As a video producer at Syracuse University, I’ve had the fortune of meeting some famous people. These figures include actor Dennis Quaid, Shaquille O’Neal and author Joyce Carol Oates.

However, of all the public figures I have met, no one has captured my attention like former House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

First off, I must give full disclosure. I am no Reagan Republican; in fact I am not even a registered voter. And what captivated me most about Dick Armey was not his party affiliation or political beliefs, but his warm and easygoing personality. One could imagine sitting at a sports bar with him and splitting a pitcher of draft beer and an order of chicken wings while watching college football.

Armey came to our university studio on a Wednesday night in October of 2009 for a satellite uplink with CNBC. He was in the central New York area to endorse Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in the 23rd Congressional District race, which was later won by Democrat Bill Owens.

First off, Armey’s physical presence impressed me. He appeared tall and broad with a swarthy complexion, and he wore a dark pinstriped suit with a mint green shirt and a striped tie. He also had on black cowboy boots and a white hat, and the contrast between his dark clothes and boots and the cream-colored hat made me think he was a middle-of-the-road cowboy, undecided if he should lean toward being a sheriff or an outlaw.

Armey seemed to take an interest in me as a person, and we bantered about country music while I helped to “mic” him, attach his IFB and get his audio level.

Armey had to sit through three segments before his slot came up on CNBC. When the time finally came for him to appear on The Kudlow Report, he exhibited energy and his voice boomed in the small studio as he discussed supply-side economics and the value of the dollar.

Then after the interview, after his brief time on air ended, he took off his mic and IFB, stood up, grabbed his hat and started walking out of the studio with his press secretary. But he paused on his way out, almost as if he forgot something, and made a point to say to me, “Thanks partner.” His body was at an angle as he exited the studio, but he extended his hand back and quickly shook my hand.

I powered down the camera and turned off the studio lights. I then locked up the office and headed home, relieved that I hadn’t screwed up anything on the air. I also thought getting a chance to meet Dick Armey almost made up for having to work overtime.

This piece appears on SmithMag.net

http://www.smithmag.net/brushes_with_fame/story.php?did=256516

SelfScribes, a blog that promotes self-published and indie writers, profiled Outskirts of Intimacy recently.  Follow the link for the story.

http://selfscribes.blogspot.com/2011/05/sunday-tea-poetry-outskirts-of-intimacy.html

And here is where you can find the latest content from the blog.

http://selfscribes.blogspot.com/

The poem, The Bridesmaid, appears in the online edition of Stone Canoe Number 5. Stone Canoe is a journal of arts, literature and social commentary in upstate New York.

http://www.stonecanoejournal.org/SC5OnlineIndex.htm

Here is the link to my photography portfolio on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/francisdiclemente

My debut poetry chapbook, Outskirts of Intimacy, was published by Flutter Press in 2010.  The book is a collection of personal, free-verse poems about adolescence, illness, romance, family and death.  The work is split between observational or philosophical poems celebrating the ephemeral and more narrative poems influenced by the geographic setting of upstate New York.  You can preview or purchase the book at Lulu.com. The link follows.

Outskirts of Intimacy poetry chapbook

I have uploaded an author profile on the website Goodreads.com to help promote my poetry chapbook.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4792079.Francis_DiClemente

Puffin Circus, an online literary journal, has released its March baseball-theme issue. One of the poems in the magazine, Minors, offers my reflections of a Toledo Mud Hens game in the late 1990s. The works in this issue will entertain you and get you excited about the upcoming MLB season.

http://puffincircus.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/microsoft-word-march-baseball-issue.pdf

Armory Square Playhouse, a playwrights’ group in Syracuse, hosted a staged reading of Automat: An Interpretation at Jazz Central on Feb. 13th, 2011. Here is the press release announcing the event.

ARMORY SQUARE PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS STAGED READINGS OF TWO NEW SHORT PLAYS BY LOCAL PLAYWRIGHTS KATHY KRAMER AND FRANCIS DICLEMENTE

Sunday, February 13 at 1:00. PLACE: Jazz Central. 441 E. Washington St., Syracuse.

Admission: $7.00 regular; $5.00 students and seniors.

THE PLAYS:

“Automat: An Interpretation”, a romantic dramedy, follows the plight of Martin Ramsey, an idealistic artist and night custodian, who has fallen in love with the female figure in Edward Hopper’s painting, Automat. Elements of magical realism bring the figure in the painting to life but the realization of a romance presents challenges not easily negotiated. The reading features David Baker, Ethan Howse, Rachel Torba Grage, Donna Stuccio, and Bob Fullenbaum.

“Hearts of Clover” tells the story of two elderly sisters, Ruthann and Maude, who live together in a small town in the 1950s. Their quiet life is turned upside down when their developmentally-disabled neighbor, Leon, faces a crisis and there is no one else to help. Long-buried secrets are brought to light, pitting neighbor against neighbor. The reading features Amy Doherty, Kathy Kramer, Donna Stuccio, and Peter Moller.

DATE AND TIME: Sunday Feb. 13 at 1:00.

PLACE: Jazz Central. 441 E. Washington St., Syracuse.

Tickets: $7.00 regular; $5.00 for students and seniors

Here is a review of a 2008 Jackson Pollock exhibit at the Everson Museum in Syracuse.

http://bit.ly/ftkzAO

This is a nostalgic look at my Pentax K1000 film camera, presented as a photo essay that was published in The Writer’s Eye Magazine.

http://www.thewriterseye.com/archives/we-012-winter-2010.pdf