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Why did you call the book “Seldom Seen”?
I met a man in a Lander, Wyo., park. Ironically, the man was a retired ironworker from Kansas City. We had a long talk about his history, his work around the world. He told me it was a fine thing I was doing, opening up to people “seldom seen by the rest of the world.”
Have you taken any other trips like this?
I’ve taken my daughter on some grand tours of the West. I canoed the Missouri from Kansas City to St. Louis. I go backpacking.
But we need not leave town to find people and places. I campaigned for a local office in the summer of 2006. At first I was crippled with anxiety. What was most amazing is that I found the people in my town as open and giving as the people I met on the “Seldom Seen” trip.
People wanted to talk. They wanted to tell someone about themselves. They made me lemonade and sandwiches, had me onto the porch for a long chat and invited me to dinner. I got to see parts of town I had no idea existed — and I know Kansas City from walking and driving it all my life. I’ll do it again someday.
A lot of time has passed since your trip. Does this book feel like history, or do you still think about it often?
The trip is history and it is not. My life is different because of it. “Seldom Seen” is the story of a narrator who changes over the course of a very special trip. I am that narrator. I am not him anymore. He is a character in a book.
What do you say to people who are struggling now with their lives, working jobs they don’t enjoy, fearing the future?
First, I’m not qualified to live anyone else’s life. But I can tell you about mine.
I relish the great things and human relationships I have today. My experience is that my material expectations make me miserable. I have tried to learn how to provide for family and put some away for the future. But I try to do it in a way that brings everyone around me some joy.
•Nov. 3: 6:30 p.m., Plaza Library, 4801 Main St., 816-701-3481
•Nov. 7: 3 p.m., Barnes and Noble on the Plaza, 420 W. 47th St., 816-753-1313
•Nov. 13: 2 p.m., Barnes and Noble at Zona Rosa, 8625 N.W. Prairie View Road, 816-505-3355
•Nov. 14: 1 p.m., Borders in Lee’s Summit, 1664 N.W. Chipman Road, 816-347-0044
•Nov. 21: 3 p.m., Borders in Overland Park, 9108 Metcalf Ave., 913-642-3642
To reach Lajean Keene, call 816-234-4862 or send e-mail to lkeene@kcstar.com.
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