Two alumni will showcase their acclaimed work Sunday as part of the LSU Readers & Writers series in celebration of LSU’s Sesquicentennial and the Master of Fine Arts program’s 25th anniversary.
Ethan Gilsdorf, a poet, teacher and journalist, will read an excerpt from his gaming memoir “Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms.”
Gilsdorf played Dungeons & Dragons obsessively in the 1980s and finding his old D&D gear at age 40 inspired him to write a book about his experiences.
“When I was a teen, fantasy gaming was on the fringes,” he said. “Today, ‘geek’ is no longer a four-letter word.”
Gilsdorf has had his stories published regularly in the New York Times, Boston Globe and Christian Science Monitor. 
Novelist Clarence Nero will showcase his fiction alongside Gilsdorf.
Nero, whose work has been praised by Maya Angelou, grew up in New Orleans surrounded by drugs, violence and poverty.
His latest work, “Too Much of a Good Thing Ain’t Bad,” focuses on fraternities, family and college drama.
Nero has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and teaches at Baton Rouge Community College.
The presentation will begin Sunday at 5 p.m. in Dodson Auditorium. Both authors will read excerpts of their work followed by a question and answer session and book signing. Admission is free.
Contact Elizabeth Clausen at [email protected]