In a career that has spanned more than four decades he has written five books and a variety of magazine articles and newspaper stories and series. Known for his innovations both in style and reportage, his credits include two first-in-category Pulitzer prizes (feature writing in 1979 and expository journalism in 1985). He has taught Oregon State University, and the University of Oregon, where his duties included the directorship of the creative writing program. He currently teaches at the University of Maryland.