In case you missed the talk on “Family Archaeology: Pictures, Objects, Words” that David Updike gave at the Third Biennial John Updike Society Conference at Alvernia University, you can see him deliver that same presentation at the Belmont Public Library, 336 Concord Ave., Belmont, Mass., at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 25.

David, the oldest son of John Updike, is also an accomplished author, and books will be available for sale and signing after the presentation, which is succinctly described on the Library’s Web site: “David Updike combines family photographs with prose from John Updike’s stories and memoirs, in addition to excerpts from short stories written by John’s mother, to reveal important aspects of John Updike’s early life.”

For additional details, call the library at (617) 489-2000.

On Thursday, November 19, 2015, David Updike will speak “On Being a Character in Your Father’s Stories” at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Hanson Science Building, Room 102, 726 35th St.

Updike’s oldest son is the author of two collections of short stories, Out on the Marsh and Old Girlfriends. According to the Dispatch-Argus, he plans to talk about “the differences between his childhood home life and events that show up in John Updike’s stories, particularly the Maples stories.”

It’s tough keeping up with Updike’s talented offspring, but here’s the latest on artists Michael and Miranda Updike:

This month you can see Michael Updike‘s new work at four venues:

September 10—Cape Ann Farmer’s Market, 3-6:30pm, Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, MA
September 12-13—Laudholm Nature Crafts Fair, 10am-4pm, Wells, ME
September 19-20—Jamaica Plains Open Studio, 11am-6pm, Courtyard at the Brewery, 284 Amory St.
September 26-27—Hamilton House Fine Arts and Crafts, 10am-4pm, Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick, ME

Miranda Updike is one of “7 North Shore Artists” showcased at The Cedar Tree Gallery at Walker Creek Furniture, 57 Eastern Ave., Essex, MA The show runs from September 12 through October 26, with an opening reception at 5-8pm on September 12. The gallery is open Sundays 1-5pm and Tuesday through Saturday 10am-5pm.

WGBH-Boston has announced “Reading Hearts: The BPR Summer Book Club,” a three-month, no boundaries, interactive book club hosted by Alex Beam. In other words, you can read along, and listen in on the conversation with callers about each of the books, if you don’t feel like calling in yourself.

The June entry is Barefoot, by Elin Hilderbrand. For July, readers are asked to tackle Updike’s Rabbit, Run, and the communal read for August is Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond between People and Dogs, by Caroline Knapp.

The article quotes Amazon.com in summarizing Rabbit, Run as the July entry:

“Rabbit, Run is the book that established John Updike as one of the major American novelists of his—or any other—generation. Its hero is Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom, a onetime high-school basketball star who on an impulse deserts his wife and son. He is twenty-six years old, a man-child caught in a struggle between instinct and thought, self and society, sexual gratification and family duty—even, in a sense, human hard-heartedness and divine Grace. Though his flight from home traces a zigzag of evasion, he holds to the faith that he is on the right path, an invisible line toward his own salvation as straight as a ruler’s edge.”

Germany’s Ambassador Peter Wittig and his wife Huberta von Voss-Wittig have been hosting The Berliner Salon—a series of literary events—since they first took up residence in Washington, D.C. The events have typically featured German and American authors, and on October 8 they hosted John Updike . . . via biographer Adam Begley.

According to the German Missions in the United States website, “Begley’s biography ‘Updike’ offers a fascinating portrait of beloved American author John Updike. ‘Updike’ is Begley’s first biographical work, and it has been met with wide critical acclaim, including sweeping praise from Turkish Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk. . . . Mrs. von Voss-Wittig moderated the event and led a lively discussion with Begley and the audience about the life and work of Updike. Over 65 guests took part in the Berliner Salon, among them his father the novelist Louis Begley with his wife the author Anka Muhlstein; PBS-Executive Editor Jim Lehrer and his wife Kate; President and CEO of National Geographic Gary Knell and his wife Kim Larson; former Executive Editor of the Washington Post Marcus Brauchli and his wife, journalist Maggie Farley; and New Times correspondent Adam Liptak and his wife Jennifer Bitman.”

“Adam Begley Discusses ‘Updike” at Third Berliner Salon”

On Tuesday, October 7, 2014, Updike biographer Adam Begley will be interviewed by Professor Jacques Berlinerblau of the Program for Jewish Civilization on “John Updike and the Jews.”

The program is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Georgetown University and it is free and open to the public. An RSVP is requested, with a light lunch served.

Location:  Copley Hall, Copley Formal Lounge, 37th and O St., N.W., Washington, D.C.

Here is the link.

Updike fans in the U.K. may be interested to know that Adam Begley will speak, along with William Burroughs biographer Barry Miles, in an Edinburgh International Book Festival session on Tuesday, August 19, at the Royal Bank of Scotland Theatre.

The festival PR people had a nice way of describing Begley and his bio:

“In getting to the heart of an acclaimed author’s soul, sometimes you simply have to look at the work. Adam Begley did just that as he compiled his biography of John Updike, who died five years ago with around 60 books to his name.”

The session is scheduled from 4-5 p.m. Here’s the link.

So where will Adam Begley be on April 8, the day his biography Updike is published?

At least one event has been announced. Begley, who will be a keynote speaker at the Third Biennial John Updike Society Conference at Alvernia University in Reading, Pa. the first week in October, will give a talk at 92Y, Lexington Ave. at 92nd St., New York City. Tickets are available for his noon presentation, starting at $21.00.

Here’s the link.

Scott Dill, who put out the call for papers and assembled the panels for the Society’s annual participation at the American Literature Association Conference, has announced that the panels are set:

Updike and the Short Story: Vol. 1
Chair: Matthew Shipe, Washington University

• “Making the Images Move: A Certain Continuity in John Updike’s Short Fiction,” Kanqin Li, University of Leicester
• “Updike in His Times: History and Autobiography in the Fiction,” Kathleen Verduin, Hope College
• “The John Updike Childhood Home and His Short Fiction,” Maria Mogford, Albright College

Updike and the Short Story: Vol. 2
Chair: Scott Dill, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• “Mind Games Forever: Masculine Self-Delusion in ‘The Morning’ and ‘Slippage,'” Peter Bailey, St. Lawrence University
• “Updike on Religion after 9/11,” Liliana Naydan, University of Michigan
• “Life after Sex?: Memory and the Diminished Present in John Updike’s Late Short Fiction,” Matthew Shipe, Washington University

The idea for the panels was inspired by the recent publication of the Library of America two-volume set of John Updike’s short stories. Thanks to Scott and congratulations to all who had papers accepted.

Times have not been set yet, but the 25th Annual ALA Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill from May 22 through May 25. You must register and pay the conference fee to attend.