Robert Allman’s son was born too soon. The child, bruised from head to toe from the trauma of delivery, lay motionless in a heated acrylic case in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward Humes was there, watching it all. He was there as dozens of tiny infants struggled for life, and he records it all in his newest book, “Baby E.R.”
Humes will be on campus today for a lecture, “The Art of Being There: Immersing Yourself in the Story,” as part of the 2002 Johnston Lecture Series. It begins at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge in Gerlinger Hall.
Humes started as a newspaper journalist and prided himself on asking the unanswered questions to find fascinating stories.
“Ed is a combination of a meticulous reporter and a masterful storyteller,” said Lauren Kessler, director of the graduate program in literary nonfiction in the journalism school. “He writes about important issues with clarity and insight. His work has emotion but little sentimentality.”
Humes won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1989 for specialized reporting for his newspaper writing on the military.
The award recognized his dispatches from Panama during the U.S. invasion, articles on the unjust execution of an army private during World War II, and his year-long investigation of fatal helicopter crashes linked to flawed night-vision devices.
Later, Humes longed to have months instead of hours to craft stories, so he left daily journalism to began writing books. Through the creation of his six non-fiction books, Humes has been honored for his intense and thoughtful portrayals.
“Baby E.R.,” published in November 2000, is a real-life medical thriller that immerses the reader in the inner workings of a neonatal intensive unit. Humes’ previous book, “Mean Justice: A Town’s Terror, a Prosecutor’s Power, a Betrayal of Innocence,” published in 1999, was named a best book by the Los Angeles Times. “No Matter How Loud I Shout; A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court,” published first in 1996, was named the best book of the year by the Investigative Reporters and Editors of America. It also received the 1997 PEN Center USA award for research nonfiction, and the book is being developed as a television series.
Humes’ other books include “Buried Secrets,” “Murder With a Badge” and the bestseller “Mississippi Mud,” which chronicles the assassination of a Mississippi judge and his mayoral candidate wife by a shadowy group known as the Dixie Mafia.
Prosecutors later used evidence Humes developed in researching the book to win a conviction and 18-year prison sentence against the former mayor of Biloxi, Miss.
In his lecture, Humes will focus on what he learned by writing his books.
“I’ll be discussing my experiences in immersion journalism,” Humes said.
He will also talk about the “dos” and “don’ts” of such reporting, the ethical dilemmas one faces when so far “inside” a story, the missteps and successes he has experienced and some helpful hints to aspiring writers.
“Ed Humes has made a career out of immersing himself in stories and making them come alive for his readers,” said Tim Gleason, dean of the UO School of Journalism and Communication. “We’re pleased to have him be this year’s Johnston Lecturer.”
In addition to delivering the lecture, Humes will spend two days on campus teaching a “Writing About…” workshop in the school’s literary nonfiction graduate program.
Humes is currently working on a book for Harcourt Brace set in California’s top public high school. He is also “writer at large” for Los Angeles Magazine.
The lecture is free and open to the public as provided by an endowment from the Richard W. Johnston Memorial Project.