Truly avid readers in Manhattan

US: Sit back and enjoy readings of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde or Henrik Ibsen, sip a glass of wine - oh, and gaze upon the readers themselves: they're naked.

That combination of delights is on offer once a month in New York thanks to the enterprising group Naked Girls Reading.

At a recent session, about 30 people, mostly younger couples and men, met in a small room with a boudoir atmosphere in Manhattan's trendy Greenwich Village. Joining them were four young women in bathrobes and heels, who climbed onto a small stage and took seats on a large sofa. Applause welcomed the readers, including from an older man who had until then been quietly reading his newspaper.

"Welcome! I would like to start by introducing our naked girls reading for the evening," said the host, a burlesque performer with the stage name Nasty Canasta. With her were Gal Friday, Sapphire Jones and Tansy and with a flick of their dressing gowns they were transformed into truly avid readers, ready for what they like to call "full frontal literature".