Bio
Photo by Michael Cooper
Michael Mason is a professional writer based in Tulsa. His works have appeared in several newspapers and magazines, including Discover, The New York Times, and The Believer. Mason has also appeared as a guest on several national media outlets, including the Lehrer Newshour, CBS News, NPR’s Morning Edition and The Diane Rehm Show.
Mason’s assignments have taken him into the Iraqi war zone, behind Vatican walls, and into aftermath of the World Trade Center. Along the way, he has built a reputation for noteworthy journalism. When Mason’s article, “Dead Men Walking,” appeared in Discover magazine, it ignited a national debate about the treatment of brain injured soldiers.
Mason’s first book, Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath, is an exploration into the harsh realities endured by brain injury survivors. Since the publication of Head Cases, he has maintained a role as one of the country’s leading advocates for people with brain injury–he has addressed the Congressional Task Force on Brain Injury and has served as president of the Brain Injury Association of Oklahoma.
A native of Oklahoma, Mason has a long history of involvement in the Tulsa community. He has been a past president of the Tulsa Artist Coalition, and founded the popular cult journal Me Head, which reached more than 300,000 readers a month online. He has written articles for both the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman. He is also the founding editor of This Land, a monthly publication based in Tulsa.
Mason is also a member of the PEN American Center, a board member of the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists, and a past president of the Brain Injury Association of Oklahoma. He serves on two advisory councils committed to the bettering of treatment for veterans with brain injury.
In addition to his writing projects, Mason has produced several feature works that have played on public radio stations across the nation. In an ongoing project with Tulsa author Jeff Martin, Mason produces one of Oklahoma’s most popular podcasts, “Goodbye Tulsa,” a show that tells the story of Tulsa through the lives of its citizens.
Mason is currently at work on a non-fiction book called The Human Assembly: The Discovery, History, and Industry of our Parts, Tissues, and Organs, to be published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.