How to Prepare for A Difficult Conversation
Over on Brevity, I published this essay "How to Prepare for A Difficult Conversation."
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.
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
D&D Essay hits 18K Likes, a top read on Salon
I'm not one to blown my own horn *too* loudly, but I'm pretty excited that my essay "All I needed to know about life I learned from “Dungeons & Dragons" that appeared on Salon.com last week, has now topped 18,000 likes on Facebook.
I'm not one to blow my own horn *too* loudly, but I'm pretty excited that my essay "All I needed to know about life I learned from “Dungeons & Dragons" that appeared on Salon.com last week, has now topped 18,000 likes on Facebook, as well as making the "Top Reads" section of Salon. I'm really pleased for all the support it's gotten, and for all the kind referrals and favoriting and retweeting it's received in its short life. D&D "officially' turns 40 on Jan 26, so consider this a swell b-day gift for D&D.
All I needed to know about life I learned from “Dungeons & Dragons”
I was lucky enough to publish this piece on Salon.com, using the occasion of D&D's 40th anniversary this month to wax poetical about all the life lessons the game taught me.I was lucky enough to publish this piece on Salon.com, using the occasion of D&D's 40th anniversary this month to wax poetical about all the life lessons the game taught me.
Here's an excerpt:
I played a lot of D&D back in the 1970s and 1980s. After conquering me, D&D went on to transform geek culture. Not only had D&D invented a new genre of entertainment — the role-playing game — but it practically gave birth to interactive fiction and set the foundation for the modern video game industry. Into “Halo” or “Call of Duty”? You’re playing an incredibly sophisticated version of a D&D dungeon crawl.
After a long hiatus, I play the game again now, as a 47-year-old, mostly grown-up person. Today, with my +5 Goggles of Hindsight, I can see how D&D was subtly helping me come of age. Yes, it’s a fantasy game, and the whole enterprise is remarkably analog, powered by face-to-face banter, storytelling and copious Twizzlers and Doritos. But like any pursuit taken with seriousness (and the right dose of humor), Dungeons & Dragons is more than a mere game. Lessons can be applied to the human experience. In fact, all I really need to know about life I learned by playing D&D.