A Book Party for "Love in the Time of Algorithms" by Dan Slater
As I mentioned on yesterday's blog, Dan Slater, my brand new nephew who just got married to my niece, Sophie, has a book, just released called Love in the Time of Algorithms: What Technology Does to Meeting and Mating. It's really quite a fascinating read about the vast world of online dating and how it is affecting, what has been, the social norm. When Dan and Sophie started to talk about a book party, I offered one of the showrooms at my offices in the spacious Starrett Lehigh Building in New York City for the event. Of course, Dan had the good sense to hire Chef Pierre Schaedelin to cater the affair. Congratulations, Dan and may you sell a lot of books!
1 Here's the striking book jacket designed by Penguin's Joe Perez and Devin Washburn.
2 This is my new nephew, Dan Slater, standing with his finished product. The party was held in the Northwest Showroom of my Starrett Lehigh offices in Manhattan.
3 Our wonderful event planners, Heather Kirkland and Selcen Onsan, printed the jacket blurbs for "Love in the Time of Algorithms" on posters that were hung along a showroom wall.
4 Here's a shot of Heather and Selcen's great design work.
5 Dan, Heather, and Dan's book publicist, Margot Stamas, waited to greet guests as they arrived.
6 Bethany McLean, a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and the co-author of "The Smartest Guys in the Room," the 2004 book about the Enron debacle, blurbed "Love in the Time of Algorithms."
7 Here are Sophie and Dan with Chris Simmons, one of Dan's best friends from childhood. Chris came all the way from Minnesota to help celebrate the occasion.
8 Sam Yagan is a co-founder of OkCupid, a popular online-dating site for young people, and the current CEO of Match Inc's portfolio of dating sites.
9 Sophie and Dan are newlyweds of just one week! They're making plans for a fabulous honeymoon sometime in the near future.
10 Vanessa Grigoriadis contributes to New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair.
11 Kirkus, a book review magazine, is very hard to please. But even Kirkus loved "Love in the Time of Algorithms!"
12 Pierre Schaedelin, the former chef of Le Cirque and Benoit in New York City, catered the event.
13 As always, Pierre's flaky and flavorful cheese straws were a huge hit.
14 Here is Chef Pierre busy at work piping deviled egg filling into little quail eggs.
15 Pierre perches the eggs atop a seedless cucumber slice with a bit of the filling between the egg and the cucumber.
16 He then dollaps wasabi caviar over the top.
17 Yum!!!
18 Other cold hors d'oeuvres included, chicken curry on baguette with coconut flakes, white bean puree and root vegetable crostini, and eggplant caviar and shrimp on toast.
19 Sophie with photographer William Abranowicz
20 Dan with Jim Klinko, an old friend from Westport. Jim owns a great secondhand furniture store called Furniture on Consignment in Westport, CT.
21 A few party guests wanted their books signed and Dan was happy to oblige.
22 Here's Chris with the book crew. Dan is talking to Adrian Zackheim, the publisher. To Dan's right is Will Weisser, head of publicity. The young woman partly obscured by Adrian is Brooke Carey, the very talented editor of "Love in the Time of Algorithms."
23 Guests enjoyed reading an enlarged version of the book excerpt that ran two Sundays ago in the Boston Globe Magazine. The book is also excerpted in the current edition of the Atlantic.
24 The other bearded fellow is Dan's agent, Farley Chase, of the Chase Literary Agency.
25 This is Devra Friedman, Sophie's best friend from summer camp, my niece Kristina Christiansen, and her boyfriend Barrett Miningham. I told Devra she should try out as a body double for the actress Anne Hathaway and she said she gets that a lot.
26 These are Dan's cheery friends from the world of legal journalism. Jesse Wegman - The Daily Beast, David Lat - Above the Law, and Eric Effron - Reuters.
27 Dan had a nice and steady turnout. The really tall fellow is Adam Thompson, sports editor of The Wall Street Journal.
28 Margot Stamas - Dan's publicist, Mauricio Ardila - a producer for Dan Rather, and Bria Sandford - an editorial assistant at Penguin who worked on "Love in the Time of Algorithms."
29 The beer and wine really flows when you gather these literary types.
30 Two former employees and dear friends - Alex Postman - former editor-in-chief of Whole Living Magazine and Frances Boswell - former food editor and now an acupuncturist in Manhattan. I've known Frances ever since she was born.
