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Marginalia: Jessica Francis Kane

Sylvie Rosokoff

In her new book, Rules for Visiting, author Jessica Francis Kane has created a charming character in May Attaway. A fan of The Odyssey, May decides to contemplate Penelope’s actions when determining action in her own life. Perhaps it is when we see May name a suitcase after Beowulf’s Grendel, or follow along as she is guided by Emily Post’s book on etiquette, explore with her as she consults the OED--somewhere along the way the reader discovers that May is whip smart, but also awkward and not exactly self-aware. And that’s also the moment we begin rooting for her.

In Rules for Visiting, May Attaway does not stay home, but instead visits her four closest friends at their homes. And discovers a lot about friendship, and herself, along the way.

I recently spoke with Jessica Francis Kane about May and about her own "rules for visiting." Here's our conversation:

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Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane was published by Penguin Press.

Marginalia was produced at KMUW Wichita. If you like this podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review on Apple Podcasts.

Engineers: Mark Statzer and Torin Andersen
Editors: Lu Anne Stephens and Haley Crowson
Producer: Beth Golay

Follow Beth Golay on Twitter @BethGolay.  

Beth Golay is KMUW's Director of Marketing and Digital Content. She is the host of the KMUW podcast Marginalia and co-host with Suzanne Perez of the Books & Whatnot podcast. You can find her on Wichita Transit in conversation with other riders for En Route, a monthly segment on KMUW's weekly news program The Range.