NASA crashed into an asteroid! Nerds like me are in heaven
A nerd out on the NASA's DART Mission to bump into an asteroid, published in WBUR's Cognoscenti
Watching the Red Sox. Looking for my mom
Did your mother coach your Little League team? Mine did. On #RedSox home opener day, my nostalgic reminincience, for WBUR Cognoscenti.
What Our Brains Do When We Play Wordle
A Q&A with Holly Taylor, Tufts University professor of psychology and mechanical engineering, about why that darned word game is so popular: "What Our Brains Do When We Play Wordle"
A celebration of Zoom's 50th
Half a century later, I can still sing the address: "Write Zoom. Z, double-O, M. Box 3-5-0. Boston, Mass. 0-2-1-3-4. Send it to Zoom!"
Read my essay/appreciation celebrating the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking kids show Zoom.
Talking Tolkien on the Mythmakers podcast
Thank you Oxford Center for Fantasy for inviting me to be on the Mythmakers podcast. Listen as we talk all things fantasy writers --- especially Tolkien --- and the multitude of subcultures they inspired from D&D to LARPing and more.
Fall workshops with Ethan
Classes I'm offering this fall include:
- So You Wanna Be a Writer, Friday, October 1st, 10:30am-1:30pm (EST)
- The Hermit Crab Essay, Friday, October 15th, 10:30am-1:30pm (EST)
- Seaport Free Writes, Wednesday, October 6th, 12:30pm-1:15pm
- 6 Weeks, 6 Essays, 6 Tuesdays from 10:30am-1:30pm (EST), starting September 14th
- Developing Your Personal Essay, 8 Mondays from 6-9pm (EST) starting October 18th (to Dec 6)
- Writing the Short, Publishable Personal Essay: Online, 8 weeks online; NO LIVE MEETINGS. Class opens September 9th.
My TEDx talk now a podcast
It lives (again)! My TEDx talk "Why Dungeons and Dragons is good for you" has been turned into a TEDx SHORTS audio podcast on all your favorite platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Stitcher, Castbox, iHeartRadio). Here's the Apple Podcasts link. Enjoy!
Take an online writing workshop with me this winter & spring
The downside of Covid is I don't get to teach in person. The upside is that all my classes are now on Zoom or online and anyone regardless of location can be a part of my writing workshops. Here's what I'm offering this winter and spring (thus far). I hope you'll join us!
GrubStreet Seminars and Multiweek workshops:
**Note: Due to Coronavirus, for the time being, all GrubStreet classes in Boston and Providence will be offered remotely, online, live via Zoom video conferencing. More info on how this works.
Seminars:
So You Want to Be a Writer in 2021? Section C - Remote!: Friday, February 5th, from 2:00pm-5:00pm
So You Want to Be a Writer in 2021?: Section D - Remote!: Friday, March 19th, 10:30am-1:30pm
Personal Narrative Essentials: Building Characters, Friday, February 12th, 10:00am-5:00pm
Personal Narrative Essentials: Structure and Form, Friday, February 26th, 10:00am-5:00pm
Generator Bootcamp, Friday, March 5th, 10:30am-1:30pm
Personal Narrative Essentials: Using Research and Immersion, Friday, March 12th, 10:00am-5:00pm
Personal Narrative Essentials: Finding Your Narrative Arc, Friday, March 26th, 10:00am-5:00pm
Personal Narrative Essentials: How to Publish, Friday, April 16th, 10:00am-5:00pm
Multi-week workshops:
Remote (Zoom) workshops:
Writing the Risky Personal Essay, 6 Thursdays, 10:30am-1:30pm, starting April 8
6 Weeks, 6 Op-Eds, Wednesdays from 10:30am-1:30pm, starting March 10th.
Online Multi-week, asynchronous workshops:
Online: 6 Weeks, 3 Essays, 6 Weeks, starting January 20th
In PROVIDENCE, for GrubStreet:
None at this time. Please see GrubStreet's Providence page for current info on all classes being offered in Providence.
Other venues:
The Westerly Writers Workshop: Online Memoir classes. Westerly, RI, at the Ocean Community YMCA, Westerly-Pawcatuck Branch. Classes will be held remotely via Zoom.
6 Wednesdays, 6:00pm-9:00pm
Session 1: January 27 – March 3. Register here.
Session 2: May 19 – June 23. ;Registration info TBA.
