This program will be held in-person at the Newberry.
Gather around the campfire to hear spooky stories and watch a new short horror film produced by Jim Terry. Storytellers will share ghost stories, spooky tales, and spin eerie yarns. We will have a free meal of Indigenous-inspired cuisine catered by Quentin Two-Rivers Broeffle.
Doors will open at 5:30pm. Dinner will be served buffet style from 5:30-6:00pm. Performances will begin at 6:00pm.
- Buffet open at 5:30pm
- 6 - 7pm Storytelling
- 7 - 7:20pm Original Short Film
Please email publicprograms@newberry.org for any accessibility needs or questions and to request a free parking pass.
This event is limited to individuals age 18+ due to content containing gore, violence, and strong language.
Speakers and Partners
Jim Terry is a Ho-Chunk writer and illustrator who’s called Chicago his home for thousands of years. His graphic memoir Come Home, Indio was nominated for the LA Bookprize as well as the Ignatz, and his visual essay Paper Cuts, based on his residency at the Newberry Library, is currently being taught in several schools. He’s illustrated for Marvel, Heavy Metal, Dark Horse, and several other publications over the years and when he’s not drawing comics he is writing spooky stories or making cheesy horror films. Find him at www.woundedbutdangerous.com.
Aaron John Curtis is the author of the USA Today Bestselling Old School Indian, which was long listed for the 2026 PEN Open Book Award, the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, and was a finalist for the Chautauqua Prize. Aaron is an enrolled member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, which he’ll tell you is the white name for the American side of Akwesasne. The Boston Globe called him, “Your new literary obsession.” Old School Indian will be available in paperback on October 27th from Tin House Publishing.
Aaron Golding is an Onöndowa'ga:' (Seneca) storyteller, writer, and educator whose work explores the themes of belonging, grief, and hope. He holds an MFA from Columbia College Chicago. He has recent work published in Nude Bruce Review. He’s been a participant of the McCormack Writing Center (formerly Tin House) Winter Workshop and is the recipient of the 2026 Midwest Native and Indigenous Fellowship from Ragdale and the Center for Native Futures. He lives in Chicago with his wife, two children, and their two cats.
Mathilda Zeller writes horror and fantasy. She is of Inupiaq descent and her family and roots extend deep into the Kobuk River Valley, which inspires and informs her writing. Mathilda Zeller is a pen name, honoring two of her resilient great-grandmothers.
Negwes White is Navajo, Guachichil, Ojibway, and a true Chicagoan. As an artist, storyteller, and educator, his mission is to inspire people to find their truth and be their authentic self.
Founded in 1971, The Native American Support Program (NASP) is the oldest state office in Illinois created for supporting Native American students in higher education. We are dedicated to promoting academic success and achievement for all students, with a focus on American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Native Pacific Islander community membership, culture, and heritage.
It is the mission of the UIC Library Undergraduate Engagement Program (UEP) to empower undergraduate students to discover, use and create knowledge while fostering an academic environment that reflects their experiences and identities. UEP addresses this through strategic collaborations with campus partners, to provide experiential and academic programmatic support that strives to meet the holistic needs of students for undergraduate success. It is the goal of this program that students will redefine their relationship with information and the research process.
Founded in 1972, the D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies at the Newberry Library brings together scholars, teachers, students, tribal historians, and Native community members to promote research and improve the representation of Native peoples and histories in education and writing.
This event is generously supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Cost and Registration
This program is free and open to all. Advance registration required.
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