MCINTYRE’S MOMENT Vestal McIntyre’s debut book of short stories, “You Are Not the One” (Carroll & Graf), was feted on Tuesday on Rivington Street at a nonprofit arts space called Participant Inc. Stella Artois donated 15 cases of beer and Restaurant Florent – where the author works as a waiter – donated 15 pounds of pate. “Amazingly enough, it all got eaten,” Mr. McIntyre told the Knickerbocker.

He described the book as “A collection of eight quirky, off-beat stories revolving around young or youngish people sort of fumbling their way through life making plenty of mistakes.”

Mr. McIntyre was born in the state of Idaho and two of the stories take place in that rural state. “Sahara” is about a young man whose work at a restaurant is waving at passing cars in a kangaroo suit. He is kidnapped by students from a rival high school who mistake him for a school mascot. “Foray” is about an Idaho teenager who on a family vacation gets roped into reading “Moby Dick” aloud to his developmentally disabled cousin but ends up enjoying it.

Mr. McIntyre himself will be reading (from his own book, not Herman Melville’s) on January 26 at the Chelsea Barnes and Noble and at KGB Bar on January 30.

Among the other writers at the party were Thomas Beller, author of “The Sleep-Over Artist” (W.W. Norton), Felicia Sullivan, publisher of the literary magazine “Small Spiral Notebook”; Aaron Hamburger, author of “The View From Stalin’s Head” (Random House); David McConnell, author of “The Firebrat”; Aaron Krach, author of “Half-Life: A Novel” (Alyson Publications); and Laura Catherine Brown, author of “Quickening: A Novel” (Ballantine). Fashion designers Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of Ruffian were also present.

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BOOK BASH The same evening another crowd came out to a penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side for a book party for Harvard University history professor Caroline Elkins and her new book, “Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain’s Gulag in Kenya” (Henry Holt).

The party’s hosts were the author’s cousin, C.C. Dyer, and Wendy Sarasohn of the Corcoran Group. Ms. Sarasohn and Erin Gaudrau are brokers on the penthouse apartment (price $6.5 million). Upon entering, young men attired in geometric-designed African attire presented guests necklaces described as “Kenyan love beads,” which resembled party-colored cupcake sprinkles.

The book chronicles the last throes of British colonialism in Kenya when, following the Mau-Mau uprising, the British forcibly detained hundreds of thousands of Kikuyu, the colony’s largest ethnic group.

Holt editor Vanessa Mobley introduced Ms. Elkins, saying the author spent 10 years researching the book and one year writing it at the Rad cliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Ms. Mobley said that Ms. Elkins had fulfilled her responsibility to the Kikuyu survivors who shared their stories with her. The editor led a toast to the author and many in the room responded audibly with “Here, Here.”

Trays of African cuisine circulated among the well-wishers, including pomegranate slices, watermelon radishes, and shortcake topped with caviar.

Wearing a black jacket, pink blouse, a necklace of South Sea pearls, Ms. Elkins told the assembled crowd that the book had been the topic of her Harvard doctoral dissertation. She paused to praise, among others, Susan Pedersen, who teaches modern British history at Columbia University and who was on her doctoral committee. Ms. Elkins declared that though the British said they were just detaining Africans during the uprising, “men, women and children died in detention centers of starvation, torture, and neglect.” She said, moreover, “The British destroyed 90% of the files.” She said that she has consented to appear as a witness in litigation over reparations in London. “Stay posted. Read the papers. It’s not over,” Ms. Elkins said.

Among the audience were Mr. and Mrs. George Fellows, who own the apartment the party was held in. Also seen was Dr. Daniel Van Arsdale of Old Westbury, L.I., who works in the field of medical acupuncture and is a lifelong friend of Ms. Elkins, having grown up with the author in Ocean Township, N.J. His father and mother, who teach software engineering and nursing respectively, were also present. Another attendee was HBO producer and director Eames Yates, who has recently made the documentary “Crank: Made in America,” about methamphetamine abuse.

Ms. Elkins was warmly greeted by Princeton history professor Robert Tignor, who advised her when she was an undergraduate at Princeton. Nearby were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Moran. He is a testing coordinator in the public school system. She coached Ms. Elkins years ago in sports such as basketball and field hockey. “Caroline has never lost touch with her lifetime friends,” she said.

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FOOD FRIENDS A third party took place at the side room at the Carnegie Deli over on Seventh Avenue. The party was to celebrate owner Milton Parker’s and writer Allyn Freeman’s new book “How to Feed Friends and Influence People” (Wiley).

Brooklyn-born Mr. Parker held court over lively conversation. Seen among those in the crowd was author Bert Sugar, who just learned he is an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

The tables brimmed with large portions of pastrami, roast beef, and other delicacies and guests took home samples of the deli’s famed cheesecake.