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The bluntly titled reading series Naked Girls Reading seems an obvious pairing for Portland, pride ourselves as we do on our strip clubs and bookstores—and we're finally getting a chapter of the nationwide series, thanks to local burlesque producers Rayleen Courtney and Sophie Maltease.

Naked Girls Reading is just what it sounds like: Naked ladies read aloud literary selections of their choosing (in any genre; this isn't a porn reading). The lineup for Portland's inaugural event features local burlesque performers including Courtney and Maltese, as well as Baby Le'Strange, Kit Katastrophic, and Delilah Sinn. No word yet on what they'll be be reading. Paul Constant reviewed Naked Girls Reading's Seattle arm for The Stranger; the piece actually sold me on the series more than the premise alone did:

Despite the beauty of the five naked women, the titillation part of the evening ended fairly quickly. There was no dancing, twirling, or bending over backward; legs remained primly crossed or tucked together. Unless you're a 13-year-old boy (with remarkable facial hair and a really good fake ID), you're not going to be aroused by the mere proximity of naked women sitting in front of a coffee table covered with Star Wars paraphernalia. Which means that the reading itself has to be good, or else you're going to get pretty fucking bored pretty fucking quickly. Luckily, the reading was very good.


Read the whole thing.

Details: Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, Sat Jan 21, 9 pm, 21+. Tickets here.