Choiceology podcast: A Hero's Journey

I appeared on the Choiceology podcast, “A Hero’s Journey,” in which I discuss how stories about the call to adventure and tests of character and strengths can make your life more manageable, exciting, and meaningful. Download here or on Apple Podcasts.

Q&A with a Dungeon Master

WBUR interviewed me about my lifelong interest in D&D, and why D&D still matters:
”For me, the win is if we've had a really fun time together. We've amused ourselves, we've had some emotional, exciting moments. Along the way, we’ve made these little sparks of connection. We've done something that has stakes and has meaning. Those are D&D’s wins. Your goal is to work together to solve a problem, not defeat each other — a totally different game experience. We've had some laughs, we've told a really interesting story. That’s a pretty great metaphor for life, too.” Read the interview here.

D&D turns 50 this year. Gather round the Dungeon Master's table

My essay for WBUR on the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. “On a personal level, D&D and other tabletop role-playing games offered me a template to create my own fantasies, my own narratives that starred a version of me that was less nerdy and more aggressive, less timid and more adventurous, less self-conscious and more carefree.” Read the rest of my essay here.

My Super 8 movie hits D&D Direct

D&D Direct is the annual video marketing blitz for new D&D merch roll-out. This 50th anniversary year, the livestream used clips from my Super 8 movie of my 1981 D&D session in its opening few minutes. Does this mean I hit the big time, Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast?

“I discovered the transmogrifying portal of D&D in 1979, when I was 11…”

A short movie (thanks to the Boston Globe audience engagement team). Also on Instagram and TikTok.

Appearance on GBH’s “The Culture Show”

Speaking about the 50th anniversary of D&D on WGBH radio.

Dungeons & Dragons is 50. Almost as many years ago, it saved my life.

“Once I discovered the transmogrifying portal of D&D, the game became a safe haven — the place where I could achieve feats and victories beyond my reach in real life.”
An essay for the Boston Globe Ideas section.

“The Power of the Sandwich: Story Containers Beyond Chronology”

In this craft essay on the Brevity Blog, “The Power of the Sandwich: Story Containers Beyond Chronology” I explore narrative story “containers” including the “non-chronological sandwich,” because I really like sandwiches, and others structures that are just as tasty. Join me for a CRAFT TALKS webinar,  Contain Your Narrative: Five Time-Tested Structures Nonfiction Writers Need to Know, August 1 at 2PM Eastern ($25) and learn five time-tested ways to arrange your story for maximum power.

There and Back Again: Ethan Gilsdorf's GrubStreet Journey

Ethan Gilsdorf shares his GrubStreet journey for the GrubStreet blog.

"It’s AT&T, We Apologize for Thursday’s Outage and…”

My comedy piece "It’s AT&T, We Apologize for Thursday’s Outage and Also Why Won’t You Talk to Me?!" was published in Points in Case comedy magazine.

My love letter to Boston on WBUR Cognoscenti

WBUR featured my radio essay as part of their "Love Letter to Boston" series that aired on WBUR's NPR Morning Edition program.

Antidepressant Brand Name, or Elf Character from Middle-Earth?

Humor! Over on Greener Pastures: “Antidepressant Brand Name, or Elf Character from Middle-Earth”

How to Prepare for A Difficult Conversation

Over on Brevity, I published this essay "How to Prepare for A Difficult Conversation."

The cellphone at 50

I wrote this commentary "The cell phone turned 50 this year. To celebrate, I’d like to be a little less connected" for WBUR's Cognoscenti. 

Shall we play a game?

In which my co-author and I entice chat GPT to play Dungeons & Dragons. 

Here's what we wrote for Wired Magazine.

DEAR CHATBOT, SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT MY DEAD MOTHER? A conversation between Ethan Gilsdorf and ChatGPT

Should I write about my dead mother?

Yes, you should write about your dead mother if you feel compelled to do so. Writing about someone you care about can be a cathartic and meaningful experience.

You'll find this essay published over on Electric Literature 

Quiz: Monster in the new Dungeons & Dragons movie or Republican Member of the Weaponization of the Federal Government Committee?

I published a funny list over on MuddyUm: "Quiz: Monster in the new Dungeons & Dragons movie or Republican Member of the Weaponization of the Federal Government Committee?" 

I’m that Mysterious and Exotic Condiment Stuck to the Door of Your Refrigerator and I Didn’t Change Your Life

I wrote a humorous (I hope) essay over on The Haven:
"I’m that Mysterious and Exotic Condiment Stuck to the Door of Your Refrigerator and I Didn’t Change Your Life"

A connection with a stranger reminded me how to play

Over on WBUR's Cognoscenti, I published an essay about a chance, playful encounter with a boy in an airport and how that got my in touch with the power of play. Enjoy.

Discussing narrative structure on the 7am Novelist podcast

On Michelle Hoover's The 7am Novelist podcast, I discussed how to find alternative structures and shape your own with host Michelle and writer Christopher Boucher, and how to go "Beyond Freytag" in re-examinging traditional narrative  structure in your novel, story or essay.