Ethan Gilsdorf

Last updated
Ethan Gilsdorf
Ethan Gilsdorf, 2014 (cropped).jpg
Gilsdorf in 2014
Born (1966-09-29) September 29, 1966 (age 57)
Dover, New Hampshire
Alma mater Hampshire College (BA)
Louisiana State University (MFA)
Occupation(s)Writer, performer, critic, teacher
Website www.ethangilsdorf.com

Ethan Gilsdorf (born September 29, 1966) is an American writer, performer, critic, and teacher.

Contents

Gilsdorf is the author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms. [1] Gilsdorf began his writing career in the 1990s as a poet. He began writing nonfiction in 2000 as a Paris-based freelance journalist. [2] He writes about arts, culture, media and technology, and reviews books and films for The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Wired, and Salon. He also works as a writing instructor and consultant. [3]

Life

Gilsdorf was born in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1966, and was raised in the nearby town of Lee. Growing up, he wanted to be a veterinarian, cartoonist or filmmaker. [4] He read kids adventure books and works of fantasy and science fiction, and was a fan of Star Wars and Bugs Bunny. He began playing Dungeons & Dragons in middle school [5] around the time he began to write his own "Lord of the Rings rip-offs." [6] Gilsdorf has said that the people who influenced him include filmmakers George Lucas [7] and Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros. cartoon animator Chuck Jones, [8] Mad Magazine , Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, [9] cartoonist Saul Steinberg, comedian George Carlin [10] and writer J.R.R. Tolkien. [11]

Career

Journalism, reviews and essays

During a five-year stay in Paris from 1999 to 2004, Gilsdorf got his start in journalism as a freelance travel, hotel, food and film writer for Fodor's travel guides and Time Out . [12]

In Paris, and later in Boston, he went on to publish features stories, essays, op-ed and reviews on travel, arts, technology, the media and pop culture regularly in The New York Times , The Boston Globe , Salon, Boston Magazine, and Wired. He has published hundreds of articles and op-eds in dozens of other publications. He is a contributor to the blogs "GeekDad" (formerly at Wired.com ), "Geek Pride" on PsychologyToday.com, and Boston NPR affiliate WBUR's Cognoscenti and TheARTery. [13]

He specializes in immersive, participatory journalism, [14] in which he tries out things and reports back on them: being a pilgrim at Plimoth Plantation; [15] re-enacting the world of Stranger Things and the 1980s; [16] or mountain biking in the French Pyrenees. [17]

Gilsdorf has contributed to several books, including the writing craft books Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief and Loss; Create Your Writer Platform: The Key to Building an Audience, Selling More Books, and Finding Success as an Author; and the textbook Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing [18] (8th edition). He has also contributed to Fodor's Paris; Fodor's France; and Time Out Paris Eating and Drinking.

Gilsdorf in 2014 *EthanGilsdorf with D&D SM.jpg
Gilsdorf in 2014

Book-length memoir

Gilsdorf is the author of the travel memoir-pop culture investigation Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms, published by Lyons Press in 2009. The book explores fantasy and gaming subcultures. The book was named a Must-Read Book by the Massachusetts Book Awards. [19]

According to The Huffington Post , Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks is "full of encounters, both funny and poignant". [20] National Public Radio's "Around and About" describes the book as "Lord of the Rings meets Jack Kerouac's On the Road ". Wired wrote, "For anyone who has ever spent time within imaginary realms, [21] the book will speak volumes. For those who have not, it will educate and enlighten." Wired also said, "It's the sort of book that, if you're a lifelong geek like me, you can't put down." [22]

"Gandalf's got nothing on Ethan Gilsdorf, except for maybe the monster white beard", wrote the Boston Globe. [23] [ verification needed ] The A.V. Club called it "a fascinating memoir/travel/geek-world exploration." Booklist said, "Gilsdorf is an engaging and personable guide. Like many who will pick up his book, he's got one foot squarely in the real world, the other in the fantasy one. This is a journey well worth taking"; [24] and Make Magazine said, "A surprisingly moving memoir and ode to geek culture. It's also a great book to give to friends and relatives who don't understand the appeal of this subculture … This book rolled a natural d20 (and the wonderful design gets a +2 bonus)." [25]

