Héébe/Tous! Shane Hawk, nee'eesih'inoo. California, nee'eeteihinoo. San Diego, nee'eetiine'etiinoo. Hiinono'eininoo noh hiitesiininoo.(Arapaho to foreign language:)
Hello! My name is Shane Hawk. I am from California, and I live in San Diego. I am Arapaho and Cheyenne.
upcoming events
| Date(s) | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 26 | Write On, Oceanside! Literary Festival, 10AM-2PM | Oceanside, CA |
| Sep 26 | Fall for Writing Fundraiser @ SD Writers, Ink, 6-8PM | Point Loma, CA |
| Sept 30 | Author Signing @ B&N Carmel Mountain Ranch, 7:30PM | San Diego, CA |
| Oct 1 | Virtual Book Club Talk @ Surrey Public Library | Surrey, BC |
| Oct 7 | with Joey Clift @ Mysterious Galaxy, 7PM | San Diego, CA |
| Oct 9 | Reading @ OK Center for Humanities & Signing @ Magic City Books | Tulsa, OK |
| Oct 12 | Author Signing @ B&N San Marcos, 6:30PM | San Marcos, CA |
| Oct 15 | with Mathilda Zeller @ Mysterious Galaxy, 7PM | San Diego, CA |
| Oct 17 | Panel & Signing @ Scream Diego | San Diego, CA |
| Oct 21-24 | Author Visit @ Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, OH |
| Oct 25 | Virtual Talk w/ Ted Van Alst & Rez Babes Book Club | Virtual |
| Oct 26 | Every Prose Has Its Thorns @ SD Writers, Ink | Point Loma, CA |
| Oct 28 | SD Horror Authors - Halloween Event @ B&N Mira Mesa | Mira Mesa, CA |
| Oct 31 | The Land Has Spoken @ UH Mānoa | Oahu, HI |
| Nov 1 | Writing Workshop @ UH Mānoa | Oahu, HI |
| Nov 3 | with Tommy Orange @ Local Economy | Oakland, CA |
| Nov 5 | Book Signing @ Carlsbad Village Books, 5:30PM | Carlsbad, CA |
| Nov 13 | Author Talk @ Oceanside Library | Oceanside, CA |
| Nov 14 | Horror Panel w/ Chloe Lauter & Signing @ Orange County Book Fair | Tustin, CA |
| Jan 22 | Guest of Honor @ Yuvapai College / Talk & Reading | Prescott, AZ |
ABOUT
"Native and First Nations horror exists because Native and First Nations reality exists."I love reading and writing horror. It's the best genre to address socio-political issues in the most punk way possible. And with it, I believe we can kill the scourge of our times: what's known as "Generative AI." F*ck these billionaire CEOs playing with our livelihoods.
Short Bio
Shane Hawk is a horror writer, editor, and creator of the Native Horror Index, a comprehensive database of Indigenous horror. He is a coeditor of the bestselling Never Whistle at Night series and cowriter of the horror stage play The Land Has Spoken. At Counterpoint Press, Hawk exclusively acquires and edits books authored by Indigenous North Americans. You can find his work in numerous anthologies, magazines, and academic volumes. He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and daughter, and is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.
WORK
short fiction books
ANOKA (2020)Book Description:
Welcome to Anoka, Minnesota—the "Halloween Capital of the World." But beneath the festive surface of this small town lies a darkness. In this debut collection, bone collectors, skeletal bison, werewolves, and ravenous children walk alongside the living. Cheyenne and Arapaho author Shane Hawk confronts his own past struggles with depression, suicidal ideation, and identity issues through weird tales and leaves you with six new reasons to sleep with the lights on.My debut horror collection that includes my first written stories: Soilborne, Wounded, Orange, Imitate, Dead America, and Transfigured.Available in pocketbook-sized paperback, ebook, and audiobook. (Want a signed paperback for $10 shipped? Email me specifically at anoka[at]shanehawk[.]com.)
NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT (2023)An award-winning and bestselling anthology of 26 dark fiction stories all authored by Indigenous North American writers. Available in trade paperback, large-print hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. The audiobook features a cast of 10 Indigenous voice actors, including Kaniehtiio Horn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.Winner of the 2023 Electa Quinney Award. Nominated for the British Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, Ignyte Award, Locus Award, and Shirley Jackson Award.—Over 300,000 copies sold.
—104 weeks on Indie Bestsellers List.
—Translated edition in Portuguese.
