Though she wouldn’t trade it for New York, being a Londoner seems to suit Stephanie Wambugu. The 28-year-old Kenyan-American author is currently immersed in her creative process in the British capital, finding inspiration in its cafés and the hallowed reading rooms of the British Library. Wambugu, who is staying with her boyfriend in Leyton, notes that while London doesn’t yet feel entirely interchangeable with her native New York, she is thoroughly enjoying the experience. This period of creative immersion coincides with the UK release of her debut novel, Lonely Crowds, which first debuted in the US last July. The novel has already garnered a significant following within literary circles and received critical acclaim from various national publications. Lonely Crowds is a historical novel that intricately weaves together the lives of two queer women. The narrative centers on Ruth, the protagonist, as she navigates her coming-of-age in the vibrant yet challenging landscape of 1980s and 1990s New York. Her journey of artistic and sexual self-discovery unfolds alongside that of her best friend, Maria, whom she first encounters as one of a small group of Black girls at their Catholic school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The novel eschews grand, sweeping plot points for a series of meticulously crafted, low-stakes micro-dramas, from lost grocery money to fraught family gatherings and tense social events. This approach, critics argue, imbues the narrative with a compelling intimacy and realism. Wambugu’s prose is frequently described as kinetic and precisely calibrated, characterized by a poet’s dedication to evocative imagery. While the novel is firmly rooted in its historical setting, it resonates with a contemporary malaise, exploring themes of generational divides, the pressures of a work-centric culture, and the constraints of societal norms. Wambugu’s literary journey is marked by a thoughtful engagement with the craft of writing, particularly concerning the exploration of character development across different life stages and experiences. When asked about her approach to writing about ages or time periods she hasn’t personally experienced, Wambugu points to the profound influence of literary predecessors. The Art of Empathy in Fiction "Some of it is invented," Wambugu explains, "But a lot of it feels indebted to writers who have written about the experience of ageing, and have managed to collapse a large period of time or an entire life into a single novel." She cites Toni Morrison’s Sula as a prime example of masterful temporal compression and character depth. "I think the books like that, and The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tova Ditlevsen, which also spans a lifetime, or the novels of Jean Rhys that feature women who are ambiguously in their twenties or thirties, but are kind of downtrodden and trying to sort out their lives, gave me very good models." These authors, she suggests, create characters who are "settled in some ways or have aged and matured, but also feel very lost and adrift." Wambugu emphasizes that "Reading is one of the best ways to figure out how to inhabit the consciousness or point of view of a person who has had experiences I haven’t." This principle extends beyond age, encompassing the challenges of writing about different genders, races, and sexual orientations. The "capaciousness of books," she asserts, is precisely what allows readers and writers alike to "be many different people or take on very many different identities." Friendship, Desire, and Narrative Framing The reception of Lonely Crowds has often focused on its portrayal of friendship. However, Wambugu suggests that the nuances of the central relationship between Ruth and Maria might be interpreted differently by readers than by the characters themselves within the narrative. "I think that maybe that’s the way that their relationship reads publicly to other people," she posits. "It’s a first-person narration, so we understand Ruth’s desire, but everyone else in her life thinks it’s a friendship that’s very close, maybe too close for comfort." Wambugu believes that "the sexual tension is not necessarily legible to the other people within the book." She also acknowledges the tendency for media framing to influence subsequent interpretations. "I don’t mind," she states. "I mean, I think that once it’s published, it’s sort of out of my hands. In some ways, other people speak about the book with more authority than I do. Which is fine, because now it belongs to the public. I guess they are friends, but that’s not the full story." A New Novel Amidst Contemporary Turmoil Wambugu is currently engaged in writing her next novel, a project that delves into the complexities of contemporary student activism. The book centers on a young woman named Claudia, who is expelled from an Ivy League-esque university in New York after being caught up in a protest. The narrative is set against the backdrop of pro-Palestinian solidarity encampments, a series of events that captured national attention throughout the spring of 2024. Timeline of Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests (Spring 2024): April 17, 2024: Pro-Palestinian demonstrations begin at Columbia University, leading to the arrest of over 100 students. April 22, 2024: Columbia University President Minouche Shafik testifies before Congress regarding antisemitism on campus, amidst ongoing protests. April 24, 2024: Negotiations between student protesters and university administration at Columbia break down, leading to further escalations. April 29, 2024: Universities across the United States, including Yale, Harvard, and the University of California, Berkeley, see similar encampment protests emerge, mirroring the events at Columbia. May 1, 2024: Law enforcement disperses encampments at several universities, often resulting in arrests and further student unrest. May 15, 2024: Protests continue at various campuses, with universities implementing varying strategies to manage demonstrations, including disciplinary actions and arrests. Wambugu’s motivation for writing about this period stems from a desire to capture the immediacy of living in an era of perceived instability. "The country