Damon DiMarco

{{Infobox writer | name = Damon DiMarco | image = DamonDiMarco.jpg | caption = DiMarco in 2015 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|10|16|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Princeton, New Jersey, United States | other_names = | occupation = {{flatlist| * Writer * actor * playwright * historian }} | notableworks = ''Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11; The Actor's Art & Craft; My Two Chinas: The Memoir of a Chinese Counterrevolutionary'' | years_active = 1996–present | spouse = | website = {{URL|www.thewritestuff.pro}} }}

'''Damon DiMarco''' (born October 16, 1971), is a New York City author, actor, playwright, and historian. His oral history work has been compared to that of Studs Terkel.<ref>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781595800213 Publishers Weekly Review]</ref> He was born in Princeton, New Jersey.

==Early life== DiMarco was born in Hamilton Township, Mercer County and attended Steinert High School.<ref>[http://www.steinert1989.com/index.php Hamilton High East Class of 1989 website]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106114023/http://www.steinert1989.com/index.php |date=November 6, 2009 }}</ref> He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Drew University in 1993 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-dimarco-thewritestuffpro/ LinkedIn]</ref>{{better|date=May 2026}}

==Oral histories== DiMarco's oral histories include ''Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11'', which chronicles the September 11 attacks in 2001, from diversified perspectives on the destruction of the World Trade Center. When asked why he wrote the book, DiMarco told CNN news anchor Betty Nguyen that "as a writer, my specialty is words. And so I couldn't go down to ground zero and dig, I couldn't pull bodies out. My service was to compile the accounts of people who did extraordinary things."<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0409/11/smn.02.html CNN transcript September 11, 2004]</ref>

The book's 20th anniversary commemorative edition (2021) features forewords by George Pataki, who served as Governor of New York during the September 11 attacks, and by former Governor of New Jersey and Chairman of the 9/11 Commission Thomas Kean.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santamonicapress.com/tower-stories-an-oral-history-of-911-20th-anniversary-commemorative-edition/|title=Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11: 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition – Santa Monica Press|date=March 11, 2014 }}</ref>

A starred ''Publishers 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."<ref>[http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1595800213 Publishers Weekly]</ref> ''MSNBC'' cited it as one of "five must-read books about 9/11 and its legacy,"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120828032914/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44429361/ns/today-books/t/five-must-read-books-about-its-legacy MSNBC Today]</ref> and said it was "arguably the most successful attempt at capturing the enormity of the events of 9/11." The book was also praised by The New York Times and William F. Buckley, Jr.<ref>{{cite book |last1=DiMarco |first1=Damon |title=Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 |date=2021 |publisher=Santa Monica Press |location=Los Angeles, CA |isbn=978-1595801029 |edition=20th anniversary commemorative |url=https://santamonicapress.com/tower-stories-an-oral-history-of-911-20th-anniversary-commemorative-edition/}}</ref>

Kean praised the book for being as important as the Federal Writers' Project under the Roosevelt Administration and the Works Progress Administration Slave Narrative.<ref>''Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11'' by Damon DiMarco (2007) {{ISBN|978-1-59580-021-3}}</ref>

For the Tower Stories 20th anniversary commemorative edition, DiMarco included a new Retrospective section that includes interviews with Alice M. Greenwald, President and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis; Jesuit priest, Father James Martin; and Glenn Guzi, who oversaw matters related to the reconstruction of the World Trade Center for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://santamonicapress.com/tower-stories-an-oral-history-of-911-20th-anniversary-commemorative-edition/|title=Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11: 20th Anniversary Commemorative Edition – Santa Monica Press|date=March 11, 2014 }}</ref>

DiMarco has appeared as a television and radio guest for 9/11-related events, notably on CNN, Premiere Radio Networks, NPR/PBS, and the National Geographic Channel.<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0409/11/smn.02.html CNN Interview]</ref><ref>[http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ET/popup/200711132200.html National Geographic Channel Fall 07 Schedule] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111192959/http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ET/popup/200711132200.html |date=November 11, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/town-square/2021/09/10/408217/i-was-at-the-top-of-that-rollercoaster-about-to-go-over-9-11-survivor-recalls-attack-20-years-later/|title='I Was at the Top of That Rollercoaster About to Go Over,' 9/11 Survivor Recalls Attack 20 Years Later|date=September 10, 2021}}</ref> 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 of mutual aid as described in the work of Peter Kropotkin, Charles Darwin, and Rebecca Solnit.<ref>{{cite book |last1=DiMarco |first1=Damon |title=Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11 |date=2021 |publisher=Santa Monica Press |location=Los Angeles, CA |isbn=978-1595801029 |edition=20th anniversary commemorative |url=https://santamonicapress.com/tower-stories-an-oral-history-of-911-20th-anniversary-commemorative-edition/}}</ref>