The subject matter ranges from Dungeons & Dragons gamers and live-action role-players, or LARPers, to Harry Potter wizard rockers and World of Warcraft players. [26] Other subcultures and events the book investigates: the legacy of Gary Gygax, The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) and Pennsic War, DragonCon (aka Dragon*Con), a French castle-building project called Guedelon, J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fandom, and a journey to New Zealand to see The Lord of the Rings film locations. [27] Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks also explores Gilsdorf's own lifelong (and at times twisted) relationship to fantasy and gaming. [28]

Critical acclaim

Gildorf's essay "The Day My Mother Became a Stranger," published in Boston Magazine , [29] was listed in Best American Essays 2016 as a "Notable Essay." [30]

Gildorf was named Artist of the Month (January 2014) by the Somerville (Mass.) Arts Council. [31]

The Boston Phoenix called Gilsdorf "The hardest-working geek we know"; The Quad called him Boston's "nerdlord writer"; [32] and The Weekly Dig described Gilsdorf as "Somerville's resident d20 dorkwad." The Bostonist.com called him "Adorably amusing." The Boston Globe wrote that "Ethan Gilsdorf ... brings a bit of international cachet as well as a lively, engaging reading style ... he is known for an eloquent yet accessible fusion of the natural world and urban culture." The Somerville News said, "[Gilsdorf] captivated the audience with his passionate, inflective reading."

Teaching

Gilsdorf is co-founder of GrubStreet's Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP), where he also leads creative writing workshops for adults in journalism, travel writing and essay writing, and poetry, as well as book promotion and writing career planning. [33]

He has also taught creative writing and journalism at Louisiana State University, Emerson College, [34] and Mediabistro.com.

Gilsdorf giving his TEDx talk "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)" at the 2016 TEDx PiscataquaRiver event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire Ethan action .png
Gilsdorf giving his TEDx talk "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)" at the 2016 TEDx PiscataquaRiver event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Performances, media appearances and public speaking

Gilsdorf frequently appears on NPR stations such as WGBH, [35] WBUR, and Wisconsin Public Radio, [36] and has appeared on The Discovery Channel, PBS, CBC, [37] BBC, the Learning Channel, the French TV network Arte (the program La Revanche des Geeks/Revenge of the Geeks and La thérapie par le RPG/RPG therapy), in documentary films, on podcasts, and has been interviewed by publications in the UK, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, France and other countries.

He has lectured at schools, universities, at film and book festivals, and at conventions and conferences worldwide, such as Harvard University, [38] MIT, La Sorbonne, the New York Public Library and the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival. [39] He also speaks frequently at gaming and pop culture conventions such as Pax, Gen Con and DragonCon.

His TEDx talk "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)" [40] was given at the 2016 TEDx PiscataquaRiver event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Other work, literary and editorial service, and fellowships

Gilsdorf serves on GrubStreet's Board of Directors. [41] He is also a member of the Boston Book Festival Program Committee [42] and the Boston Society of Film Critics. [43] He is on the Advisory Council of The Game Academy [44] (in San Francisco).

He is the former poetry editor of New Delta Review (Louisiana State University); the East Coast correspondent of The Common Review ; a contributing editor to Get Lost magazine; Managing Editor of Frank: An International Journal of Contemporary Writing & Art (Paris) [12] and on the editorial board of La Traductière (Paris).

Books

Related Research Articles

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> Fantasy role-playing game

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast, later a subsidiary of Hasbro, since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system. D&D's publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry, and also deeply influenced video games, especially the role-playing video game genre.

Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, it was published for the D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, in addition to novels, role-playing video game adaptations, comic books, and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Greenwood</span> Canadian fantasy writer and game designer

Ed Greenwood is a Canadian fantasy writer and the creator of the Forgotten Realms game world. He began writing articles about the Forgotten Realms for Dragon magazine beginning in 1979, and subsequently sold the rights to the setting to TSR, the creators of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, in 1986. He has written many Forgotten Realms novels, as well as numerous articles and D&D game supplement books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drizzt Do'Urden</span> Fictional character from Dungeons & Dragons

Drizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character appearing in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed him to replace one of the characters in an early version of the first book, The Crystal Shard. Drizzt has since become a popular heroic character of the Forgotten Realms setting, and has been featured as the main character of a long series of books, starting chronologically with The Dark Elf Trilogy. As an atypical drow, Drizzt has forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home in the Underdark, in the drow city of Menzoberranzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Baker (game designer)</span> American writer and game designer

Keith Baker is an American game designer and fantasy novel author. In addition to working with Wizards of the Coast on the creation of Eberron, he has also contributed material for Goodman Games, Paizo Publishing and Green Ronin Publishing. In 2014, Baker and Jennifer Ellis co-founded the indie tabletop game company Twogether Studios.

Wizard rock is an evolving type of novelty rock music and filk music themed around the Harry Potter franchise. The music was largely prevalent in the United States in the early 2000s. Wizard rock initially started in Massachusetts with Harry and the Potters, though it has grown internationally.

James Daniel Lowder is an American author, anthologist, and editor, working regularly within the fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror genres, and on tabletop role-playing games and critical works exploring popular culture.

The Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game has been adapted into many related products, including magazines, films and video games.

David M. Ewalt is an American journalist and author. Ewalt is the author of the books Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It (2013) and Defying Reality: The Inside Story of the Virtual Reality Revolution (2018).

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1974. As the popularity of the game grew throughout the late-1970s and 1980s, it became referenced in popular culture more frequently. The complement of games, films and cultural references based on Dungeons & Dragons or similar fantasies, characters, and adventures became ubiquitous after the end of the 1970s.

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a magic item is any object that is imbued with magic powers. These items may act on their own or be the tools of the character possessing them. Magic items have been prevalent in the game in every edition and setting, from the original edition in 1974 until the modern fifth edition. In addition to jewels and gold coins, they form part of the treasure that the players often seek in a dungeon. Magic items are generally found in treasure hoards, or recovered from fallen opponents; sometimes, a powerful or important magic item is the object of a quest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabletop role-playing game</span> Form of role-playing game using speech

A tabletop role-playing game, also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a classification for a role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech, and sometimes movements. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a set formal system of rules and guidelines, usually containing Dice-Rolling. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.

GrubStreet, Inc. is a non-profit creative writing center located in Boston, Massachusetts that hosts workshops, seminars, consultations, and similar events. It also offer scholarships.

This is a complete bibliography of the written works of American fantasy author R. A. Salvatore.

Wolves of Freeport, formerly named OneBookShelf, is a digital marketplace company for both major and indie games, fiction and comics. In 2023, OneBookShelf merged with Roll20 to become Wolves of Freeport. OneBookShelf itself was formed by the merger of RPGNow and DriveThruRPG in 2006. The company's e-commerce platforms host content from individual sellers, indie creators and major publishing companies such as Chaosium, Fantasy Flight Games, White Wolf, and Wizards of the Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corellon Larethian</span> Fictional character in Dungeons & Dragons

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Corellon Larethian is the leader of the elven pantheon, and the deity of Magic, Music, Arts, Crafts, Poetry, and Warfare. Corellon is also considered a member of the default D&D pantheon. Corellon is the creator and preserver of the elven race, and governs those things held in the highest esteem among elves. Corellon's symbol was originally a crescent moon; in the 4th edition Corellon's symbol is a silver star on a blue field.

<i>Mythic Odysseys of Theros</i> Tabletop role-playing game supplement

Mythic Odysseys of Theros is a sourcebook that details the Theros campaign setting for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published in June 2020. The plane was originally created for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game and first appeared in the card set Theros, which was released in September 2013. It is inspired by Greek mythology and has a powerful pantheon of Gods that are present and active in both the world and the lives of the player characters.

