''Nick Joseph DiMartino'' (born November 11, 1946) is a

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

-based author, playwright,

book reviewer A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, an opinion piece, a summary review, or a scholarly view. B ...

and bookseller. To date he has published 15 novels, 2 non-fiction books and has had over 20 plays in full production. Many of his books feature local characters and settings. His plays are often treatments of

classic book A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cl ...

History

DiMartino was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

to Ernesto DiMartino (1922–2012), a second-generation Seattle fruit-and-vegetable merchant and later realtor, and Mamie Lombard DiMartino (1924–2019). Little Nick was named for his grandfather Nicola, but these days the Italian form of the name is usually feminine, so his parents baptized him just Nick (not Nicola or Nicholas). When Nick was six months old the family moved back to Seattle to stay. He attended Maple Elementary School, Cleveland High School, and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

where he majored in English Literature. After graduating from U.W. in 1969, he attended one semester of graduate school on a full scholarship at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

before returning to Seattle and going to work at

University Book Store University Book Store is an independent and privately owned bookstore headquartered in the University District of Seattle, Washington, United States. University Book Store began serving the University of Washington in 1900, and is the oldest a ...

, where he became a book buyer. He has used this position to make sure

s always remain on the shelves, despite the higher profit margins of

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

sports clothing. From his first published work, a one-act play called ''The Polar Bear'' (which won

Scholastic Magazine Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

's First Prize when he was just 18), Nick has completed 55 books and authored over 24 plays. His play ''Frankenstein'' has been performed by the

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

Theatre for Youth,

First Stage Children's Theater The First Stage Children's Theater is a professional American children's theater based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 1987. Its season consists of six "mainstage" shows, two shows for very young audiences, and two shows from its award-winni ...

in Milwaukee, Dallas Children's Theater, twice at

Nashville Children's Theatre Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) is one of the oldest continually operating professional children's theatre company in America. It is a member of the Theatre for Young Audiences, the ASSITEJ, and is affiliated with the Actors' Equity Associati ...

and twice at

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

's Stage One, where it was videotaped in 1997 by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and released as a family theatre video by Globalstage to great reviews.

Nick's Picks

In 2001 DiMartino began a 'book-of-the-month' feature at the seven branches of University Book Store, creating signage and promotion for the best newly released international title. Since then his 'Picks' have been prominently featured every month for over fourteen years.

Nick's Book Club

In 2003 the Nick's Pick promotion expanded into a discussion group at UBS for each featured book, which has met for over twelve years now. When ''

The Kite Runner ''The Kite Runner'' is the debut novel of Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it tells the story of Amir, a young Afghan boy from Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul. The story is set against a backdrop of tumul ...

'' was chosen in 2003, his club members attended the first Seattle autograph party for its author

Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini or Khalid Husseini (; Pashto/Persian: , ; born March 4, 1965) is an Afghan-American novelist, UNHCR goodwill ambassador, and former physician. His debut novel '' The Kite Runner'' (2003) was a critical and commercial success; ...

. Other authors who have visited Nick's Book Club include

Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi (; ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis (comics), Persepolis'' and Persepo ...

Rory Stewart Roderick James Nugent Stewart (born 3 January 1973) is a British academic, broadcaster, writer, and former diplomat and politician. He has taught at Harvard University and at Yale University. He currently teaches and co-directs the Brady-Jo ...

, and

Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her Graphic novel, graphic memoir ''Fun ...

Shelf Awareness

Starting in June 2007 DiMartino has reviewed international fiction for Shelf-Awareness.com, the daily online newszine for booksellers and book-lovers. To date

Shelf Awareness Shelf Awareness is an American publishing company that produces two e-zines focused on bookselling, books, and book reviews: ''Shelf Awareness'' is aimed at general consumers, while ''Shelf Awareness Pro'' caters for industry professionals. ...

has published over 250 of his reviews.

Booklist

Between 2007 and 2009 Nick contributed 126 articles to the online Booklist Reader from

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

Publications.

Seattle Gay and Lesbian Book Club

In January 2009 DiMartino founded The Seattle Gay & Lesbian Book Club, which meets weekly to discuss each month's featured current or classic novel (or memoir) relating to life as a gay person.

