Last Saturday night, Geekquality’s San Francisco crew (Alice Marie, Rick G and I) went to Writers With Drinks, a monthly reading series hosted by Charlie Jane Anders (io9.com, author of Choir Boy). This isn’t your tempered event at a neighborhood library, but a boozy literary cabaret. Anders is a hilarious MC, spinning yarns of her own as she introduces each guest, and the authors span genres from sci-fi to poetry, erotica to memoirs. Writers with Drinks, proceeds from which benefit San Francisco’s Center for Sex and Culture, is now in its 11th year and has a dedicated audience, some of whom have missed few (if any) evenings.
We got to the Make-Out Room early enough (a good hour before curtain call) to snag a booth, and within half an hour the venue was filled with people. Charlie circled the crowd, asking people to move closer to the stage, as more and more people filed into the bar. The room was abuzz with excited (and tipsy) anticipation of the evening’s line up.
Photo of our lovely MC by the equally lovely Bonnie Burton (www.grrl.com)
The first to the stage was Sarah Kuhn, author of One Con Glory (currently being developed for the big screen). Kuhn’s excerpt was a hilarious anecdote of the main character losing her prized Glory Gilmore collectible figure to a poser ex-boyfriend. Next up was Malinda Lo, author of Ash and Huntress – which we previously gushed about here on the site – and the upcoming sci-fi novel Adaptation. Lo shared a chapter that perfectly captured the awkward, sexy moment of budding lust and affection between two San Francisco girls, Reese and Amber. Noted erotica author Rachel Kramer Bussel followed with “A Slap in the Face,” a short, steamy story about a bar alleyway encounter between two women (Amber and Jade), that starts with a slap (and ends with a need for some Handi Wipes).
After the break, Glen David Gold (Carter Beats the Devil) read an excerpt from his upcoming memoir. Set in in 1970’s San Francisco, we were introduced to Gold as a precocious, comic book-loving kid overwhelmed with “feelings of unreality” and adolescent ennui. The evening’s closing reading was courtesy of Amber Benson, a geekdom triple threat – she acts (Tara on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer), she writes (Ghosts of Albion; Calliope-Reaper Jones novels), she directs (Drones). Benson read a funny, oh-so-true bit about panelists and con goers, and the personality clashes and encounters that abound.
The thing that resonated the most about the evening (besides the fondness for the name Amber) was the feeling of community. An excited, intimate gathering of geeks and friends, everyone tossed back drinks, cheered and blushed together. The guests mingled with the audience, clearly appreciative of this community of lit nerds and geeks, as well as inspired by their own creative peers. It was a riotous good time, basically. Alice Marie and I also each picked up Sarah Kuhn’s book, so there’s sure to be a write up fairly soon.
The next Writers With Drinks takes place Saturday, May 12, with Barry Gifford and Greg Rucka on the roster. Check out the Writers With Drinks site for details and future updates.
