The John Updike Society is now accepting proposals for papers to be presented at the Fourth Biennial John Updike Society Conference at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, October 12-15, 2016.
We welcome one-page proposals for 15-20 minute papers on all aspects of Updike’s life and work, but especially seek:
—Proposals on humor in John Updike’s poetry and prose, since the conference keynote speaker will be noted humorist and author Garrison Keillor, host of The Writer’s Almanac and longtime host of NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion.
—Proposals on Updike works celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2016: The Music School (50th), Marry Me: A Romance (40th), Roger’s Version (30th), In the Beauty of the Lilies (20th), and Terrorist (10th).
—Proposals for essays of textual criticism that draw heavily upon original manuscripts and sources, since the conference celebrates special collections and scholarship.
Deadline: June 15, 2016
The Fourth Biennial John Updike Society Conference celebrates the newest addition to the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library: The Don and Ellen Greiner Collection of John Updike. The Hollings Library also holds major research collections on F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway (including early books signed to each other), Joseph Heller (including the typewriter he used to write Catch-22), Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, John Hawkes, Frederick Busch, James Elroy, James Dickey, George V. Higgins, Elmore Leonard, Pat Conroy, Robert Burns, John Milton, and Charles Darwin. It was at the University of South Carolina that Updike delivered his now-famous treatise “On Literary Biography.” Those who have papers accepted are encouraged to make time for additional onsite research. Conference highlights:
—Garrison Keillor (A Prairie Home Companion) will deliver the keynote address
—Two of Updike’s children will present slides he took of the family over several decades
—Leslie Morris (Houghton Library) and Elizabeth Sudduth (USC Libraries) will talk about their Updike collections
—Attendees will receive a copy of the book-length catalog of the Greiner JU collection
—A special video presentation of Updike’s talk on literary biography will be featured
—Attendees will tour Civil War sites like the State House and the USC “Horseshoe,” which Gen. Sherman spared on his march through the South because the campus buildings were being used as a hospital for both sides
Send proposal and a brief one- or two-paragraph bio to: Program director Don Greiner: dgreiner@sc.rr.com
Successful proposals will be acknowledged within two weeks of receipt. To present a paper or moderate a panel at the conference, participants must be members of the John Updike Society and register for the conference. For membership information, see the Society’s website at https://blogs.iwu.edu/johnupdikesociety/join. Those who have papers accepted can join when they register for the conference. Registration information will be forthcoming.
The conference hotel will be the Inn at USC Wyndham Garden Columbia (pictured), an elegant boutique hotel located right on the campus of the University of South Carolina in the heart of downtown Columbia. More information is forthcoming with the registration announcement, but if you are in a hurry to book a room make sure you mention The John Updike Society to get the block discount.