On Nature - Daniel Mason with Rebecca Traister

Join Mechanics' Hall and Print: A Bookstore at Halo on the Point for a very special conversation with award-winning author Daniel Mason and the dynamic Rebecca Traister, writer at large for New York magazine.

As the culminating event for our NEA Big Read Series, the dialogue will center on Daniel's book North Woods (2023) and his latest release Country People (2026).

There will be a celebratory authors' reception with libations and live music starting at 5:30 PM. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and help extend a warm Portland welcome to Mason!

The conversation will begin at 7:00 PM, and last approximately 60-minutes, followed by a Q&A and book signing line. $15 for Mechanics' Hall Members, $20 for general admission.

ABOUT THE NOVELS

Country People "explores a year in the life of a family as they strike out into the unknown (aka Vermont), leaving all the comforts of home behind—a rollicking, lyrical novel from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and one of America’s greatest living writers."

In North Woods, "two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths an ancient mass grave—only to discover that the earth refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel Mason is a physician and author of The Piano Tuner (2002), A Far Country (2007), The Winter Soldier (2018), A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth (2020)--a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize-- and North Woods (2023), a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Dublin Literary Award. His work has been translated into 28 languages, awarded a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship, the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, and a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Piano Tuner was produced as an opera by Music Theatre Wales for the Royal Opera House in London, and adapted to the stage by Lifeline Theatre in Chicago. His short stories and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, Zoetrope: All Story, Zyzzyva, Narrative, and Lapham’s Quarterly, and have been awarded a Pushcart Prize, a National Magazine Award and an O. Henry Prize. An associate professor in the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry, his research and teaching interests include the subjective experience of mental illness and the influence of literature, history, and culture on the practice of medicine.

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

Rebecca Traister is the writer at large for New York magazine. A National Magazine Award winner, she has written about women in politics, media, and entertainment from a feminist perspective for The New Republic and Salon and has also contributed to The Nation, The New York Observer, The New York Times and The Washington Post. She is the author of Good and Mad and All the Single Ladies, both New York Times best-sellers, and the award-winning Big Girls Don’t Cry.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Mechanics' Hall was selected to be part of the NEA Big Read. From October 2025 to July 2026. We are working with community partners to present a wide range of public programs inspired by Daniel Mason’s novel North Woods.

Events are centered on the theme "On Nature" and will focus on nature, resilience, and human connection. These activities highlight how Maine’s history of conservation and public land stewardship shows how our physical environment can foster hope, courage, and a sense of belonging, encouraging meaningful dialogue about nature’s role in strengthening community bonds.

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit

El proyecto NEA Big Read es una iniciativa del National Endowment for the Arts (el Fondo Nacional para las Artes de Estados Unidos) en cooperación con Arts Midwest.

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

Halo at the Point is located at 20 Van Aken Way, Portland, ME 04102.

Parking at Thompson’s Point is simple and convenient for all guests. The campus offers ample paid on-site parking just steps away from Halo at the Point. During larger events, additional parking areas and clearly marked overflow lots are available to ensure a smooth arrival experience.

The Greater Portland METRO Route 1 (Congress Street) and the METRO BREEZ express bus are the main lines that serve Thompson's Point in Portland, Maine, with stops at the adjacent Portland Transportation Center.

ACCESSIBILITY

If you have a wheelchair or need accessibility accommodations/questions, please contact us at [email protected] or 207-773-8396.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Mechanics' Hall (Maine)