LONDON — NYU London held its three-year-old Literary Club Reading Night in late November at its campus on Bedford Square. The event, which convenes once every semester, was the Literary Club’s last meeting before the end of term. To celebrate, several members of the club gathered to read their poetry and short stories.

Joe Dunthorne, author of several acclaimed books including “Submarine” and “Wild Abandon,” was invited to speak at this event.

Faculty member Eve Grubin began the evening by reading some of her poetry. Grubin has been featured in several publications and has also published a book of poetry. In addition to teaching a writing class at NYU London, Grubin is a Poet in Residence at the London School of Jewish Studies. For the event, Grubin chose to read a sample of her poems from previous publications, such as “The Nineteenth-Century Novel.”

Grubin’s recitation served as a smooth transition into the next part of the evening. The faculty adviser of the Literary Club, Emma Sweeney, began introducing the members who would read their own pieces, adding that they would be reciting a collaborative poem — a concept created by Paul McGhee School senior Jacqueline Kerber.

Following this concept, the literary club in New York sends poems in London to complete, after which the literary club in London sends them to Shanghai and lastly to Florence.

At the time of the event, NYU Shanghai had not yet completed the poem. Nevertheless, the students who participated in the collaborative poem shouldered on and read the excerpts that they had written.

There were a total of six students reading their pieces, each covering a different event or topic of their choice.

“[It was] pretty amazing to get to hear my peers present their own writing,” LSP freshman Courtney Escoyne said. “I am admittedly a little more intimidated to be in writing classes with these talented people.”

Dunthorne also presented a short story of his own. Dunthorne’s “Submarine” was recently adapted into a film in 2011 and was shown at the Toronto Film Festival to much critical acclaim.

At the Q&A session after the reading, Dunthorne deftly fielded the questions from the audience regarding his writing routines, opinions on character development and thoughts on publishing works. There were questions from eager students and faculty alike, who jumped at the opportunity to ask questions.

“I have so much respect for all of them for having the courage to share some extraordinary but often very personal work, and afterwards I felt inspired to go back to my dorm room and work on my own writing,” Escoyne said. “I am so glad I attended!”

Samantha Chong is a foreign correspondent. Email her at [email protected].