Other oral histories include ''Heart of War: Soldiers' Voices from the Front Lines of Iraq'', a collection of first-person narratives from U.S. veterans of the War 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 whom mainstream media have failed to notice.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806528141 American Library Association Review]</ref> DiMarco himself has voiced dissatisfaction with mainstream media.<ref>[http://mercerspace.com/permalink.lasso?ei|38943.112115|Author_exposes_wars_hard_heart Hamilton Post article] {{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Books on acting== DiMarco wrote ''The Actor's Art & Craft'' and ''The Actor's Guide to Creating a Character'' with Bill Esper, one of the "most important contemporary master-acting teachers" in the United States.<ref>[http://www.damondimarco.com/Esper_Art_&_Craft_Johns_Hopkins_U_Press_MUSE.pdf Johns Hopkins MUSE Theatre Review] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708222610/http://www.damondimarco.com/Esper_Art_%26_Craft_Johns_Hopkins_U_Press_MUSE.pdf |date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> Esper founded the William Esper Studio and the Professional Actors Training Program at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts.<ref>''The New Generation of Acting Teachers: More than 20 revealing interviews with today's master teachers on the art and craft of acting'' by Eve Mekler (1987) {{ISBN|978-0-14-008898-4}}</ref> DiMarco has been called Esper's protégé.<ref>[http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/book_reviews/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003874826 BackStage Magazine Article] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120723202250/http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/book_reviews/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003874826 |date=July 23, 2012 }}</ref> Both ''The Actor's Art & Craft'' and ''The Actor's Guide to Creating a Character'' detail how Esper explores and elaborates on the famous acting techniques pioneered by legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. The books have been endorsed by Meisner-trained actors and writers who studied with Esper, including David Mamet, Sam Rockwell, Patricia Heaton, Mary Steenburgen, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Gretchen Mol, and Calista Flockhart.<ref>''The Actors' Art & Craft'' by William Esper and Damon DiMarco (2008) {{ISBN|978-0-307-27926-2}}</ref>

''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 including Constantin Stanislavski, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ellen Burstyn, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Stella Adler, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Olivier, and many more.

==Literary collaborations== DiMarco collaborated on ''Out of Bounds'', written with Roy Simmons, a former offensive lineman for Georgia Tech who went on to play for the New York Giants and took the field in Super Bowl XVIII for the Washington Redskins. Simmons became the first former NFL player to publicly announce that he is HIV positive, and one of the first to reveal the extent to which drugs and alcohol backdrop the world of professional football.<ref>[http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/sports_roy_simmons.aspx 700 Club Article]</ref><ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02EFD8153AF933A05752C1A9659C8B63 ''New York Times'' article]</ref> Following the release of ''Out 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 for ''Time Out'' New York, advised readers "Do Not Buy This Book", perhaps based on Simmons' apparent hypocrisy.<ref>[http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/books/8195/bookmarks ''Time Out New York'' article, January 16, 2006]{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

DiMarco wrote ''My 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 the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and after. ''My Two Chinas'' features a preface by photojournalist Jeff Widener who was a Pulitzer finalist for his iconic Tank Man photo; an introduction by Prof. Robert Thurman of Columbia University; and a foreword by the Dalai Lama.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/My-Two-Chinas-Chinese-Counter-Revolutionary/dp/1616144459 Amazon]</ref> A starred ''Publishers 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."<ref>[http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-61614-445-6 ''Publishers Weekly'' March, 2011]</ref>

''Fat Kid Got Fit: And So Can You!'' was written with Bill Baroni and details Baroni's lifelong battle with obesity and how he finally took control of his life at the Duke 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 and Tommy Thompson former governor of Wisconsin and a former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Fat-Kid-Got-Fit-Can/dp/0762770473/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328062245&sr=1-1 Amazon entry Fat Kid Got Fit: And So Can You!]</ref>

''The Brown Agenda: My Mission to Clean Up the World's Most Life-Threatening Pollution'' recounts how Australian environmentalist and entrepreneur Richard Fuller founded Blacksmith Institute, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating life-threatening pollution in the developing world. The institute works under grants from foreign nations, as well as global NGOs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://damondimarco.com/portfolio/dirty-filthy-trouble-2/ |title=Author's website |access-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-date=April 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415101438/http://damondimarco.com/portfolio/dirty-filthy-trouble-2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Ghostwriting== DiMarco ghostwrites for business moguls, thought leaders, celebrities, politicians, and athletes.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0034OH87M/about Amazon Author Central profile]</ref>

