THE JOHN UPDIKE SOCIETY

In “From Bedtime Stories to Cultural Struggles: Updike’s Domestic Lens,” Original Magazines examines an Updike short story that appeared in The New Yorker, “Should Wizard Hit Mommy?” The article called Updike’s literary snapshot of a bedtime ritual happening all across … Continue reading →

Thomas Bevilacqua, a Ph.D. who teaches high school English at The Maclay School in Florida, recently posted his reaction to John Updike’s Roger’s Version on his Substack blog: “It’s pretty clear to me why Roger’s Version is frequently pointed to as one … Continue reading →

We are saddened to report the passing of James N. Trexler, a classmate of John Updike’s who was part of a panel at the very first John Updike Society conference at Alvernia University in Reading, Pa. Trexler died of AML … Continue reading →

Since the Selected Letters of John Updike was published in October 2025, there have been dozens of interviews with the volume’s editor, James Schiff, and with Michael Updike, the family’s representative on the John Updike Literary Trust, who also has … Continue reading →

In a brief post on Books, Inq., a Blogspot blog, Jesse Freedman wrote, “I didn’t think too much — as I recall — of Rabbit, Run, but now, having returned to Updike, and having finished Rabbit Redux, let me take that all … Continue reading →

Taylor Brown, whose novel-in-progress Rise, River, Rise rose to the top of the applicant pool for the 2026 John Updike Tucson Casitas Fellowship, is now at the casitas where Updike worked in a number of genres and famously described losing … Continue reading →

Time magazine asked “25 literary luminaries to pick one book that they believe reflects where American life is headed or speaks to the present in a meaningful way. Their answers bring together poetry, nonfiction, and fiction from across the nation’s … Continue reading →

In addition to English, Rome-based freelance journalist Eric J. Lyman is fluent in Spanish and Italian. But words in any language seemed just shy of his reach when in spring, circa 2003-05, he “spotted John Updike having lunch near the … Continue reading →

If you haven’t been able to attend one of the events featuring Selected Letters of John Updike editor James Schiff and Michael Updike, the author’s son, here’s your chance: The Brattleboro Literary Festival invites everyone to join them on Wednesday, May 13, … Continue reading →