A young writer in New York City began a very special journey immediately following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. In the spirit of Studs Terkel and the Roosevelt Administration’s WPA Slave Narratives, Damon DiMarco set about constructing a comprehensive oral history of the attacks on the World Trade Center. The result was Tower Stories: An Oral History of 9/11, a living time capsule of the day that forever changed America in the words of the people who were there.
"Arguably the most successful attempt at capturing the enormity of the events of 9/11, Damon DiMarco’s sprawling oral history runs a wide gamut of testimony from survivors, responders, witnesses and people whose lives were forever altered by the attacks. The human stories are presented with raw candor a thousand times more affecting than any cold statistic offered by a commission . . . ‘Tower Stories’ is a riveting and disarmingly emotional read." - NBC’s The Today Show
"I hope this book remains in print for a very long time to come, because everyone should read it. Our children should read it. With regard to 9/11, we – as a people -cannot allow a myth to take root. We must ground ourselves in our pain if we have any hope of moving forward. And move forward we must.”- Tom Kean, Chairman of the 9/11 Commission (from the foreword to Tower Stories.)
A year and a half after his mission began, DiMarco’s list of interviews spanned a staggeringly broad cross-section of participants in September 11th. Survivors of the Towers. Police. Firefighters. Paramedics. Volunteers. Their accounts were published as: “The only widely available oral history of 9/11 from the perspective of New Yorkers . . . monumental work . . . In the weeks following the World Trade Center attack, DiMarco, in the tradition of Studs Terkel, wandered Manhattan collecting the stories of Gothamites who survived the collapse of the the towers, came to help or simply bore witness-whether from elsewhere in they city, across the country or overseas. . . DiMarco’s contribution to the memory of that horrific day is enormous; the testimonies collected here form an amazing, one-of-a-kind account.”
ABOUT DAMON DIMARCO
Damon DiMarco is the author of the oral histories Tower Stories: an Oral History of 9/11 (with a foreword by Tom Kean, chairman of the Independent 9/11 Commission), and Heart of War: Soldiers’ Voices from Iraq. He has also written the collaborations My Two Chinas: The Memoir of a Chinese Counterrevolutionary with Baiqiao Tang (featuring a foreword by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama), Out of Bounds: Coming Out of Sexual Abuse, Addiction, and My Life of Lies in the NFL Closet with former offensive lineman Roy Simmons, and the forthcoming Fat Kid Got Fit, a memoir of the obesity epidemic with Bill Baroni (Globe Pequot, December 2011).
A professional actor as well as a writer, Damon has appeared in primetime and daytime television programs, on CBS, ABC, and NBC, commercials, independent films, regional theater, and trade shows. He has written two books on acting: The Actor’s Art & Craft with world renowned acting teacher William Esper (featuring a foreword by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet) and The Quotable Actor: 1001 Pearls of Wisdom from Actors Talking about Acting.
Damon has been a guest on CNN, National Geographic Channel, Premiere Radio Networks, FOX News, and Odyssey Networks. He has written for the stage, screen, and television, and taught acting on the faculties of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, and the New York Film Academy in Manhattan. For more information, please visit www.damondimarco.com.
Hatchfund Campaign Launches for Tower Stories, the Play
On August 15, 2014, a Hatchfund campaign launched to fund development of a play based on “Tower Stories: an Oral History of 9/11.” The campaign will run until September 16. Donors receive rewards at select donation tiers - all donations are tax deductible.
WHAT IS TOWER STORIES: THE PLAY?
A project to adapt Damon DiMarco’s book “Tower Stories: an Oral History of 9/11" for the stage. Donations will fund the play’s development cycle, including readings by professional actors in New York City, with an eye toward mounting a full production on the 15th anniversary of 9/11 (September 2016).
CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE BOOK?
A Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW called Tower Stories: “Monumental . . . In the weeks following the World Trade Center attack, DiMarco, in the tradition of Studs Terkel, wandered Manhattan collecting the stories of Gothamites who survived the collapse of the the towers, came to help or simply bore witness-whether from elsewhere in they city, across the country or overseas. . . DiMarco’s contribution to the memory of that horrific day is enormous; the testimonies collected here form an amazing, one-of-a-kind account.”
WHY WRITE A PLAY ABOUT 9/11?
It’s one thing to read history in a textbook, quite another to experience actual people embodying it on stage. The unique oral history format of Tower Stories (the book) invites transformation into a powerful piece of theater that will humanize 9/11 for generations to come. The voices of people who participated in the actual event – policemen, firemen, paramedics, volunteers, survivors, and the bereaved – will speak directly to audience members, telling them what actually happened and how it affected our culture.
HOW WILL MY DONATION BE USED?
A well-made play requires extensive development. Its first draft initiates prolonged collaboration between actors, directors, producers, and the playwright. Over subsequent readings, these artists test, shape, and reshape the material so the final script can withstand the stress of production. The need for a healthy development process holds especially true for material related to 9/11, where historical and personal stakes must be respected. Your donation will cover studio rentals, actor stipends, office supplies, research, and publicity for an open read of the play’s final draft. Any overfunding will allow us to augment the project's scope, as well as efforts to publicize the final read.
Thank you for your support. Please spread the word! And please visit www.towerstories.org andwww.damondimarco.com for more information