==Acting== A classically trained actor, DiMarco studied at the Mason Gross School of the Arts. He has acted in regional theatre, and lists television roles and independent films on his acting resume.<ref>[http://imdb.com/name/nm2281521/ Internet Movie Database]</ref>

* ''Guiding Light'', 2000 * ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', 2000 * ''As the World Turns'', 1999–2001 * ''Law & Order'', 2007 * ''One Life to Live'', 2005–2007 (recurring)

==Audiobook narration==

* ''The Actor's Art and Craft'' read with Michael Esper, 2019

==Non-Fiction== * ''Tower Stories: the Autobiography of September 11, 2001'' (2004) * ''Out of Bounds: Coming Out of Sexual Abuse, Addiction, and My Life of Lies in the NFL Closet'' in collaboration with Roy Simmons (2005) * ''Heart of War: Soldiers' Voices from the Front Lines of Iraq'' (2007) * ''Tower Stories: an Oral History of 9/11'' A revised, updated edition. (2007) * ''The Actor's Art & Craft'' with William Esper (2008) * ''The Quotable Actor: 1001 Pearls of Wisdom from Actors Talking about Acting'' (2009) * ''My Two Chinas: The Memoir of a Chinese Counterrevolutionary'' with Tang Baiqiao (2011) * ''Fat Kid Got Fit: And So Can You'' with Bill Baroni (2012) * ''The Actor's Guide to Creating a Character'' with William Esper (2014) * ''The Brown Agenda: My Mission to Clean Up the World's Most Life-Threatening Pollution'' with Richard Fuller (2015) * ''Tower Stories: an Oral History of 9/11'' 20th anniversary commemorative edition, expanded. (2021)

==Short stories== * ''Nightshade'' (2014, anthologized in ''After the Fall: Tales of the Apocalypse'', Almond Press)

==Stage plays== * ''My Mariners'' (2004, with Jeffrey Harper)<ref>[https://sundogtheatre.org/production/my-mariners/ Sundog Theatre website]{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> * ''Shock & Awe: A Play in Two Acts'' (2009)<ref>[https://www.citybeat.com/home/article/13017480/onstage-yes-festival CityBeat]</ref> * ''Tower Stories: A Play About 9/11'' (2017)<ref>[https://newplayexchange.org/plays/108588/tower-stories-play-about-911 New Play Exchange]</ref> * ''The Martinis' Christmas Wonderland'' (2019)<ref>[https://newplayexchange.org/plays/539883/martinis-christmas-wonderland New Play Exchange]</ref> * ''The Monk and The Hangman's Daughter'' adapted from the novella by Ambrose Bierce (2020)<ref>[https://newplayexchange.org/plays/864871/monk-and-hangmans-daughter New Play Exchange]</ref>

==Essays== * ''Brown is Just as Important as Green'' (2012)

==Typewriters== DiMarco uses and advocates analog (i.e. pre-digital) methods for promoting creativity.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco YouTube-TheWriteStuffPro]</ref> These methods include writing on vintage manual typewriters which DiMarco collects and restores.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrgEmgwWH74&list=PLUJ2tjtfUm19EqLp99z1MwEvoF2gDjJZ_&index=31 YouTube video]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco YouTube-TheWriteStuffPro]</ref>

==Teaching== DiMarco has taught acting and directing in the Theater Arts department at Drew University and at the New York Film Academy.<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-dimarco-thewritestuffpro/ LinkedIn]</ref> 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 at Drew University's Caspersen School of Graduate Studies.<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-dimarco-thewritestuffpro/ LinkedIn]</ref>

DiMarco also teaches writing techniques and typewriter restoration on his YouTube channel.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco YouTube-TheWriteStuffPro]</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *[http://www.damondimarco.com Author's official website] *[http://www.towerstories.org Website for Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11] *[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0409/11/smn.02.html CNN Transcript of Interview with Damon DiMarco]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimarco, Damon}} Category:1971 births Category:21st-century American biographers Category:American male biographers Category:21st-century American dramatists and playwrights Category:Living people Category:American military historians Category:Oral historians Category:Drew University alumni Category:Writers from New York City Category:People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Category:Writers from Princeton, New Jersey Category:Rutgers University alumni Category:Steinert High School alumni Category:New York Film Academy Category:American male dramatists and playwrights Category:21st-century American male writers Category:Historians from New York (state)