FSG editor Paul Elie offered a toast to debut novelist Fiona Maazel early into the party last night celebrating the publication of Last Last Chance—or, since Maazel (a mediabistro.com writing instructor) preferred to have the spotlight on books and writers in general, rather than her specifically. To that end, people were just as thrilled to speak with David Markson in his corner booth as they were to cheer on Maazel’s success, and when I introduced Charles Bock to Karen Abbott, his enthusiasm about wanting to read Sin in the Second City was vivid. Other authors who came to Bella’s for the event included Amanda Stern, Amy Hempel, Leigh Newman, Wesley Stace and Myla Goldberg.
Then I wandered up Lafayette a few blocks to catch Adam Mansbach reading from The Last of the Jews at McNally Robinson, and found myself standing next to Keith Gessen at one point before we were pushed apart by a bunch of people trying to get at the free He’Brew beer.