Damon DiMarco | |
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 DiMarco in 2015 | |
| Born | (1971-10-16)October 16, 1971 (age 53) Princeton, New Jersey, United States |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Notable works | Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11; The Actor's Art & Craft; My Two Chinas: The Memoir of a Chinese Counterrevolutionary |
| Website | |
| www | |
Damon DiMarco (born October 16, 1971), is a New York City author, actor, playwright, and historian. Hisoral history work has been compared to that ofStuds Terkel.[1] He was born inPrinceton, New Jersey.
DiMarco was born inHamilton Township, Mercer County and attendedSteinert High School[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree fromDrew University in 1993, and aMaster of Fine Arts degree from theMason Gross School of the Arts atRutgers University.[3]
DiMarco's oral histories includeTower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11, which chronicles theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001, from diversified perspectives on the destruction of theWorld Trade Center. When asked why he wrote the book, DiMarco toldCNNnews anchorBetty Nguyen that "as a writer, my specialty is words. And so I couldn't go down toground zero and dig, I couldn't pull bodies out. My service was to compile the accounts of people who did extraordinary things."[4]
The book's 20th anniversary commemorative edition (2021) features forewords byGeorge Pataki, who served asGovernor of New York during theSeptember 11 attacks, and by formerGovernor of New Jersey and Chairman of the9/11 CommissionThomas Kean.[5]
A starredPublishers Weekly review called Tower Stories a "monumental work" and says that "DiMarco's contribution to the memory of that horrific day is enormous; the testimonies collected here form an amazing, one-of-a-kind account."[6]MSNBC cited it as one of "five must-read books about 9/11 and its legacy,"[7] and said it was "arguably the most successful attempt at capturing the enormity of the events of 9/11." The book was also praised byThe New York Times andWilliam F. Buckley, Jr.[8]
Kean praised the book for being as important as theFederal Writer's Project under theRoosevelt Administration and theWorks Progress AdministrationSlave Narrative.[9]
For the Tower Stories 20th anniversary commemorative edition, DiMarco included a newRetrospective section that includes interviews withAlice M. Greenwald, President and CEO of theNational September 11 Memorial & Museum;Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrightStephen Adly Guirgis;Jesuit priest,Father James Martin; and Glenn Guzi, who oversaw matters related to thereconstruction of the World Trade Center for ThePort Authority of New York and New Jersey.[10]
DiMarco has appeared as a television and radio guest for 9/11-related events, notably onCNN,Premiere Radio Networks,NPR/PBS, and theNational Geographic Channel.[11][12][13] In his introduction to Tower Stories' 20th anniversary commemorative edition, DiMarco noted that, two decades after 9/11, he sees the event as testifying to the strength ofmutual aid as described in the work ofPeter Kropotkin,Charles Darwin, andRebecca Solnit.[14]
Other oral histories includeHeart of War: Soldiers' Voices from the Front Lines of Iraq, a collection offirst-person narratives from U.S. veterans of theWar in Iraq.
Critics of DiMarco's oral history work praise the respect he pays to his interviewees. They note the diversity of perspectives he brings to bear on a single issue, as well as the fact that his interview subjects are often highly intelligent people whommainstream media have failed to notice.[15] DiMarco himself has voiced dissatisfaction with mainstream media.[16]
DiMarco wroteThe Actor's Art & Craft andThe Actor's Guide to Creating a Character with Bill Esper, one of the "most important contemporary master-acting teachers" in the United States.[17] Esper founded theWilliam Esper Studio and the Professional Actors Training Program atRutgers University'sMason Gross School of the Arts.[18] DiMarco has been called Esper's protégé.[19] BothThe Actor's Art & Craft andThe Actor's Guide to Creating a Character detail how Esper explores and elaborates on the famous acting techniques pioneered by legendary acting teacherSanford Meisner. The books have been endorsed by Meisner-trained actors and writers who studied with Esper, includingDavid Mamet,Sam Rockwell,Patricia Heaton,Mary Steenburgen,Stephen Adly Guirgis,Gretchen Mol, andCalista Flockhart.[20]
The Quotable Actor collects 1001 quotes from actors on such diverse subjects as imagination, rehearsal, technique, and the actor's lifestyle. Featured quotes come from diverse sources includingConstantin Stanislavski,Daniel Day-Lewis,Ellen Burstyn,Paul Newman,Jack Nicholson,Stella Adler,Forest Whitaker,Laurence Olivier, and many more.
DiMarco collaborated onOut of Bounds, written withRoy Simmons, a formeroffensive lineman forGeorgia Tech who went on to play for theNew York Giants and took the field inSuper Bowl XVIII for theWashington Redskins. Simmons became the first formerNFL player to publicly announce that he isHIV positive, and one of the first to reveal the extent to which drugs and alcohol backdrop the world of professional football.[21][22] Following the release ofOut of Bounds, Simmons caused controversy among the gay and lesbian community by publicly stating that homosexuality is "against God's will." Reviewer Beth Greenfield, writing forTime Out New York, advised readers "Do Not Buy This Book", perhaps based onSimmons' apparenthypocrisy.[23]
DiMarco wroteMy Two Chinas: The Memoir of a Chinese Counter-revolutionary with Chinese political dissident,Tang Baiqiao. The books covers events surrounding Tang's life, including his experiences at theTiananmen Square protests of 1989, and after.My Two Chinas features a preface byphotojournalistJeff Widener who was aPulitzer finalist for his iconicTank Man photo; an introduction by Prof.Robert Thurman ofColumbia University; and a foreword by theDalai Lama.[24] A starredPublishers Weekly review called the book "beautifully-written" and notes that it "fully embraces the poetry and stories of China . . .both a history lesson and a heart-wrenching read."[25]
Fat Kid Got Fit: And So Can You! was written withBill Baroni and details Baroni's lifelong battle withobesity and how he finally took control of his life at theDuke Diet and Fitness Center. The book features a foreword by Dr. Howard Eisenson, Executive director of the Duke Center, as well as endorsements by former Executive director Dr. Michael Hamilton andTommy Thompson former governor ofWisconsin and a formerUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services.[26]
The Brown Agenda: My Mission to Clean Up the World's Most Life-Threatening Pollution recounts how Australian environmentalist and entrepreneurRichard Fuller foundedBlacksmith Institute, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating life-threatening pollution in thedeveloping world. The institute works under grants from foreign nations, as well as globalNGOs.[27]
DiMarco ghostwrites for business moguls, thought leaders, celebrities, politicians, and athletes.[28]
A classically trained actor, DiMarco studied at theMason Gross School of the Arts. He has acted inregional theatre, and lists television roles and independent films on his acting resume.[29]
DiMarco uses and advocatesanalog methods for promotingcreativity.[35] These methods includewriting onvintagemanualtypewriters which DiMarco collects and restores.[36][37]
DiMarco has taught acting and directing in the Theater Arts department atDrew University and at theNew York Film Academy.[38] In 2012, he created, founded, and led the Writing for Public Intellectuals Workshop which became a required course for doctoral students in the History & Culture program atDrew University'sCaspersen School of Graduate Studies.[39]
DiMarco also teacheswriting techniques andtypewriter restoration on hisYouTube channel.[40]
