Ethan Gilsdorf a Boston-based author comes to Los Angeles this week, Thurs Nov 5, Skylight Books, to speak about my new book "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms."
The book is a travel-memoir and cultural investigation that looks at the appeal of fantasy and gaming. The book contains a chapter on the Society for Creative Anachronism, and profiles a local SCA member Sir Gareth. There are also chapters on Tolkien fandom, Lord of the Rings, D&D and other RPGs, online games like World of Warcraft, Harry Potter, DragonCon, and more.
The book has been reviewed favorably by the Boston Globe, The Onion's AV Club, Wired.com, and other publications and websites Ethan Gilsdorf http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com
Thurs, Nov. 5 7:30 pm Los Angeles, CA Skylight Books http://www.skylightbooks.com 1818 N. Vermont Ave.
As part of his West Coast book tour, Ethan Gilsdorf presents his travel memoir / pop culture narrative "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms." The book is an exploration and celebration of fantasy and gaming subcultures. The events begin with a "geek trivia contest" with prizes that tests the audience's knowledge of all things Tolkien, Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons and more. Gilsdorf will then read an excerpt from "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks," followed by a Q&A and book signing. More info: http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com
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PRAISE AND REVIEWS:
>"For anyone who has ever spent time within imaginary realms, the book
will speak volumes. For those who have not, it will educate and enlighten."
–WIRED.COM
>"Imagine this: Lord of the Rings meets Jack
Kerouac's On The Road"--- National Public Radio's "Around and About"
>"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. " –BOOKLIST
“A breathless adventure/quest/memoir that is uniquely contemporary.” —Andrei Codrescu, NPR commentator
“A vicarious peek into an escapist pastime." –Kirkus Reviews
>"[A] fascinating memoir/travel/geek-world exploration." --- The Onion's A.V. Club
“Witty, downright funny, poignant, honest and ... well, wistful.” —R. A. Salvatore, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Elf Trilogy
“Fun, quirky and fresh.” —David Brin, winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards
“An orcs-and-all journey through geekdom.” —Melissa Anelli, author of Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon
“More fun than being a Dungeon Master to a group of high-level mages and thieves.” —A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically
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MORE ABOUT THE BOOK: Come commune with your inner fantasy fan or gaming geek with Ethan Gilsdorf, author of the travel memoir / pop culture narrative "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms."
"Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks" is travel-memoir exploration and celebration of fantasy and gaming subcultures. As you know, online gaming, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are huge and topical these days. The book is an effort to understand the appeal of fantasy and gaming.
On a quest that begins in his own geeky teenage past and ends in our online gaming future, former D&D addict Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to Wisconsin, France to New Zealand, and Planet Earth to Middle-earth to the realm of Aggramar. He asks game-players and fantasy fans---old, young, male, female, able-bodied and disabled—what attracts them to fantasy worlds, and for what reasons. What he discovers is funny, poignant, and enlightening.
ABOUT ETHAN GILSDORF: Ethan 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.
After playing Dungeons & Dragons religiously in the 1970s and 1980s, Ethan Gilsdorf went on to become a poet, teacher, and journalist. In the U.S. and in Paris, he’s worked as a freelance correspondent, guidebook writer, and film, book and restaurant reviewer. Now based in Somerville, Massachusetts, he publishes travel, arts, and pop culture stories regularly in the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Christian Science Monitor,and has been published in other magazines and newspapers including National Geographic Traveler, Psychology Today, and the Washington Post. His blog "Geek Pride" is seen regularly on PsychologyToday.com and he has also been a guest on talk radio as a fantasy and escapism expert. He does not own elf ears, but he has kept all his old D&D gear, and has been known to host a Lord of the Rings party or two. Follow Ethan’s adventures at http://www.ethangilsdorf.com.
More information at http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com
Ethan Gilsdorf
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.ethangilsdorf.com http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com 617-718-7007
My book "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms" is now available from The Lyons Press/Globe Pequot Press.
* All-new website here: http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com/ *
* Blogging for Psychology Today -- "Geek Pride": https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geek-pride *
* Read my blog: http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/ethanfreak-blog/ *
* INTRODUCTORY VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0knQcSAaws *
* Join the Facebook Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks Fan page! http://www.facebook.com/fantasyfreaksbook *
* Enter the Great Geek Giveaway contest! cool prizes! http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/greatgeekgiveaway/ *
* Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ethanfreak * Ethan Gilsdorf
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.ethangilsdorf.com http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com 617-718-7007
My book "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms" is now available from The Lyons Press/Globe Pequot Press.
* All-new website here: http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com/ *
* Blogging for Psychology Today -- "Geek Pride": https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geek-pride *
* Read my blog: http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/ethanfreak-blog/ *
* INTRODUCTORY VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0knQcSAaws *
* Join the Facebook Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks Fan page! http://www.facebook.com/fantasyfreaksbook *
* Enter the Great Geek Giveaway contest! cool prizes! http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/greatgeekgiveaway/ *
* Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ethanfreak * Ethan Gilsdorf
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.ethangilsdorf.com http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com 617-718-7007
My book "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms" is now available from The Lyons Press/Globe Pequot Press.
* All-new website here: http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com/ *
* Blogging for Psychology Today -- "Geek Pride": https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/geek-pride *
* Read my blog: http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/ethanfreak-blog/ *
* INTRODUCTORY VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0knQcSAaws *
* Join the Facebook Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks Fan page! http://www.facebook.com/fantasyfreaksbook *
* Enter the Great Geek Giveaway contest! cool prizes! http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/greatgeekgiveaway/ *
* Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ethanfreak *
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