About

Welcome to In Flânerie, a literary chronicle of art and culture.

Flânerie is the act of wandering—passionately, not aimlessly—and observing the people, places, and life around you.

An idea formed in 19th-century French literature (by the folks who knew best about leisure and contemplation), the flâneur became an essential character in modern history: someone who fits the dialectic role of observing and critiquing the world around them while remaining actively part of it. Someone who may feel detached to varying degrees, yet remains pertinent to the telling of the story.

Basically, someone who belongs to the streets… but is critically aware of those streets.

Take that idea—someone who can afford to walk around town day by day, engage with locals, observe changes in real time, and watch society evolve—and turn it into a digital weekly publication.

While the part-or-apart nature of this character type leads to endless debate, all I know is I've always identified with it. I often joke that I was meant to live the life of a flâneuse.

So here I am: Mahnoor Ali, Editor-in-Chief of this publication. While In Flânerie officially launches in 2026, it feels like something I’ve dreamt of doing for years.

Creating this journal has been an exercise in self-actualization. I have always had an affinity for art, moving through different mediums across different eras of my life: a juvenile fascination with architecture and drawing, swept quickly by literature (which has stayed the longest), followed by an adolescent obsession with music, soon to be paralleled by a deep study of art history. A substantial foray into painting coincided with the birth of the poet in me, before journalism and a deeper appreciation for cinema took over completely.

The common thread pulling me through all these forms of creation was the power of storytelling. What is something saying? And what is being said about what I’m hearing? I really do just love a good story.

It only felt natural to build one space where I can articulate these conversations and invite others to join them.

So if you find that you also belong to the streets (or simply love art & culture and want to engage with it more deeply), welcome.

Here you will find:

• Less scrolling, more strolling
• More meaningful consumption
• Hot takes and cold opens
• Delivered weekly as Impressions

If you've read this far, thank you. I'm excited to grow this community, and would love for you to join the ride. Sign up for the newsletter (it's free!) and share it with a friend.