A guest at one of the parties thrown by Kristina "Morgan" Rose and Deandra "Brooksie" Brooks once dared to make fun of their themed decorations and organized mingling strategies.

He didn't fare well, either with the party hosts or the woman who'd brought him as her date.

"I kicked him and told him he didn't deserve to date any of my sorority sisters," Brooks said.

And then, of course, she and Rose more calmly explained that the things he'd been making fun of were cherished remnants — translations, if you will — of their former life as Phi Mus at American University.

Most of their friends, Greek and non-Greek alike, reacted more positively when Rose and Brooks began throwing parties together four years after graduation. It was then that both left the sunny states where they'd initially landed and returned to Washington, D.C., only to find that their old pals — who they remembered as really fun people — were duds as party planners.

"We decided we would lead by example and we would throw a New Year's Eve party," Rose said. "It was such a good party that the people who were there that night and into the next day said, ‘You guys should write a book.'"

So they did, and the "New Martini's Eve" concept is now included in the first chapter of "The Recovering Sorority Girls' Guide to a Year's Worth of Perfect Parties."

The book takes the principles and lessons learned by throwing sorority recruitment parties and offers them up in the form of monthly party blueprints and an invitation for all to join Rho Sigma Gamma, also known as the Society of Recovering Sorority Girls or RSG.

After all, the post-college years bring even more reasons to party, Brooks said. The stresses of classes, papers and exams are gone, and financial resources have increased dramatically (though the book argues that good parties need not be expensive).

"It takes ‘work hard, play hard' to the next level, as long as you're willing to play hard," Rose said.

The post-college years also bring more need for the "sisterhood" preached by sororities as women get married, have children and generally need more female contact and support, she said.

That's why they wanted to keep membership in RSG open to all women, no matter their collegiate experience or inexperience.

"They can have the kind of sisterhood that I think actually is more important to women as they get into their late 20s and early 30s," Rose said.

And, really, she and Brooks are pretty serious when they say they value their experiences as sorority girls.

"Greek life just gives you so many opportunities to learn things that you're going to use later in life," Brooks said.

For instance, simply sticking with the recruitment parties example, she's found her skill for quick conversations to be invaluable in the networking jungle of Capitol Hill, where she works full time.

Rose also used recruitment conversation skills in her first job, when she had to interview prospective employees and decide within 10 minutes whether she should hire them — something she hadn't learned to do in law school.

"Aha!" she remembers thinking, "I'll just rush them." As a result, her department had substantially lower turnover than others.

Their book has 20 party plans with step-by-step instructions for the decorations, food and drinks that tie each theme together. Included among the concepts are a "Cabin Fever Beach Party" in January, a "Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival" in April and a "Columbus Day Party" in October.

Also scattered throughout the book are quizzes and "rants" that cover the party-throwing basics and quirky topics such as how to tell whether you're a Kentucky Derby person or a Cinco de Mayo person, since those celebrations fall on the same week in May.

(Don't worry, you needn't miss out entirely on either. The Cinco de Mayo model can be made over into to a Memorial Day Mexican fiesta, and instructions for converting the Derby shindig into a "Preakness Party" are on their Web site, www.recoveringsororitygirls.com.)

"As we say, sometimes the party gods can be cruel," Brooks said.

Her favorite party concept is the Halloween party, because her birthday is the day before but also because the annual bash has become her signature event. Guests get into it too, competing in the costume contest for the chance to be pictured on next year's invitation.

Rose's favorite is either the "New Martini's Eve" or the November "Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé." She likes the user-friendly, conversation-oriented wine tasting because it was developed at a time when she was in a wheelchair, nursing a broken ankle.

But neither of them has much time for partying these days. With the demands of promoting their book pulling them to book signings across the eastern half of the United States, they didn't get to properly celebrate either Cinco de Mayo or the Derby. The former was observed in an airport terminal, Brooks said, and the latter passed while they were on the road.

And it doesn't look like they'll have much time to celebrate in the future, either. Two sequels focusing on other aspects of sorority life are already in the works. One focuses on mixers, "the process of being a sister," and the other on RSG rituals, described by Brooks as "the ties that bind, the things that take you from being a group of friends to a family."

Reach Patti Vannoy at 473-7254 or jspvannp@journalstar.com.

The Creed of the Society of Recovering Sorority Girls

We believe that when properly planned, executed and hosted, a party is a social service.

We believe in the power of theme.

We believe activities are needed to spark conversation among soon-to-be friends.

We believe parties are to be enjoyed; home entertaining isn't a job; it's a low-stress adventure designed to explore your creativity and invigorate your social tribe.

We believe the collegiate Greek experience offers friendship, support and valuable life skills.

We believe that those skills can be adopted by women everywhere regardless of the existence or absence of collegiate Greek affiliation.

Because, above all, we believe it is never too late or too early for any woman to realize the sisterhood that is the Society of Recovering Sorority Girls.

We are Rho Sigma Gamma. A way to entertain. A way to party. A way to live.

— excerpted with permission

 

Tips from the Authors

Kristina "Morgan" Rose's favorite party-throwing tip: Be sensitive to dietary choices people are making these days. A lot of party cookbooks call for a lot of fat-laden ingredients such as heavy cream, but "People don't eat that way anymore; it is not 1950."

Deandra "Brooksie" Brooks' favorite party-throwing tip: Adopt the idea of a signature cocktail. Advantages include an extra chance to highlight the party theme, less expense than stocking an open bar and easy service that allows the hostess to stay out of the kitchen.

"Also, you don't wind up with that guy who offers to make all the girls a ‘special drink' that has three times the liquor that could kill a horse."