“Can we get it a little louder?” asked These Are Powers’ Pat Noecker. “All the Park Slope-ians are fast asleep, I’m sure we won’t wake them.” Last Saturday, Jessica Hopper brought her new book, The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, to Brooklyn’s Littlefield. Unlike most authors, who plan their readings as the center of attention, Hopper, who played guitar in Challenger and has earned fame and in famy as a zinester, rock critic and punk mascot, decided to bring girl bands with her to create “a walking, talking example of the book.” This particular date featured Ghost Bees, MNDR, Katie Stelmanis and Brooklyn’s own ghost punk/dub step outfit These Are Powers, fresh off a tour of China.

In between sets, partygoers chatted with tablers at a feminist bazaar of sorts, which featured such entities as Sadie Magazine, Tom Tom (a magazine about female drummers!) and For the Birds, which was selling zines and compilation albums.

Karen Soskin, whose presence helped break up the sausage fest of Todd P Goes to Austin, spun records and passed out flyers for her new girls-only booking organization Strength in Numbers. “I wanted to create a space for women in touring,” she explained, “to help bands with female members get shows in Brooklyn. It’s definitely gotten more hostile to bands with women in them...there can only be so many Jay Reatards, so many Blank Dogs. People react very strongly when you openly declare yourself a feminist group,” she sighed.

Just then, Julian Bennett-Holmes of Fiasco showed up to take in the TAP set. How did he feel about Brooklyn’s level of girl-friendliness? “I’m friendly to girls,” he replied, but then got serious, adding, “maybe it’s not. Maybe that’s why Marnie Stern doesn’t play any shows.

“I’m jealous of my little sister,” he added. “She went to the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, and Kathleen Hanna spoke!” Maybe we’re making progress after all.