Yes, we like our cocktails. But we read, too. We swear! Case in point: The Emergency Teacher, written by journalist (and regular mediabistro partier) Christina Asquith. After one frustrating year of working the education beat for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Asquith decided to become a teacher to get the inside story on the public school system. With no experience and no training, Asquith was hired to teach at the lowest-ranking middle school in Philly. We were very pleased to host her at our media & film party at Leftbank, where she gave a brief reading and deftly answered hard-hitting questions from a crowd of fellow journalists. After that, she kicked back with a cocktail. Naturally.

Special thanks to our newest volunteers, Courtney Mabeus and Nikki Clark

- Lisa Gschwandtner, D.C. hostess

At Leftbank, February 16, 2006

Photos by Courtney Mabeus

mb hostess and writer Lisa Gschwandtner, National Association of Homebuilders PR manager Nikki Clark, and mb volunteer Chris Schreiver

Author of The Emergency Teacher Christina Asquith, Looking for Leichardt producer Carrie Williamson, writer Sacha Cohen, and Roger Gibbon

Captus Communications managing editor Ellen Kaminski and The Washingon Post copy editor Jennifer Abella

Clarity Media publicist O. Abiola Akintola, tech and business writer Martin Bosworth, and American Psychological Association reporter Laurie Meyers

The Emergency Teacher

WIRED contributing editor Carl Hoffman and The Daily Telegraph foreign correspondent Jack Fairweather

The Atlantic's Terrence Henry, communications specialist Shane Artim, and National Journal reporter Mark Kukis

IDD staff writer Sandra Abrams, Thompson Publishing Group editor Kelly Gordon, and Sacha Cohen

Christina Asquith and Lisa Gschwandtner

Crowd shot

Martin Bosworth, writer Nicky Penttila, and Destinations magazine associate editor Beth Wenger

Reading Is Fundamental web content producer Gina Montefusco, writer Kathleen Reeliham, and writer Jenny Mayo

Christina Asquith

$4.00 Cosmopolitan

Leftbank