—Featured on Netflix's The Four Seasons — S02E03, "Down the Shore"
—Featured inside the 'President's Reading Room' at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.(Want a signed paperback for $20 shipped? Email me.)
BACK FOR BLOOD (2026)The highly anticipated follow-up to the original Never Whistle at Night anthology. 21 new stories from Indigenous North American authors, all accompanied by Brent Learned's spooky illustrations. Available in trade paperback, large-print paperback, ebook, audiobook, and audio CD. The audiobook features 13 Indigenous narrators, including Lily Gladstone.
—Starred review from Library Journal
—Summer 2026 LibraryReads Pick
—Available soon at WALMART stores
—Available now at US airports via Hudson Booksellers through the end of 2026 at least
—Featured in the Sept 2026 Night Worms subscription box
(Want a signed paperback for $20 shipped? Email me.)
stage plays
THE LAND HAS SPOKEN (2024)A horror stage play I cowrote with Andrea L. Rogers, produced by Indigenous Performance Productions. Kyla Garcia is its dramaturge and performs in it alongside actors Lorna Bowen, Kalani Queypo, and Andrew Roa. Each performance features live foley artistry by Ed Littlefield and a creepy piano theme song by Chantil Dukart.TLHS debuted October 2024 in Olympia with 745 seats filled, then 860 seats filled the following night in Bellingham, Washington. Will tour across three Hawaiian Islands (Kona, Maui, and Oahu) during Halloween week this year. I will be at the Oahu date on Halloween night!
short stories
"Imitate"
Originally published in ANOKA, 2020
Reprinted in First Peoples Shared Stories, 2022
“Dead America”
Originally published in ANOKA, 2020
Reprinted in Diabolica Americana, 2022
"She's Taken Away"
Originally published in Howls from Hell, 2020
"Vé'otsé'e (Warpath Woman)"
Originally published in MOTHER, 2022
"Night Woman"
Originally published in A Howl: An Indigenous Comic Anthology of Wolves, Werewolves, and Rougarou, 2022
"Skin Maps"
Originally published in Morbidologies, 2023
"Behind Colin's Eyes"
Originally published in Never Whistle at Night, 2023
“The Settler Method”
Originally published in Nightmare Grifters, 2026
"IVOЯIES"
Originally published in Never Whistle at Night, Part II: Back for Blood, 2026
"Heritage Night"
Publishing soon in Views From the Overlook, 2027
"Where the Land Opened Its Mouth"
Publishing soon in Howls from the Drive-In, 2027
Will be reprinted in The Best Native Writing from IAIA, 2027
nonfiction
"Portals, Possessions, and Prose:
The Multifaceted World of The Babysitter Lives"
Nightmare Magazine | Issue 134 | Nov 2023
Preface for Global Indigenous Horror (2025)
edited by Naomi Simone Borwein
Preface for XicanXfuturism: Gritos for Tomorrow, Codex II (2026?)
edited by Scott Duncan Russell
Foreword for We've Been Here the Whole Time! (Oct 6, 2026)
by Joey Clift, illustrations by Julie Fiveash
“The Deep Frequency: Narrative Sovereignty and the Indigenous Horror Groundswell”
Contemporary Indigenous Horror (2027) | Edited by Naomi Simone Borwein & Krista Collier-Jarvis
editorial at counterpoint
Currently Longlisted for the National Book Award!
"Red Ants: Stories" by Kimberly Blaeser was my first acquisition as a contributing editor at Counterpoint Press. Kim's writing is beautifully elegant, and it was such a pleasure to work with her on her prose debut. Please consider preordering it today as it releases on October 6, 2026.
PRESS
news media
NWAN, Part II: Back for Blood
never whistle at night
cbc news: how a cree teacher built a network of indigenous authors to get books into students' hands
gizmodo: old ghosts haunt a new home in eerie tale "night in the chrysalis"
windspeaker: established, emerging indigenous authors produce disturbing fiction
two row times: indigenous dark fiction anthology sends chills up readers' spines
cbc news: why horror is a good genre for indigenous storytelling
reviews
podcast appearances
CONTACT
For all requests (booking, film/tv),
please send to my agent:
rachel[AT]transatlanticagency.comFor all Counterpoint queries,
please send pitches and manuscripts to:
submissions[AT]shanehawk.com
(I only acquire and edit Indigenous books.)For queries specific to the Native Horror Index,
please contact me using:
horror[AT]shanehawk.comFor everything else,
please contact me directly at:
shane[AT]shanehawk.com