QUT Lit Salon: May – Brisbania
Bestselling Brisbane Author Trent Dalton was a featured guest at the May edition of the QUT Literary Salon held in the Grove Bar, Kelvin Grove, on Thursday the 27th.
Writing and writing adjacent students and staff converged at the Lit Salon to catch a glimpse — and maybe a chat — with the novelist, who’s first book Boy Swallows Universe, has been adapted into a play by Queensland Theatre and will debut this August.
Madison Blissett de Weger, editor for QUT Literary Salon, welcomed Mr Dalton and the crowd to the event, this month themed “Brisbania”.
‘We had over 21 submissions this month,’ Blissett de Weger opened, noting that this was an all-time record for the Salon.
‘It was so hard to trim down to our readers for tonight.’
Glass Editor Emily Readman opened the night with her memoir Seven Streets in (Mee-an-jin), and was followed by Ellie Kaddatz with Split River Rock Slick and Jess Woods with her short story, Suburban Dreams.
Dalton then read an extract from his forthcoming work; a collection of love stories expected to be released around November this year.
An apparently seasoned performer, Dalton read with the passion and humour he captures in his writing, and held the audience captive from the moment he stepped onstage.
Dalton was then presented with a portrait by ScratchThat Artistic Editor, Hannah Brown.
Following Dalton with a tone shift was Glass Alum Ashton Darracott, who read New Farm Markets, and was followed by Hannah Versey, who read her work Late Bloomer.
Another local author and Salon regular, Samuel Maguire read his latest story Pride and Cowboys Boots, before Waverley Stanley Jr rounded out the night with his monologue, Dive.
Usually, the Salon only features the work of six writers from their submissions, but given the record volume the May salon was expanded to seven plus Dalton.
The Salon will announce their next theme soon over their socials.
Find out more about Trent Dalton here.
