Originally from New York, the iconic writer Lauren Elkin travels the globe and explores urban life, combining biography with potent analysis. Her book Flâneuse (2016) is an intimate study of walking and femininity through Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London. Taking her reader by the hand, Lauren journeys through the history of metropoles, the apartments belonging to past lovers and the legacy of wandering itself. Published in 2021, No. 91/92: A Diary of a Year on the Bus is a love letter to Paris that Lauren drafted entirely on a smartphone while going to her teaching job. She depicts a sensual image of commuting, dappled with poetry, overheard conversations and an array of smells. Before becoming a writer, Lauren worked as a singer, piano accompanist, barista and at a PR company where Jennifer Lopez’s publicist once threw a phone at her head. If you are curious, check out Lauren’s blog, which abounds with inspiring literary and artistic insight.