diff --git a/demo_hornbeam_project/templates/pages/say_hello.hnb b/demo_hornbeam_project/templates/pages/say_hello.hnb
index f05beef..e899198 100644
--- a/demo_hornbeam_project/templates/pages/say_hello.hnb
+++ b/demo_hornbeam_project/templates/pages/say_hello.hnb
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@ html
 
     body
         h1
-            @hello{name = $name}
+            @hello{$name}
diff --git a/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest b/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest
index 4b9b310..c04e388 100644
--- a/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest
+++ b/hornbeam_grammar/src/hornbeam.pest
@@ -167,7 +167,8 @@ Variable = { "$" ~ Identifier }
 ListLiteral = { "[" ~ commaSeparatedExprs ~  "]" }
 
 KVPair = { Identifier ~ wsnl* ~ "=" ~ wsnl* ~ Expr }
-commaSeparatedKVPairs = _{ wsnl* ~ (KVPair ~ wsnl* ~ ("," ~ wsnl* ~ KVPair ~ wsnl*)* ~ ("," ~ wsnl*)?)? }
+KVarShorthand = { Variable }
+commaSeparatedKVPairs = _{ wsnl* ~ ((KVPair | KVarShorthand) ~ wsnl* ~ ("," ~ wsnl* ~ (KVPair | KVarShorthand) ~ wsnl*)* ~ ("," ~ wsnl*)?)? }
 MapLiteral = { "{" ~ commaSeparatedKVPairs ~ "}" }
 
 
diff --git a/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs b/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs
index 267d1a2..b2fff71 100644
--- a/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs
+++ b/hornbeam_grammar/src/parser.rs
@@ -235,10 +235,27 @@ impl HornbeamParser {
         ))
     }
 
+    fn KVarShorthand(input: Node) -> PCResult<(IStr, Expression)> {
+        let node = input.into_children().single()?;
+        let var_expr = HornbeamParser::Variable(node)?;
+        if let Expression::Variable { name, .. } = &var_expr {
+            Ok((name.clone(), var_expr))
+        } else {
+            unreachable!("Variable should also be returned from Variable");
+        }
+    }
+
     fn MapLiteral(input: Node) -> PCResult<BTreeMap<IStr, Expression>> {
-        Ok(match_nodes!(input.into_children();
-            [KVPair(kv_pair)..] => kv_pair.collect()
-        ))
+        input
+            .into_children()
+            .map(|node| match node.as_rule() {
+                Rule::KVPair => HornbeamParser::KVPair(node),
+                Rule::KVarShorthand => HornbeamParser::KVarShorthand(node),
+                other => {
+                    unimplemented!("unexpected {other:?} in MapLiteral");
+                }
+            })
+            .collect()
     }
 
     fn SEscape(input: Node) -> PCResult<IStr> {