Starting Monday night, there will be no fewer than four opportunities to meet, greet and hear author Ethan Gilsdorf read from his new travel memoir, Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. Over the course of 18 months, Gilsdorf—a graduate of Hampshire College, former Northampton resident and former Marlboro College employee—traveled the world attempting to better understand his inner geek.
A fan of role playing games in his teens, Gilsdorf put his love for fantasy adventure behind him when he went to college. His secret passion lurked in the past until one day, as a middle-aged journalist in Paris, he saw Peter Jackson's Fellowship of the Ring and the geek deep inside screamed its way out of him. On a visit back to his home in New Hampshire, he rediscovered his collection of Dungeons & Dragons rule books and found himself wondering what exactly he'd been embarrassed about. Researching and writing the book helped him answer that question.
Geek Trivia Contest with prize giveaways, reading/presentation, Q&A, book signing: Oct. 26, 7 p.m., Marlboro College, Ragle Hall, College Road (off Route 9), Marlboro, Vt., (802) 251-7644, www.marlboro.edu.
Geek Trivia Contest with prize giveaways, reading, Q&A, book signing: Oct. 27, 7 p.m., Broadside Books, 247 Main St., Northampton, (413) 586-4235, www.broadsidebooks.com.
Cognitive Science Wednesday Noon Talk: Oct. 28, noon; reading, Q&A, signing: Oct. 28, 7 p.m., Hampshire College, ASH auditorium, Amherst, www.hampshire.edu.
