is dedicated to Barth and Barthelme, in addition to Stanley Elkin, and the poet Anne Sexton, all early teachers of Domini.
His fiction has been lauded as "a lively, generous mind in action thought swift moving, sonorous language" by Tony Ardizzone in Italian Americana.
[19] His debut book of short stories, Bedlam, was published by Fiction International in 1982[20] and reissued by Dzanc in an expanded version in 2014.
The stories examine "social violence and deep and genuine pity" and circle around the subject of love in both real and unreal locales.
Norah Vincent of The New York Times called the stories "dense prose poems" with characters who "take metaphysical stock of experiences"[22] Talking Heads: 77, his first novel, was also published by Red Hen Press in 2003., then reissued in 2013 by Dzanc Books The novel explores 1970s alternative news media and the punk rock scene.
The novel is set in Naples, the Southern Italian seaport where Domini's father grew up, and follows an American family's experiences there.
It was selected by Gival Press as a runner-up for their national award and made the short list for "Best of International Publishing" at the London Book Fair.
The book examined his recovery from midlife breakdowns by way of deeper investigations into his father’s native city, Naples, and brought together, in new form, many previously published pieces on the ancient seaport, in The New York Times and elsewhere.
Brooklyn Rail praised its “painstaking care” and “searing wit,”[34] and a section was reworked to stand alone in Lit Hub[35].
[36] The book received good notices; Publishers Weekly called it "poetic and philosophical" as well as "enlightening,[37]" and Electric Literature praised its "playful prose, intellectual depth, and the breadth of texts it covers.
[39] His poem "Okie Monarchs" won the 2006 Meridian Editors' Prize[40] Domini translated Tullio Pironti's memoir, Books & Rough Business, in 2008.