The Frog Prince and The Mayor
Pop quiz, hotshot: What Bay Area literary figure throws the best parties around? No, it's so not the SF Weekly. The winner of our big fun on a school night award goes to Jane Porter and TimeWarner Publishing for their launch party for Jane's new book The Frog Prince.
As our cab pulled up to La Barca in a part of town we've never felt like we belonged in, we started to feel that high school era anxiousness in the pit of our stomach. We decided just to run in, say "hi" to Jane (who had so sweetly mailed us an invitation), and bail before we found ourselves contemplating exercise and wearing clothing containing color.
Feminist perspectives on the romance novel and Gavin after the jump!
Photos of Jane and her books by Deborah Sherman
We can only imagine how we looked to Jane, out of place as we were among the Marina swans. The hostess with the mostest, she got us boozed up and comfortable. Though everyone there was eager to chat with her, we ended up speaking at length about our shared alma mater, how much she loves and misses San Francisco (she now resides in Seattle, and how we perceive the "literary" contempt for the chick lit and romance genres to be a most offensive form of misogyny. Jane rocks!
She introduced us around to her web team, all of whom are cool, fun, and smart women. The time flew by as we chatted about martial arts, the craft of writing, and Glen Park burritos. We were stunned to discover that we'd been drinking in the Marina for almost two hours, and that we were running late for a DocFest screening.
We went to bid Jane farewell, and she clutched our arm and agonized "The Mayor is here and I signed a book for him to give to Kimberly, and I just remembered he isn't married anymore!" As we hastily assured her that it's a mistake we've all made, we scanned the crowd before seeing the more muted than we expected glare of a certain mayoral hair care product.
We shot over, introduced ouselves to the mayor ("We're on your links list" "Oh, are you?"), and got a picture with him (Hizonner, standing at about 9 feet tall: "can you get both of us?" We, standing on our toes like we haven't since ballet class "how's this?", madly praying that the top of his head isn't cut off because that's the best part).
Ordinarily, we're not down with talking about an elected official's attractiveness, but this was a chick lit/romance novel party so we feel safe in saying that we were struck by Gavin's presence, and we might not wash the part of our lower back (we've already washed the hand he shook, don't be disgusting) he touched ever again. As we parted, we said "Hey, you should check out the site, we even write nice things about you, um, sometimes" (as we frantically hoped that this was indeed the case). "Sometimes?" he barked in his trademark rasp. "Yeah, I think so." "You think so?" Well, Gavin, if you're actually reading, we just did.
So, to sum: the SF Weekly party -- not so good. Jane Porter's party, fun, funky fresh festivities. Jane, next time we'll buy the drinks, name the time and the place, we'd love to hang out again!
If you want to have your own Jane Porter experience, she's reading in several Bay Area bookstores today and tomorrow. We can't promise she'll point you in the direction of any celebrities, but we know you'll have a good time.