A friend forwarded us this photo he found, dating back at least a couple of decades, proving we’re not the first women to enjoy reading in the altogether. Of course, they didn’t do it outdoors back then. But they seem to have done it in a combination library/bank vault, which is pretty cool, too.
No, it hasn’t suddenly turned warm on us again. In fact, it was cold and rainy all day yesterday. All day! But here we are with sunny photos again. What the…?
Well, some of you sent us e-mail saying that as much as you enjoyed the photos we’d shared from our friends at Hard Case Crime and Creeping Hemlock Press, that’s not the sort of thing you came to our site to see. You missed seeing pictures of our merry band at play in the public spaces of New York City.
Well, say no more. We’re some months away from our next outdoor outing, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any pics left to share from our last few.
Enjoy. We’re counting down the months till the first robin of spring makes its appearance. (We have a thing for redbreasts, as you might imagine.)
Got this photo from our friends at Hard Case Crime, taken at a shoot for one of their beautiful cover paintings. Between poses, what do the models read? Well, naturally not some other publisher’s books!
Only one thing wrong, guys: We understand why they’re not outdoors, but why aren’t they—
Oh, wait. Never mind.
So we just got a photo we have to share with you: It’s the delectable co-founder/co-editor of Creeping Hemlock Press, publishers of modern and classic pulp fiction, including the zombie novel she’s reading and an early novel by Lawrence Block (author of our summertime favorite read, GETTING OFF).
“I just had to contribute,” she writes, ”and not because I own no clothes; I love what you do.” Well, we love what you do, too! We just wish you were here in New York so you could join us when summer rolls around again…
“I wish it weren’t raining! I wish it were warm outside, so I could get naked in the park with my friends! Maybe if I post some more pictures of us doing just that, the gods of New York weather will relent and grant us another day or two of beautiful, balmy, spring-like weather!”
Come on, climate. You know you like it as much as we do.
Woke up this morning and wow, was it dreary outside! Made us long for the days of sun and summer. Thought we’d bring you a memory of those brighter times with some photos we never ran before.
We miss you, summer! Come back soon!
It’s October in New York, but you wouldn’t know it from the temperature. 80 degrees and sunny! God bless you, Indian Summer.
So, out we went, into the park once more, toting our copies of GETTING OFF and CHOKE HOLD and QUARRY’S EX. We had a bit of extra excitement this time out, our first ever run-in with the police, but all ended amicably: after coming by twice to ask us to put our tops back on, they checked in with headquarters, confirmed that what we’d told them was true (it’s legal for women to go topless anywhere a man can), apologized for bothering us, and wished us a good day.
And we had a very good day, as you can see.
We’ve got the best fans in the world! It’s getting a bit too chilly to go topless outdoors in New York City, and we haven’t yet finalized our plans for indoor alternatives during the winter months. But we’ve heard from women all over the country and all over the world who’ve expressed solidarity with us, and we’ve invited them to be part of our grand adventure by sending us a photo of themselves reading their favorite book top-free, and lo and behold, some of them have.
Our first images come from the delicious BiblioBabes, Kat and Cara, in Canada, and god bless them, they love books and getting naked and what more could anyone want? We’ll even forgive that Kat’s reading an e-book in the photo above. (We’re ink-and-paper girls ourselves.)
We also got a submission from a fan in New York who asked to remain anonymous (hence her face being just out of frame) but who wrote, “This is so awesome …I would like to express how excited I am to be a part of what you’re doing.” Well, we’re excited to have you be part of it! (Extra points for elevating the level of the discourse by bringing Zora Neale Hurston into the picture, and even more for doing so without straying too far from pulp fiction: the book is “a first-hand account of the weird mysteries and horrors of voodoo.”) We can’t wait to share a blanket with you in the park when the weather’s warm enough again!
And how about you…? If you’d like to show the world you’re a proud naked reader like us, send a photo to toplesspulpfiction[AT]gmail.com, and we’ll post our favorites. (Heck, we’ve got some extra copies left of Hard Case Crime’s new books, including GETTING OFF…while supplies last, we’ll send a free copy to everyone whose photo we run! How’s that for incentive?)
In the meantime, keep those thermostats up, those bras off, and those pages turning!
To celebrate the end of summer (and the publication of GETTING OFF) we hit the grassy slopes of Sheep Meadow in Central Park for one more outdoor jaunt. And though the breezes were a bit sharp at times, when they died down it was the perfect weather for an afternoon of reading outdoors with friends.
Of course, the perfect weather won’t last much longer! Want to help us keep the flame burning when it’s cold outside? Take a photo of yourself reading your favorite trashy novel and send it to us at toplesspulpfiction[AT]gmail.com, and we’ll post our favorites here. Indoors, outdoors…at home, on vacation…topless or bare-ass naked (just don’t get yourself arrested!). This is your chance to join the brave and beautiful women who’ve exercised their rights with us this summer. Remember, books need covers—breasts don’t!
The weather report for Sunday looks good, so we’re planning a visit to one of New York’s gorgeous parks for a twofold celebration: next week marks the end of summer and also the publication of one of the books we’ve had the chance to read early, Lawrence Block’s GETTING OFF. (A quick Thank you! to Hard Case Crime for supplying advance copies to our club. I guess they took pity on us when they saw we clearly were too poor to afford shirts or bras.)
So, women of New York, what are you waiting for? If you’ve ever wanted to exercise your rights by enjoying a top-free afternoon in the sun, this is your chance! (And maybe your last chance for the year.) Drop us a note at toplesspulpfiction[AT]gmail.com and we’ll give you the when-and-where. You’ve got nothing to lose but your tanlines!
