Memoirist & Short Story Writer

Nick DeMartino

Witness to history, that’s how I think of my writing, both fiction and creative nonfiction. My archeology of memory is infused with narrative drive and emotional bite. The prose is vivid, the voice authentic, often snarky. I'm thrilled to share my journey with you here – news of my memoir, published stories, and "Behind the Scenes" of my research and writing process in a new blog.

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MY SEVENTIES

A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Videotape

MY SEVENTIES is the story of a gay Army brat who invents himself and a new medium during the turbulent decade between Stonewall and AIDS. Coming to Washington, D.C. during so-called Weatherman Summer, I was quickly immersed in the counterculture as a radical journalist. I had sex with a man in his VW van the night before burning my draft card and dove head first into gay life. I also found my calling, the guerrilla television movement. As my ambitions grew, so did the blur of promiscuity and substance abuse. My father died before I could come out to him. Months later my mother told me he had also loved men. That wound sent me to primal scream therapy and haunted me for years. An older Nick, sober for decades, tells the highs and the lows of his younger self, never letting that kid off the hook.

Read the synopsis and excerpt →

Seeking Representation

What EARLY Readers Say About 'My Seventies'

I loved it! Honestly, I almost couldn't put it down. I read it over the course of a couple of days.

What an engrossing read it's been. You've done an incredible job, Nick. This is an important book.

Great, consistent voice; well observed at every turn.

A time that needs to be written about and recorded for posterity.

DAMN YOU! Why do you have to be SUCH a good writer? I have things to do but instead I can't stop reading this book!

I'm admiring many turns of phrases as well as your deep insights on life in those times.

It got to the point that I couldn't stop reading.

It feels personal and universal at the same time.

The progression of your professional work life was fascinating to me.

Things were moving fast. You were forward thinking, inspiring, trustworthy, impressive and successful at almost every step.

I loved reading what was possible back then and how that changed our lives in such an important way.

The political and cultural thread acts as a sort of chorus — the Greek kind — fixing us to a timeline whilst amplifying your connection to it.

I was fascinated by the media stuff and especially how quickly things were changing.

I was impressed by your clear descriptive writing style, incredible memory and re-enactment of actual conversations and contemporaneous thoughts!

Your dialog is ready for a film or play or TV series (with an X-rated script!)

I think the deeply personal intimacies will generate a readership way beyond the early video aficionados seeking your remembrances of our shared lives.

Your prose is unadorned and clear and your story resonates in so many ways.