Works

Fiction

* 1973 ''Eye of the Dragon'' * 1974 ''The Other Side of the Bay'' – published in ‘’Shadows and Silence’’, Ashtray Press, 2000 * 1975 ''Marco'' * 1976 ''Purgatorio'' * 1976 ''New World Symphony'' * 1977 ''Barnaby Rune and the Gargoyles'' * 1978 ''The Shoemaker and the Elves'' * 1980 ''Madeline Usher'' * 1985 ''Snark!'' * 1986 ''Joseph Golem'' * 1986 ''Sindbad'' * 1987 ''Golden Ass'' * 1987 ''The Red Forest'' – Pacific Northwest Writers’ Conference – 2nd Prize * 1988 ''The Seattle Exchange'' * 1989 ''Sand-Clock Boy'' * 1989 ''Gilgamesh'' * 1990 ''The Ugly Duckling'' * 1990 ''Lord of the Squirrels'' * 1990 ''Dead Tourist: Unidentified'' * 1991 ''Bridge of Black Glass'' * 1992 ''Were'' * 1993 ''Diet'' * 1993 ''Student Union'' * 1993 ''A Mall and the Night Visitor'' * 1994 ''Red'' * 1994 ''Bookworm'' * 1995 ''Eternal Light'' * 1995 ''Hot Glue — The Day Seattle Burned'' * 1996 * 1997 * 1998 * 1998 ''The Ravine: A Seattle Ghost Story'' (audiobook) * 1999 ''Personals'' * 2000 ''The Fence'' * 2000 ''Shameless'' * 2001 ''Out Of Control'' * 2001 ''Straight'' * 2002 ''Turn Away From The Sun'' * 2003 ''Family Wrecking'' * 2004 ''Pineapple Moon'' * 2005 ''Love in the American Empire'' * 2009 ''How To Be

Positive Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to: Mathematics and science * Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation * Positive number, a number that is greater than 0 * Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a positi ...

'' * 2010 ''That Human Weakness'' * 2011 * 2011 * 2012 * 2012 * 2012 * 2013 * 2013 * 2013 * 2014 * 2014 * 2015 * 2015 * 2015

Non-Fiction

* 2012 * 2012

Plays

* ''The Polar Bear'' (1965) -

First Prize * ''Treasure Island'' (1974) - Seattle Junior Programs * ''Raven'' (1975) – Red Earth Performing Arts Company * ''Atlante'' (1976) – Red Earth Performing Arts Company * ''Dracula'' (1982) –

Seattle Children's Theatre The Seattle Children's Theatre (SCT) is a resident theatre for young audiences in Seattle, Washington, founded in 1975. Its main performances are at the Seattle Center in a 482-seat and a 275-seat theatre, and its main theater runs from June thr ...

* ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1982) –

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

Children's Theatre * ''Families: A Musical'' (1983) –

* ''Pinocchio'' (1983) –

* ''Frankenstein'' (1983) –

Theatre for Youth * ''Ozma of Oz'' (1983) –

Children's Theatre * ''Rama'' (1984) –

Children's Theatre * ''The Snow Queen'' (1984) –

* ''Raven The Hungry'' (1984) –

Theatre for Youth * ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1988) – Village Theatre,

Issaquah Issaquah ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 40,051 at the 2020 census. Located in a valley and bisected by Interstate 90, the city is bordered by the Sammamish Plateau to the north and the " Issaquah ...

* ''Stop The Wedding!'' (1988) – New City Theatre Playwrights Festival finalist, 1999 Hugo House Playwriting Competition finalist * ''Snow White'' (1989) –

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Playhouse Junior * ''Aladdin'' (1990) –

Playhouse Junior * ''Closed Door'' (1990) * ''Sodom: The Musical'' (1993) * ''Snow White'' (1993) –

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

* ''Babes in Toyland'' (1994) – Village Theatre,

* ''The

Sampo In Finnish mythology, the ''Sampo'' () is a magical device or object described in many different ways, constructed by the blacksmith and inventor Ilmarinen and which brings riches and good fortune to its holder, akin to the horn of plenty (corn ...

'' (1999) – FinnFest USA ’99 * ''Christmas Ghost Story'' (2000) * ''Socrates (Never Fall in Love With a Beautiful Boy)'' (2001) * ''Troublemaker's Mother'' (2010) – Finlandia Foundation * ''Gildong'' (2016) pre-production

Films

* ''Frankenstein'' (Stage One, Louisville Kentucky for Globalstage, 1997)VHS tape of Frankenstein
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DiMartino, Nick Living people 1946 births University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni 20th-century American writers 21st-century American writers 20th-century American male writers