For a while, it took a subscription to view the Reading Eagle story about Adam Begley‘s keynote John Updike Society conference talk, but now you can view a version of it for free at Berks & Beyond.

In the article by Bruce Posten, Begley said “he happened to write Updike’s obituary in 2009 for the New York Observer, where he was books editor. Apparently because of that, he was subsequently tapped by HarperCollins to write the biography.”

“‘My primary regret is it took Updike’s death to make it happen,’ he said, noting that Updike had expressed that he never wanted a biography during his lifetime.'”

Here’s the full story and a photo by Reading Eagle photographer Bill Uhrich of Begley with conference co-directors Maria Mogford (left) and Sue Guay (right).

The Reading Eagle and its online counterpart Berks-Mont News posted an article on David Updike‘s plenary presentation at the 3rd Biennial John Updike Society Conference at Alvernia University.

“Through a journey of personal photographs and insight, David Updike, son of Pulitzer Prize winning author and Shillington native John Updike, spoke about his father’s childhood Oct. 2. . . .

“A slide show of photographs from John’s childhood accompanied Updike. Very few images of the inside of his father’s Shillington home exist, but the remnants of John Updike’s creativity survive. . . .

“‘Very early on he was aware of his authorship,’ he said, standing before a projection screen showing a photograph of his father’s practice signatures from when he was a boy. . . .

“‘His mother must have been startled and had to understand that this is no ordinary child,’ David said. ‘She kept his early works in a notebook.”

Here’s the whole article: “David Updike shares stories of father’s past.”

In a story written by Bruce Posten, the Reading Eagle noted “Alvernia to host 3rd conference on John Updike’s legacy.”

To clarify, the Saturday morning session with Updike classmates interviewed by Jack De Bellis is also open to the public.

“Speaking of Berks County as the major source of Updike’s literary muse,” Posten writes, “Guay said the author mined the area for stories, characters and reflections of changes in late 20th- and early 21st-century America.”

“So much has been torn down or taken away from Reading,” she said. “Highlighting Updike’s contribution is definitely something we shouldn’t overlook or forget.”

On October 1-4, 71 members of The John Updike Society will convene in Reading, Pa., for the Third Biennial John Updike Society Conference. The Friday Night at the (Reading Public) Museum reception will be held at the museum and sponsored by Albright College. The Wednesday night reception, the membership meeting, and the closing keynote address by Adam Begley will be held at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel, the conference hotel. All other sessions will be at Alvernia University, host to this year’s conference.

Program

For the conference, members are traveling from eight different countries and 20 states.

The John Updike Society has appreciated the involvement of Updike family members, with the first conference featuring a panel consisting of Mary, Updike’s first wife, and three of the four Updike siblings—Liz, Michael, and Miranda. And the second conference in Boston offered a special exhibit mounted by Michael, with Liz helping him to discuss the objects their father mentioned in his fiction and prose. For the upcoming Third Biennial John Updike Society Conference in Reading, David Updike will offer a plenary session.

David, a writer whose most recent collection of short stories is titled Old Girlfriends, will speak on “Family Archaeology: pictures, objects, words.” He is currently the Updike Scholar in Residence at Alvernia University.

Members (and new members) can still register for the conference (3rd Conference registration form) and still submit an abstract for a paper presentation: Call for Papers extended.

The conference, hosted by Alvernia University, features additional plenary sessions by Don Greiner on the “Chatterbox and the Young JU,” Ward Briggs and Biljana Dojcinovic on the real romance that inspired Updike’s “The Bulgarian Poetess,” and a panel of Updike classmates interviewed by Jack De Bellis (John Updike’s Early Years).

The two keynote speakers should be equally memorable. Legendary graphic artist Chip Kidd, who designed many an Updike cover and worked closely with the author, will deliver the opening keynote speech on Thursday, October 2. And Adam Begley, whose biography of Updike has been widely acclaimed, will deliver the closing keynote speech at the Saturday evening banquet at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel, a historic building at which many famous people have stayed, and where composer John Philip Sousa famously died while on tour.

Speaking of tours, there are two planned: One is a walking tour of Updike’s Shillington and a picnic at The John Updike Childhood Home, where you can see how the restoration is coming along; the other is a local flavor bus tour that will drive past historic covered bridges and hex barns, tour a small local pretzel factory, and stop at such Updike sites as Plow Cemetery and the Pagoda. If you went on the bus tour for the first conference, you’ll still want to come along, because there are new things mixed in with the old.

New members and first-time attendees are most welcome! And members who attended one of the first conferences know that these start to feel like reunions, where you can gather with like-minded friends. You’ll have plenty of opportunities for that, including a welcoming reception hosted by Alvernia University, and a tour of the Reading Public Museum and reception hosted by Albright College.