seems to be becoming more and more unstable," she observes, "and I think it can be very hard to sit down and even try to summarise what’s happened in the past six months, let alone the past year or the events that followed October 2023." Drawing from her own experience as a former student at Columbia University, Wambugu reflects on the unique position of individuals caught in the vortex of national media attention. "It’s interesting to be at a place that’s the focus of national media attention and to think about how your day-to-day is being narrativised for the world." The novel aims to explore the psychological impact on young people thrust into such public scrutiny. "I wonder what it felt like for them to be broadcast on mainstream cable news and to have to speak very publicly at such a young age." The core concern of the book, she explains, is "how to course-correct or redirect your life when something seemingly cataclysmic happens to you, which I think is a question that a lot of young people are asking themselves today." Education as a Crucible of Conflict and Transformation Wambugu’s recurring engagement with educational settings as a literary subject is rooted in a profound understanding of their inherent dynamism and potential for profound personal change. She recalls a friend’s observation that "the classroom is the most erotic place in the world," a sentiment she interprets as capturing the "charged" nature of exposure to new knowledge. "There’s something so charged about being exposed to something you previously didn’t know," she states, highlighting the significant portion of life spent within educational institutions. Beyond the intellectual awakening, Wambugu identifies education as a fertile ground for societal conflict. "Education is the site of so much conflict," she notes, citing issues such as censorship, the politicization of student debt, and debates surrounding university funding. These tensions, she believes, provide a rich backdrop for exploring broader themes. "I think that makes them a very rich setting to tell other stories about class, about how men and women relate to one another, about the ethical questions around how much professors engage with their students." Her own educational journey has been transformative. "I think that I’ve been very shaped by my education and the schools that I’ve gone to have transformed my life in more ways than one." This transformation, she clarifies, is not merely inspirational but can fundamentally alter one’s identity and social standing. "I think that you can enroll in a school as one type of person and complete your education as a totally different person, with a different milieu and sometimes belonging to a different class than the class you came from. I think that’s all really rich fodder for fiction." Humor in the Absurd and the Everyday Wambugu’s writing is often characterized by a subtle, "sly sense of humour" that gradually unfolds for the reader. When asked about comedic writers who inspire her, she points to the television series The Sopranos as a masterclass in revealing the "absurdity of the family or of a marriage." She admires its ability to portray how individuals construct "diluting narratives to conceal what they know to be true," finding the dynamic between Tony and Carmela particularly compelling and humorous. Her admiration also extends to Franz Kafka, whom she describes as a "hilarious writer." Wambugu found herself frequently referencing Kafka’s short story "A Hunger Artist" during the writing of Lonely Crowds. The story, which depicts a performer who starves himself as a sideshow attraction, explores themes of obsolescence, audience disillusionment, and the performer’s strained relationship with his craft and his public. Kafka’s observation that "starving oneself is the easiest thing in the world" within the context of the story, Wambugu suggests, exemplifies a type of humor that builds cumulatively rather than relying on a single punchline. This nuanced, observational humor, she believes, is more impactful and enduring. The Language of Style and Self-Perception In Lonely Crowds, Wambugu employs style and fashion not merely as aesthetic choices but as significant signifiers of character, class, and conformity. Ruth’s sartorial choices are described as more conservative and less ostentatious than Maria’s, whom Ruth perceives as aspirational. Wambugu illustrates this with an anecdote where Ruth expresses a desire for a sheer blouse worn by Maria, noting that "the value attached to the clothes is about more than the actual garment." This suggests that even possessing the item wouldn’t necessarily fulfill Ruth’s underlying yearning, a characteristic Wambugu describes as "kind of her MO." Wambugu deliberately focused on conveying character through subtle descriptions of presentation, avoiding explicit brand names or lengthy descriptions. "I wanted to have the images of an article of clothing be specific in some ways, but also be general enough that even people who don’t belong to a certain in-group can engage with the characterisation." Her intention is to steer her fiction away from becoming "a kind of billboard or another iteration of the lifestyle content that I think many writers are encouraged to do." Birthdays as Reflections and a Year of Transition The novel opens with the concept of a birthday serving as a "life referendum." Reflecting on her own recent birthday, Wambugu expresses a sense of contentment. "I think I feel fairly settled in my life at the moment," she states, acknowledging that this state is not permanent. Her previous year had been marked by significant change, most notably the publication of her book and the subsequent shifts in her professional life. While Ruth’s birthday in the novel prompts introspection about regrets and unfulfilled aspirations, Wambugu’s own experience was more celebratory. "I was in a fairly good mood and didn’t feel like these big existential questions were looming that evening. I had a party and had a good time." She marked the occasion with dinner with her boyfriend followed by a gathering at a bar in downtown Manhattan, characteristically planning the event at the last minute. 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