the Book Meet the Editors
Cover of Never Whistle at Night, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

Current Selection

Never Whistle at Night

Across many Indigenous traditions, a chilling warning endures: never whistle at night. Whether it summons the Huaka‘i pō of Native Hawaiian belief or calls upon the shape-shifting Lechuza in Native Mexican lore, the danger is universal—an ill-timed whistle invites malevolent forces to emerge from the shadows and follow you home. Yet when the darkness answers, survival demands far more than dread; it demands an unyielding spirit.

In this groundbreaking anthology of dark fiction, spine-chilling encounters with ghosts, ancient curses, monstrous entities, and generational wounds become fierce trials of courage. These visceral stories move beyond terror to illuminate the profound resilience of characters who refuse to be consumed by the dark. Pushed to the brink, they draw upon deep wells of inner strength, ancestral conviction, and the unshakeable resolve needed to look straight into the abyss and endure.

Introduced and contextualized by bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, Never Whistle at Night is both a pulse-pounding descent into horror and a powerful testament to Indigenous endurance, defiance, and imagination. It serves as a reminder that no matter what horrors an ill-advised whistle might awaken, the strength to confront and overcome the shadows has lived within us all along.

Riders Read Resources

Reader’s Guide

A reader’s guide for Never Whistle at Night is currently in development. It will include resources to support discussion, classroom use, programs, and shared exploration of this year’s selection.

Reader’s guide coming soon.

Faculty & Staff

Use Riders Read in Your Class or Program

YC staff and faculty may request a copy if they plan to use this year’s Riders Read selection in a class, program, or event.

Request Your Copy

Behind the Collection

Meet the Editors

Never Whistle at Night was edited by Indigenous writers Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

Shane Hawk

Shane Hawk

Shane Hawk is an Indigenous horror author, editor, and screenwriter. He is an enrolled citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and is of Hidatsa and Citizen Potawatomi descent.

He made his literary debut with the acclaimed short story collection Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror (2020), which explores modern Indigenous experiences, folklore, and fear set in and around Minnesota. His short fiction and essays have appeared in various genre anthologies and literary magazines.

In addition to co-editing the bestselling Never Whistle at Night (2023), Hawk has worked as a history teacher and contributing editor, frequently writing and speaking on the resurgence and significance of Indigenous dark fiction.

Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. is an author, editor, and academic, and an enrolled member of the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians. He is the Tilikum Professor and Chair of Indigenous Nations Studies at Portland State University, where he has also directed the School of Gender, Race, and Nations.

Van Alst is known for his interconnected, Chicago-set “mosaic” novels, including Sacred Smokes (2018), winner of the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing, and Sacred City (2021), winner of the Electa Quinney Award. His other works include the Southern Gothic novella Pour One for the Devil (2024).

Alongside co-editing Never Whistle at Night, he edited The Faster Redder Road: The Best UnAmerican Stories of Stephen Graham Jones (2015) and serves as the creative editor for the journal Transmotion.

Annual Theme

Resilience

The theme “Resilience” emphasizes the capacity to withstand and transcend adversity, even when circumstances seem insurmountable. Embodying resilience is an act of inner strength, conviction, and courageous endurance—ensuring that the spirit remains unbroken, adapts, and moves forward.

Shared Reading & Conversation

The Common Read Program

Riders Read, Yavapai College’s common read program, fosters dialogue across the college and community through shared reading experiences. The program brings together students, faculty, and staff to explore meaningful topics through discussions, events, and author engagements.

In partnership with campus and community groups, the program hosts discussions, films, and academic activities that culminate in the featured author visit. These events highlight the college’s role in providing cultural and intellectual opportunities for the region.

Each year’s theme encourages interdisciplinary connections and shared exploration of ideas that unite the YC community.

Riders Read Archive

Previous Reads

  • 2025–26 Diaries of War: Two Visual Accounts from Ukraine and Russia
  • 2024–25 Fit for the Gods
  • 2023–24 Disability Visibility
  • 2022–23 The House in the Cerulean Sea
  • 2021–22 Educated
  • 2020–21 There, There
  • 2019–20 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Help Choose What Comes Next

Suggest a Future Riders Read Title

Have a book you think would create meaningful conversation across the Yavapai College community? Share your recommendation with the Riders Read committee.

Submit a Suggestion (opens in a new tab)

Program Leadership

Riders Read Committee

  • Suzanne Waldenberger
  • Laura Cline
  • Lynn Durkee
  • Andrea Schaben
  • Nate Cloyd
  • Tricia Berlowe
  • Jimmy Hart
  • Michael Sigler
  • Maria Grant