Calls for Papers

The board of The John Updike Society has decided to propose two panels for the 21st American Literature Association Conference in San Francisco, May 27-30 2010. “Updike Abroad” was suggested by two members separately, and the board also approved their paper proposals. But one more Updike scholar is still needed to present on this panel, and another to moderate. A second panel on “John Updike and American Pop Culture” is completely open, with three panel spots and a moderator to be filled. And of course the second business meeting of The John Updike Society will be held at ALA. There will be much to talk about, as the board has been moving forward on a proposal to hold the Society’s first conference in October 2010. And Jim Schiff is moving forward with The John Updike Review, so there will be plenty of opportunities for members and other Updike scholars to share their work. The conference will beheld at the Hyatt Regency in Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, which is near waterfront walking/jogging paths, the ferry to Alcatraz, and a cable car stop. It’s also a short walk through Chinatown to Fisherman’s Wharf from the hotel.

Those wishing to propose a paper should send a brief abstract to James Plath (jplath {at} iwu(.)edu), who will disseminate it to the board for review. Those wishing to moderate should also contact Plath.

UPDATE: The “Updike Abroad” panel has been filled, and we look forward to presentations by members Kevin Frazier (Finland), Judie Newman (England), and Sylvie Mathé (France). We still have three panelist seats open for the “John Updike and American Pop Culture” session, which will be moderated by Sally L. LeVan of Gannon University.

The Criterion: An International Online Journal of Literatures in English and Language Studies, has put out a call for Indian scholars to submit papers for a special issue on John Updike, to be titled “Indian Perspectives on John Updike.”

In announcing the special issue, editor Vishwanath Bite writes, “One of the most critically respected and popular contemporary American authors, John Updike died in January 2009. We propose to bring this volume in his memory and expose Indian thoughts over his literary works. Updike has amassed a large and ever-growing body of best-selling novels, acclaimed volumes of short stories, essays, and poetry since his arrival on the literary scene in the late 1950s. An incessant chronicler of post-war American customs and morals, Updike alternately finds humor, tragedy, and pathos in the small crises and quandries of middle-class existence, particularly its sexual and religious hang-ups. His trademark fiction, largely informed by Christian theology, classical mythology, and popular culture, is distinguished for its broad erudition, wit, and descriptive opulence.”

The Call for Papers from Prof. Bite suggests possible topics on “Updike’s distinct prose style, the realist tradition in a literary mode of Updike, description of the real world over imaginative or idealized representations in Updike’s novels, the portrayal of the physical world and everyday life in Updike, the problem of faith and morality in the modern post-Christian world, autobiographical elements in Updike’s novels, spiritual quest for self-fulfillment and meaning, post-war American social history in Updike’s novels, the domestic reality of suburban middle-class American life, marital tensions, sexual behavior, relationships between men and women, religious beliefs in contemporary society, magic realism, American and Third-World ideology, a reinterpretation of the medieval Tristan and Isole legend, religious doubt, mediocrity, fame, and fanaticism, humor, clever linguistic turns and sophisticated witticisms, and Updike’s poetry.”

Needless to say, it will be fascinating to hear what Indian scholars have to say about Updike, and we thank member Pradipta Sengupta for alerting us to the journal, which she says is projected to be published online in January 2010.

It’s not too early for members to begin thinking about the 21st Annual American Literature Association Conference on American Literature, which will be held in San Francisco—most likely at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in Embarcadero Center, where ALA has met since 2004. In the past, panel topics have ranged from the general (”New Directions in Malamud,” “General Topics on Cooper”) to the specific (”Poe in the Middle East,” “Toni Morrison and Warfare”), with pedagogy sessions as well (”Teaching Hawthorne,” “New Approaches to Teaching Hemingway”). Sessions need to be proposed and approved, and author societies are requested to sponsor at least one session, but can also offer more.

Members with panel ideas should send them to a James Plath (jplath {at} iwu(.)edu) or another member of the board, and collectively the board of The John Updike Society will choose the panels which we feel are best to propose to ALA.

In addition to hosting several sessions, our society will hold a general membership meeting at ALA, which will be held May 27-30, 2010. All members are encouraged to attend, but of course attendance is not mandatory. Aside from all the literature sessions and speakers at the conference, attendees will be at a hotel near waterfront walking/jogging paths, right by the ferry that goes to Alcatraz and by a cable car stop that would allow you to take a tour of the city. You can also walk through Chinatown to Fisherman’s Wharf from this location.

This past May it was fun gathering at ALA, and I hope a number of our members will keep ALA in mind.