References

  1. ↑ "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by Ethan Gilsdorf". www.globepequot.com. Globe Pequot. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  2. ↑ "Ethan Gilsdorf's schedule for Boston Book Festival 2017" . Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  3. ↑ "Meet a Grubbie: Ethan Gilsdorf | GrubStreet". grubstreet.org. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  4. ↑ "Of Mouse Traps And Men". cognoscenti. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  5. ↑ "How "Dungeons & Dragons" changed my life". Salon. 2011-03-09. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  6. ↑ "A lifelong love of escape". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  7. ↑ "'Star Wars,' And The Force It Awakened In Me". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  8. ↑ "Geek Dons Chain Mail, Makes Fool of Self". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  9. ↑ "How "Dungeons & Dragons" changed my life". Salon. 2011-03-09. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  10. ↑ "In Their Own Private Bubble". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  11. ↑ "When a Fantasy (Game) Is Better Than Reality (Baseball)". Hobbit Movie News and Rumors | TheOneRing.net™. 2011-04-11. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  12. 1 2 "3am Experimental Fiction – Poets: No More Wind-Swept Hilltops". www.3ammagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  13. ↑ staff listing
  14. ↑ "How did you write that, Ethan Gilsdorf?". How did you write that?. 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  15. ↑ "Pilgrim for a day – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  16. ↑ "The '80s? Stranger things have happened. – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  17. ↑ Gilsdorf, Ethan (2004-03-21). "Mountain Biking in France: Pedal Power". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  18. ↑ "George & Trimbur, Reading Culture, 8th Edition | Pearson". www.pearson.com. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  19. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-09-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. ↑ Sirucek, Stefan (2010-03-18). "Geek Like Me: A Review of Ethan Gilsdorf's Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  21. ↑ "Don't Try to Escape Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  22. ↑ "Geek Author Ethan Gilsdorf Talks Names, Games, and Giveaways!". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  23. ↑ Gilsdorf, Ethan (2010-09-01). Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest For Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, And Other Dwellers Of Imaginary Realms. Lyons Press. ISBN   9781599219943.
  24. ↑ "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms (Paperback)". WORD. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  25. ↑ "Full text of "Make Magazine"". archive.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  26. ↑ "Customer reviews: Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest For Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, And Other Dwellers Of Imaginary Realms". Amazon.com. 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  27. ↑ ""Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks" Hits Paperback | Lord of the Rings on Amazon Prime News, JRR Tolkien, the Hobbit and more | TheOneRing.net". 29 August 2010.
  28. ↑ Diaz, Johnny (2009-01-10). "The never-ending story". The Boston Globe.
  29. ↑ "The Day My Mother Became a Stranger,"
  30. ↑ "Meet a Grubbie: Ethan Gilsdorf". grubstreet.org. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  31. ↑ Artist of the Month
  32. ↑ "Cheapskate's Guide : Week of June 13 | The Quad". buquad.com. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  33. ↑ "Grub Street, Inc. | Instructor Bios G - L". Archived from the original on 2010-10-21. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  34. ↑ "Inactive Subsite". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  35. ↑ "What Can We Learn From Star Trek, 50 Years Later?". WGBH News. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  36. ↑ "Ethan Gilsdorf". Wisconsin Public Radio. 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  37. ↑ "Schedule for Tuesday July 22". CBC Radio. Retrieved 2018-01-08.
  38. ↑ "How Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy Prepare You for Law and Life | Berkman Klein Center". cyber.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  39. ↑ "Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival". NIFFF (in French). Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  40. ↑ TEDx Talks (2016-05-21), Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life) | Ethan Gilsdorf | TEDxPiscataquaRiver , retrieved 2018-01-07
  41. ↑ "Board & Literary Council | GrubStreet". grubstreet.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  42. ↑ "About Us – Boston Book Festival". bostonbookfest.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  43. ↑ "Members | Boston Society of Film Critics". www.bostonfilmcritics.org. Archived from the original on 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  44. ↑ Archer, Joshua. "Advisory Council". www.thegameacademy.org. Retrieved 2018-01-07.

Clausen, Elizabeth (March 18, 2010), "Event to showcase two alumni authors", The Daily Reveille, archived from the original on September 27, 2011, retrieved 2010-03-26

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.