Stay tuned for Summer 2021 sessions TBA soon.
Best American "Notable" Essay for 2020
OK some cool news! My essay "'Creative Trespassing' sets me free" was named a Best American "Notable" Essay for 2020. Read the essay the here. Thank you Experience magazine editor Joanna Weiss, Best American Essays editor Andre Aciman, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Such an honor.
Study the essay with me September 2020-April 2021
Take your essays to the next level and apply to GrubStreet's Essay Incubator program, our eight-month (September to April) intensive program for writers seeking high-level feedback on their essays, immersion in a community of essay writers, and a leg up on the publishing world. I'm your fearless leader on this creative writing adventure.
More info on the program here. If you have questions about the program or application process, or if you're unsure you're a good match for the program, please drop by the remote (Zoom) Open House & Info Session on July 14. For more info on that, and to tegister: http://ow.ly/tvjY50AmXF5
Geeking out about D&D
Sure D&D is fun ... But is it good for you? Over on the DiceGeeks podcast, I discuss this and share stories of growing up playing D&D and its benefits with host Matt Davids.
Best games against social isolation
I was asked by the Boston Globe to recommend my favorite games --- board and card games, charades-type games, and role-playing games --- to play in person with your quarantine crew or online via video conference. In the story, I recommend Cards against Humanity, Dungeons & Dragons, and Pandemic.
Here are some of my picks that didn't make it into the story:
Here's the full story.
take a spring or summer writing workshop with me
Hey writers. GrubStreet (the place where I teach) is adapting to the virus by offering all creative writing classes remotely. No matter where you live, you can take a workshop. Here's a sample of what classes I'm offering in May, June, July and August. More deets: http://ethangilsdorf.com/teaching/
Can a 53-year-old nerd with bad-hand eye coordination excel at esports?
Can a 53-year-old nerd with bad-hand eye coordination excel at esports? My essay explores that and the whole college esports scene.
https://expmag.com/2020/01/forget-football-video-games-are-the-next-big-college-sport/
Some teenagers play football ... others slay dragons.
Some teenagers play football ... others slay dragons. Morified meets Dungeons & Dragons in this new podcast. Take a listen! [I come on at about the 15 min. mark]
http://getmortified.com/episode/179-dungeons-dragons-and-totally-awkward-diaries/
Me, the New York Times and D&D
I wrote this feature story for the New York Times Books section "In a Chaotic World, Dungeons & Dragons Is Resurgent: The role-playing game has made a surprising return to mainstream culture." (published online Nov. 13, 2019; on print Nov. 15).
Come study the essay with me
I'll be leading GrubStreet's 2019-2020 Essay Incubator program.
Over 8 months (Sept-April), you'll take a deep dive into essay craft and tradition, work on 3 to 5 essays inthe company of other serious essayists, and workshop and revise three of them in preparation for publication. I'll invite guest writers and editors into the classroom to share their secrets, and you'll get a professional look at your work at Grub's Muse and the Marketplace conference. Among other cool things. You can read more details here. (Note: fellowships are available.)
I'll be holding a Free Open House and Info Session on Thursday, June 27th at 6pm at GrubStreet in Boston (sign-up in advance here, if you think you can make it). The open house will be a chance for you to ask any questions you may have about the Incubator re: the workload; application process; schedule; my teaching philosophy, or anything else. Perhaps most importantly, it's a chance to find out if the program is right for you. Drinks and snacks provided!
cheers,
Ethan Gilsdorf
writer | teacher | critic | nerd
ethan [at] ethangilsdorf.com | http://www.ethangilsdorf.com | @ethanfreak | YouTube
Quiz: Trump Administration Dismissal/Resignation or Monster Defeated in My Last D&D Campaign
1. Kirstjen Nielsen
2. Demogorgon
3. Manafort
4. Manticore
5. Shulkin
6. Reince Priebus
7. Gibbering Mouther
8. Gorka
9. Owlbear
10. Omaroso
11. Zinke
12. Mimic
13. Mattis
14. Githyanki
15. Scaramucci
16. Tarrasque
17. Slaad
18. Fleitz
19. Rex Tillerson
20. Displacer Beast
[Answers: Trump Dismissal/Resignation: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 19; D&D Monster: 2, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 20]
© Ethan Gilsdorf
My obsession with trespassing
My essay for Northeastern University's new Experience magazine, about the pleasures of being where I'm not supposed to be.