What: “Dispatches from 1320”
A collection of newspaper stories compiled during the career of former Oregonian reporter Tom Hallman Jr.
About the author: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.
Publisher: Hallman Publishing
Rating: 4 stars
Cost: $7.99 for the Kindle version on Amazon, $25 for a printed copy
Where available: Amazon, Barnes & Noble
Pages: 501
Tom Hallman Jr. won a Pulitzer Prize for his feature story “Sam: The Boy Behind the Mask.” The story follows a boy and his family as they choose life-threatening surgery to improve his disfigured face.
The story is one of dozens in Hallman's collection, “Dispatches from 1320”, where he aims to give a voice to everyday people in Portland, and to illustrate the city in a unique perspective of the Rose City. It was first published in November 2015.
The text includes 52 narratives written by the author from the desk of his job at the Oregonian, where he worked as a reporter for 32 years. He retired 11 years ago, but the stories are as fresh and new upon re-reading as they were when first published.
In the foreword of “‘Dispatches,” Hallman writes, “The stories written in this collection were written in a newsroom that does not exist.” He is referring to the former Oregonian building that was located on 1320 S.W. Broadway in Portland. This place holds a critical significance to Hallman and this particular collection of stories.
“We moved to a building within walking distance of our old building. It was a nice place. We have new furniture, state-of-the-art technology, and stunning views of Mount Hood and the Willamette River. If you’ve worked in a newsroom, you know what I mean. And if you haven’t, well, you’ve missed something special,” Hallman writes.
The author gives an anecdotal feel of the old Oregonian newsroom with absolute brilliance.
“A high-ranking editor used a squirt gun on people passing by his desk,” Hallman recalls.
Hallman uses this anecdote to illustrate the playful vibe in the newsroom at the time. He reminisces on that newsroom feeling that seems nostalgic to him and exciting to others. These are all critical writing and storytelling elements that earned him the Pulitzer.
The story titled “Pioneer” in the book highlights the retirement of William Hilliard, local journalist and the first African-American editor of the Oregonian. “Pioneer” showcases Hallman writing excellence to its core.
Hallman shares with the reader a brief summary of Hilliard’s beginnings and how he manifested the highly ranked position at the Oregonian.
If you read carefully, you can even notice a piece of flashy alliteration work in his work.
“When he was a child, Hilliard dreamed of being a journalist. It was a ridiculous goal because in the 1930s Negroes were maids or waiters or redcaps. They cleaned toilets, carried luggage and cleared tables. That didn’t deter Hilliard. When he was 10, he started a neighborhood paper in Southeast Portland,” Hallman writes.
Hallman’s book is hard to put down because each story is so rich with literary skill and effective writing. An example of this could be seen in the story “1-2-3-BLUSH". They don’t know, they can’t know, they shouldn’t know.”, Tom Hallman describes a dance instructor at the Scottish Rite Center in Southwest Portland named Richard Walker.
“He is past 70, looks 60, and moves with the grace and confidence of a wide receiver in his prime...His most distinguishing feature is a deep baritone, an instrument as rich and thick as maple syrup on a cold morning.” Hallman says.
Be sure to read the story “Taking A Shot” in the book. “Taking a Shot” is a story about a junior at Marshall High School who struggles to fit in with his peers. Mike Luckenbaugh, the subject of this story, likes drawing and playing guitar but has difficulties making friends.
“His artistic side, in a way, created the challenge he was facing.” Hallman says, “A few weeks earlier, the friend he’d eaten lunch with everyday, the buddy he’d had since middle school, quit showing up to his lunch table. Mike kept returning to the same table, and one day the friend showed up with a group of strange boys. They stood around Mike, and teased him about the clothes he wore.”
Later in the story Mike finds comfort in life becoming involved with basketball and trying out for the school basketball team.
Tom Hallman Jr. is a senior reporter who was born and raised in Portland and graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 1977. He was worked other jobs at a car wash, a grocery store, a greyhound race track and was once a volunteer at a VA hospital.
I recommend this book to anybody that lives in, or grew up in Portland or anybody who likes to read a wholesome short story for that matter. Hallman's short stories in “Dispatches from 1320” provide the necessary substance to hold its ground against any 500-page novel. However, the body of text is kept in a short story format on account of its simplicity. I think the author is true to this format of story telling because it’s an extremely effective way to get as much information across to the reader in just a few pages.
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