Many leading Lowry academics attended 'Under the Volcano', 70 Years On: An International Malcolm Lowry Conference, which provided a discursive focus of the 2017 Lounge. New research was presented by speakers from Belgium, Canada, France, New Zealand, the US and the UK, seven decades on from the publication of the writer's famous novel. Sherrill Grace gave the first day's keynote address, which was followed by themed sessions on Lowry and place, Lowry and politics, his writing process, and editing Lowry. The second day saw a keynote address by Professor Michael Schmidt, followed by a session looking at Lowry in relation to film and magic. This included screening of a BBC documentary on Lowry, Rough Passage (1967) and an in conversation with its director, Tristram Powell. The conference papers would form the basis for a book published in 2020.