Mason Winfield was raised in the suburbs near Buffalo, NY, the only child of a middle-class family. He was an active, energetic kid. Except for an inquisitive streak, an early predilection for reading and drawing, and that “only child”-thing, he showed few signs of a future author, storyteller, and paranormalist.Mason read voraciously in junior high and high school. Fantasy, history, adventure, science fiction, paranormal research, fantastic archaeology. He was an English major at Denison University and got his M. A. from Boston College with a focus on British Romanticism.
Mason coached and taught at The Gow School in South Wales, NY, a boarding school for students with dyslexia, the reading disability. Shortly after leaving teaching Mason had his first book deal. "Shadows of the Western Door" (1997) was a Jim Brandon/Weird America-style paranormal survey of Western New York. “Shadows” features chapters on ancient mysteries (including giant skeletons), earth-energies, famous ghosts, occult societies, alternative cults and religions, Native American supernaturalism, and the mysterious Roycroft community in East Aurora. “Shadows” was an upstate sensation, and it’s had quite a number of spins.
Mason founded Haunted History Ghost Walks, Inc., an upstate New York “supernatural tourism” company that leads walking and vehicle tours, conferences, pub crawls and performances. A popular storyteller/spoken word artist, Mason has appeared at many venues including City of Night (Buffalo NY), Rochester Fringe (Rochester, NY) and Picolo Spoleto (Charleston SC). Mason’s talks and spoken word performances have been sponsored by Poets & Writers, “The Big Read,” New York Council for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and First Night Saratoga. As an author and paranormalist, he has appeared at sci-fi/fantasy/horror conventions including World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, NY, and several incarnations of the venerable Horrorfind in the Baltimore/DC area.
By now Mason has written or edited twelve books, including "Ghosts of 1812," a study of the Niagara war and its folklore (Western New York Wares, 2009), and (with Michael Bastine) "Iroquois Supernatural," a study of the traditions of the Six Longhouse Nations (Inner Traditions International/Bear & Company, 2011). His real niche, though, is the paranormal, a field with many components.
Mason is not a parapsychologist – an academic trained in parapsychology. He is a paranormal generalist. He is more of a historian/folklorist than he is a psychic or a ghost-hunter. He takes the broad field seriously, and he is taken seriously as a researcher.
He has appeared as a guest expert on more TV, radio, and internet programs than he can recount. He designed and hosted The Phantom Tour (2003), a two-hour TV program/DVD on haunted history in upstate New York. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show and stars in a 2006 episode of the Travel Channel program Legend Hunters.
Mason’s first novel series may be unusual for fiction. “The Whistlers”’ inspirations are not other works of art and entertainment. “The Whistlers” was inspired by research – paranormal truth.
Recording Date (including After The Paracast):
Wednesday, January 11 at 2:00 PM Pacific (5:00 PM Eastern)
Post your questions or comments for discussion below:
To Download After The Paracast: Please Subscribe to The Paracast Plus
For Five-Year and Lifetime Subscriptions: Use Coupon Code ufo20 for a 20% Discount!
Choose Your Membership Upgrade
Choose Your Membership Upgrade
Broadcast and Streaming Date:
January 15, 2023