31 Dr. Helen Fisher, the famous sexual anthropologist, showed up for a glass of wine and a book.
32 My brother-in-law Randy Plimpton, my nephew Chris Herbert, and nephew Tim Long.
33 The publisher Adrian Zackheim said that editor Brooke Carey and author Dan Slater had worked very hard to perfect "Love in the Time of Algorithms," and that he was excited to bring the book out.
34 Dan amused the room with an anecdote about how I dragged him, Sophie, and Chris to a horrible sushi restaurant several months back. In fact we were duped by the New York Times, which gave the restaurant a high rating, much to our dismay.
35 These wonderful English chaps, Jon Cunningham and John "Teddy" Hunter, are two of Dan's best friends from Brooklyn. Together they founded Thursday Night Club, a dinner club that Dan is a member of.
36 Dawn Schneider is the publicist for the lawyer David Boies - Jenna Wortham is a technology reporter for the New York Times - And Ashby Jones, Dan's former colleague, covers national legal affairs at the Wall Street Journal.
37 Fanny Cohen is a radio producer who used to work for the Martha Stewart Channel on Sirius - Jason Feifer is Dan's editor at Fast Company magazine - His wife, Jennifer Miller, is a novelist whose first novel, "The Year of the Gadfly," came out last year - And, of course, my niece Sophie
38 Jim Klinko and Heather Kirkland
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Martha,
Thanks for sharing this blog. And it is my hope that Dan sells millions of his book. I have given up on love so perhaps I should run out a get a copy ASAP, as I've decided online dating is not for me. Maybe there will be some insight in the book? Well, until Monday have a great weekend!
Posted by: KLBrown | January 25th, 2013 at 12:55 am
Congratulations Dan on your new book, best of luck and success. Beautiful photos of the event. Sophie and Dan are a beautiful couple. Best wishes
Have a wonderful weekend Martha
PS I miss Alexis's blog posts, it has been a while since she last posted.
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | January 25th, 2013 at 6:45 am
Hi Martha,
Happy Friday! Congratulations to Dan. I will recommend his book to my single friends. Dating is so hard these days, so Dan's book will be helpful and inspirational to many. Just think about how many potential matches his book will help make in the days, months and years ahead. Love will spring eternal all over the place with the help of Dan's book. He's a modern day Fiddler on the Roof matchmaker!! And oh my goodness the book party looks like it was so much fun. The food looked divine. My mouth waters when I see your food photos. It's 7:30 in the morning when I'm writing you this post and I just want to eat those deviled eggs for breakfast. Yum is right!!
Thank you lovely Martha for another full week of wonderful blogs. And my Dan sell a million and more books. Have a nice and restful weekend. You deserve it after a whirlwind one in Las Vegas last weekend with Sophie's wedding!! And may Francesca continue to be on the mend.
xo
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa Gordon-Miller | January 25th, 2013 at 8:01 am
Thanks so much for photos of Dan Slater's new book, what fun. Most of us have not given up on love, YET. Seems that is what the hunt is all about. Way back in the day, bars were the place to meet but now think it is book stores. Face book, twitter and other sites contribute much discontent in lives of some who may not realize that this type of on-line friendship is far from real. I wouldn't post anything except only what I wished others to know about my life and try to make it it interesting, exciting, and enviable. Think most of my friends do use on-line dating sites ad works for some so this book will be great.
Posted by: ann | January 25th, 2013 at 8:13 am
Sophie, Dan, Chris and Tim will have a lifetime of stories about their dear Aunt Martha. Thanks for sharing. Your blog is great entertainment and artful publicity. Besides a copy of Dan's book, I want one of Pierre's cheese straws!
Posted by: CJTaylor, Broad Creek, MD | January 25th, 2013 at 8:19 am
Dan, you have certainly come out with an interesting and timely book about technology and dating what with the popularity of online matching services. Just a few years ago it was rare to hear a couple meeting online and now it is almost the norm. Congratulations on your new book Dan, I hope it's a huge success!!
~
Thanks for your blog Martha, it's not only informative but always entertaining!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Posted by: Cindy F | January 25th, 2013 at 8:26 am
Hi Martha,
Just to have a book published is every writer's dream! Congratulations to Dan and I hope his book hits a high mark in sales. Thanks for a peek into his exciting book party. He and Sophie make a lovely couple and I wish them eternal happiness. As usual, anything prepared by Pierre looks scrumptious. Lucky attendees! Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend. Trish
Posted by: Trish | January 25th, 2013 at 8:47 am
Martha thanks for the suggestion! I have been home recuperating, and have been a reading machine....The Berlin Kitchen, The Light Between Oceans, and now The Help. Thanks for adding to my list, what fun!
