Friday 15 January 2010

Naked. Girls. Reading.



It’s official: readers are not only among the most intelligent, witty, fun, well-rounded people in society they are now the sexiest.


Where is your proof of this assertion, I hear you ask? It’s here... http://nakedgirlsreading.com/about/

Go there and visit.... once you’ve read the banner I’m sure I couldn’t stop you, Bill...and I’m sure you’ll agree. So what’s it all about? A movement has started up in the US where, quite simply, a group of women get together in public places, divest themselves of their clothing – yes, all of it – and read a book.

The ABOUT page on their website reads ... “There’s something beautiful, something altogether more intimate, about a woman reading pretty much anything in her, well, altogether. It’s just that simple. So why are we still talking about it? Because people can’t seem to accept its simplicity.

Naked Girls. Reading.

or Girls Reading. Naked.

However you need to explain it to yourself is fine. And while you do, we’ll be over here…reading.

Naked.”

The first event was in Chicago in 2009 and franchises have bust out (sorry, couldn’t resist that lame pun) in a number of major US cities. (Marley, soon you won’t have to wait until the body scanner breaks down at the airport, you can just get nekkid at the bookstore)

This is me nodding my head in appreciation of a fantastic idea. What could be simpler than that? I say yay, thrice yay to this sort of event. And not for the reason you are thinking, smutheads. This is a genuinely cool way to promote reading and books. If you don’t believe me here is a reading list from one of the events in Chicago.



• Nabakov – Lolita

• Frank O’Hara – Poem

• DH Lawrence – Give Her a Pattern

• Jon Savage – England’s Dreaming

• Venus in Furs

• ee cummings – somewhere i have never traveled

• Eleven Minutes – Paulo Coelho

• An excerpt from “America’s Hidden History” by Kenneth C. Davis

• Declaration of Independence

• Ted Hughes – Crow

Those of you who have gotten over the first mental image of all that flesh will have noticed that there are a couple of poems in this list. Hey, Sheila and Rowena, how about the Makars Press Poets doing a series of Naked Poetry? D’ye think EIBF will get over their snobbery if we appear in the buff? Nah. Don’t think so.

I read somewhere on the site that they are thinking of having a Naked Guys Reading event. This got me thinking...I read a lot... under my clothes I’m naked. Should be easy enough, right?

Time to practise...

Clothes off. Check.

Book to hand. (Robert Crais’ The First Rule.) Check.

Curtains ... open. Check.

10 comments:

  1. Michael Stop fantasising about naked women on velvet couches reading aloud to you....and get reading that Stieg Larsson book you promised to lend me! Sheila

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  2. You have a book, and a CD, now will there be a video,;)) ? I don't think I could concentrate on Robert Crais read by a naked reader, but I'm willing to give it a try. How about e e cummings, Shy Love and Sunday Morning.

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  3. Aww, Sheila +petted lip+ but it's such a good idea. I've read the Larrson BTW. Excellent.

    Marley, if I illustrated Sunday Morning with a video it would be xxx-rated.

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  4. As a fully paid up intellectual with an open-minded attitude to reading, I felt impelled to visit the site. Several hours later (well, there are a lot of photos there which require considered analysis) I returned to read the rest of your blog fired with enthusiasm for this commendable initiative. Unfortunately, I then read the bit about you disrobing and the flaws in the system became apparent. Nonetheless, if your lady followers are minded to join the experiment, I'm happy to offer my services as an objective assessor - of whatever needs assessing.

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  5. Bill, you are, if nothing else, a gentleman, sir. I'm sure any lady who possesses her full "faculties" would be honoured to be assessed by your good self.

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  6. Ha, now there's a new fantasy for you lovely men!

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  7. Bill is just too kind, isn't he?

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  8. I like the reading in the altogether idea! It looks fun,as long as it's not distracting. From reading...

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  9. Go for it Lorna. Let us know how you get on, wontcha?

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  10. if you want to meet a man who can read, hang out at the bookstore.

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