Introduction by Ret Talbot, Award-Winning Journalist & Writer
Step into the stillness and splendor of Maine’s North Woods after dark. In this luminous collection, 38 Maine writers share poems, stories, and essays that reveal the forest’s nocturnal magic—where campfires flicker, loons call across hidden lakes, and silence hums beneath a canopy of stars. From intimate reflections to unexpected encounters with wildlife, each piece offers a window into the transformative beauty of wilderness at night and the deep calm it awakens in us.
$1 from every sale supports the Forest Society of Maine, helping to protect and preserve the state’s forest heritage for generations to come.
Edited by Steven Long
Introduction by Ret Talbot
Softcover: 978-1-961905-38-2 | $14.95
Softcover (Ingram): 978-1-961905-20-7 | $14.99
E-book: 978-1-961905-39-9 | $3.99
December 2024 | 172 pages
Finalist for the Maine Literary Awards 2025
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“North Woods at Night brims with wonder and the ‘splendid darkness’ of a part of Maine that stays with all lucky to spend time there. We hear about ten-year-olds sneaking out at night to paddle a lake, the particular dark of Moosehead, hiking the 100-Mile Wilderness alone, the magic of fireflies, the sudden appearance of a moose, and what it’s like to truly be lost, among many other experiences and observations. In a wide range of forms, the writers in this collection render the North Woods so vividly and in all its glory. “
—Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, poet and nonprofit leader
“This collection, lush and lyrical, so full of insight and awe, reminds us that Maine’s largest forest is a place of wonder, reflection, and transformation. As reverent as a prayer and as delicate as a dream, the poetry and prose in North Woods at Night transport readers to a world of vernal pools and moonglow, towering pines and starshine. In a deep-tree world unpolluted by light, we are invited to witness what truly shimmers.“
—Hollie Adams, author of Things You’ve Inherited from Your Mother
“These poems and stories shimmer and highlight Maine’s beauty, peace, and liminal spaces. Strung together by the garland of pine trees that is Maine’s North Woods, this collection forms a love letter to Maine that opens the hearts of all of us who have the privilege of living here. The amazing work within this anthology finds roots in the darkness that Maine has to offer, beauty in what can be an isolating space, and beauty in the horrors of living. A great read and a beautiful glimpse into the North Woods!“
—Victoria Hood, author of My Haunted Home and I Am My Mother’s Disappointments
“Alive to the majesty and mystery of the forest, the poems and stories of North Woods at Night plumb memories of idyll, capture poignant and gripping moments of transformation, inhabit the creaturely life, and chart the sublime terrain of Maine’s vast kingdom of trees, revealing a world just beyond our ken. An essential collection and guidebook for the spirit, it invites readers to experience one of Maine’s greatest treasures.“
—Gregory Howard, author of Hospice