Posted by: Nantucket Daffodil | January 25th, 2013 at 8:48 am
Hi Martha, Thanks so much for giving us more information about your brand new family member, Dan Slater! I love learning all about everyone related to you and how fun to see what their great lives are all about, especially working and interests that they have! This blog about Dan sharing his book "Love in the Time of Algorithns" at your Starrett Lehigh building office is terrific! All of these comments and photos are so great to see! What a great party with Chef Pierre providing some of his delicious foods! Dan sure does have some great friends and family members, also! Sophie looks so happy and so does her husband, Dan! It's fun to see your friends and former workers in some of these photos, also! The event planners, Heather and Selcen certainly provides a fabulous set of posters all along the wall! Photo #7&9 sure are cute! How fun to see Jim Klinko again, what a great guy he is! Fun to see your niece Kristina and her boy friend Barrett-another wedding possible?!! How fun to see your brother-in-law, Randy and nephews, Chris and Tim! Thanks again for sharing this fun blog! Enjoyed your tweets again yesterday and love the special ones! Hope you have a great day and a wonderful weekend and stay warm! Off to see The Daily Wag with Sharkey modeling the new fashions from PetSmart! God Bless Francesca! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | January 25th, 2013 at 9:22 am
Hi Martha,
Thanks for the book recommendation, I will add it to my must reads for 2013! It is a pleasure to hear about Sophie. It was always nice to see her on your show!
Posted by: Maria Laurin | January 25th, 2013 at 10:12 am
Martha,
Thank you for blogging about the new book. I have heard so much buzz about it and had no idea he was your new nephew. Can't wait to read it!
Joshua
Posted by: Joshua Leveque | January 25th, 2013 at 10:17 am
Damn cute.
Posted by: Holiday Baker Man | January 25th, 2013 at 10:32 am
Thanks for this warm and generous entry today while I prepare for a snow storm this afternoon. Good luck to Dan! More spring garden planning this weekend and home office organizing. Enjoying catching up on Jan and Feb issues of Living and waiting for Meatless request at my public library...saving my pennies to purchase it and Power Foods! I can not keep up with you Martha!! Alexis' blog has given me some wonderful baked goods and vegetarian dishes in 2012..I do enjoy it and understand how busy she must be with Jude and Truman!
Posted by: Teresa Touey | January 25th, 2013 at 10:43 am
Looks like a wonderful evening! (Salivating over the pics of Pierre's cheese straws!) Pictures #7 & 9 of Sophie and Dan are lovely - what a beautiful couple they make! I'm hopeful my library system (largest in the world) will have Dan's book soon, sounds very interesting.
I will also echo what another has posted re Alexis' blog, it has been a while since she posted and I'm missing her updates as well.
Posted by: Whitney | January 25th, 2013 at 11:32 am
I would love to read this because I did try online dating. And he had Chef Pierre's catering at the wedding? Wow your niece is lucky. Oh and you should introduce cat toys (I saw your cute dog line at Petco)
Posted by: Asma | January 25th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
Such an important topic. Glad someone has taken a serious look at this issue.
Posted by: Christie I. Bilikam | January 25th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Congratulations to Dan on his book and may it be a great success.
I'd like to know why the name...Lisa Gordon-Miller...sounds familiar? Every time I see it on your blog, I wonder where I've seen it before.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | January 25th, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Strike my last question, as I just saw who Randy is... I guess I was hoping Martha had a boyfriend! I googled Dr. Helen Fisher, and she is quite an interesting woman. Thank you for always opening our eyes to something (or someone) new.
Posted by: Marybeth | January 26th, 2013 at 3:53 pm
I love your posts, like this one, where you celebrate your family's accomplishments. They are so fun.
Posted by: Karen | January 27th, 2013 at 6:29 am
I think this will be a 'must read' and very timely, of course. Congratulations to Dan!
A nice gathering of nice people. Sophie and Dan look like a very nice match...charming young couple!
Posted by: Sherey | January 27th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Should we assume Dan & Sophie met online?
Posted by: Gretchen | February 2nd, 2013 at 3:52 pm