Eleven Wellington authors are shown at a meeting in Pat Lawlor's study in December 1936. They had gathered to discuss progress on a collectively written murder mystery entitled 'Murder by eleven'. Each writer was supposed to write one chapter. The men were part of the Wellington literary community, which also included historians James Cowan and T. L. Buick, who promoted New Zealand literary endeavours in the interwar years. Many had backgrounds in journalism, and they were literary boosters rather than a circle of questioning intellectuals. Pictured are (standing, from left) Eric Bradwell, James Wilson Hogg, O. N. Gillespie, C. Stuart Perry, Victor Lloyd, Alan Mulgan, Leo Fanning, and (seated from left) C. A. L. Treadwell, Pat Lawlor, G. G. Stewart and Redmond Phillips.