The Emporia State Intercultural Center is set to read “Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology” this Indigenous Heritage Month.
A collection of anthologies written by Indigenous authors and edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr., “Never Whistle at Night” explores what one whistle at night, something advised against in many Indigenous cultures, could bring home. According to publisher Penguin Random House, the book “(introduces) readers to ghosts, curses, hauntings, monstrous creatures, complex family legacies, desperate deeds and chilling acts of revenge.”
“I feel like a huge part of Indigenous culture is specifically storytelling and learning about indigenous heritage through the lessons and stories that are passed down and that we hear,” said Percy Holt, coordinator of the Intercultural Center. “As someone that wasn’t personally raised super closely to my Indigenous heritage, I felt like reading some sort of anthology book that has Indigenous stories would be a really fun and engaging way for not only myself, but for other students that might not have any indigenous history or be close to Indigenous heritage find a way to make that connection.”
Holt also says that engaging with Indigenous literature helps others to see the Indigenous point of view and gain insight into a culture that they may not be well acquainted with.
“I feel like with reading this book and engaging with these stories, we’ll get to really learn more about not just the Indigenous mindset, but a little more about how some Indigenous communities really view their connection with the environment that they live in,” they said.
This is the first time the Intercultural Center, which previously operated as Diversity Student Programs, has introduced a book club in a few years. Holt believes Indigenous Heritage Month to be a fitting choice for the club’s first year back.
“One, it gave me a little bit of time to figure out what book we wanted to read and gauge interest for a book club on campus. But two, we currently don’t have an Indigenous or Native American recognized student organization, whereas when you get into Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, we kind of have RSOs that are able to do programming for those months,” Holt said.
While the Intercultural Center may not do a book club every month due to other programming by RSOs, Holt is considering doing a book club in April for Arab American Heritage Month.
“I feel like doing another book club in April will be another way to get people into another culture they might not know a lot about by finding an Arab American book to read or a book by an Arab American author,” said Holt.
Alongside the book club, the Intercultural Center will host Amy Bluemel at 6 p.m. on Nov. 1 for Indigenous Heritage Month. Bluemel is an Native American storyteller who will share about Native American storytelling and tell stories from her own culture. The event will take place in the PKP room on the basement level of the Memorial Union.
If you are interested in participating in the Intercultural Center Book Club for Indigenous Heritage Month, you can reach out to Holt via email at [email protected]
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