Poet Wendy Muturi turns life's toughest years into powerful collection 'Roaring 20s'

The Roaring 20s, a poetry anthology by poet Wendy Muturi, was born during a challenging time in her life. When she was a fourth-year economics and statistics student at the University of Nairobi, she struggled with mental health challenges. This was when she unexpectedly stumbled upon poetry.

Her first poem, titled She is a Rainbow in Beige Boots, was penned in just 10 minutes.

"It was so random. I feel like poetry is the only talent I have ever truly discovered in myself,” she says.

Published in November 2025, the anthology contains 49 poems through seven layers of verse exploring themes of self-discovery, identity, self-doubt, personal growth, empowerment, politics, social justice, current events, and abstract musings, with illustrated images.   

Now at 29, Muturi discloses that her twenties have been a whirlwind of change. For instance, she thought that her university education would be the most important milestone in her life, but she discovered that it is this anthology. 

“My twenties were about finding my place on this earth. I wasn't drawn to the conventional path of marriage, children and an eight-to-five job. I wanted to understand where I belonged,” she says.

The collection explores uncertainty through Padlocks and Pearls, a poem that depicts the confusion and self-questioning that comes with young adulthood.

Acne and Darkness began as an exploration of the world's mysteries before becoming a reflection on confidence, while Love, Peace and a Basket of Veggies emerged from imagining herself as a university mathematics lecturer.

Another poem, Good Night Irene, pays tribute to her mother's close friend and to single mothers, especially women who had children at a young age. The anthology also features History and Mystery, a poem from a departed close friend who goes by the name Sanaa, whom she wanted to include in the project.

Social justice also finds its way into the collection. Written during Kenya's 2022 election period, several poems respond to the country's political climate. Others express solidarity with marginalised communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, inspired partly by the experiences of a family member.

Prints, Paris and Blankets is inspired by the death of Michael Jackson, who died on her birthday, and 692km is inspired by Nairobi and tells stories of faith, creativity, and everyday life. 

Identity and financial anxiety are themes that run in some of the poems to portray the experiences of the young people in their twenties.

“The poem documents my search for purpose and a desire to offer something lasting to the world instead of waiting for external validation. I wanted something that would last longer and cement my identity somewhere in this world,” she says.

The poems were sporadically written over several years before she realised she had enough material for a book. After graduating in 2022 and later completing a data science bootcamp, she went back to the collection to refine and expound on it. During a period of unemployment in 2024, she sought guidance from relatives and fellow writers like author Alex Nderitu, who encouraged the project.

Muturi says her earliest poems were concise and focused on single ideas, while later works blended several themes into one piece. She cites God Rides the Train as one of her favourites because it explores faith, travel and the creative process.

Through this book, she honours her late grandmother, Alice, whom she says was her biggest supporter and loved her deeply. Even though her grandmother died before the book was published, she says she wishes she had lived to see it finally come together.

Muturi says writing and promoting the book has taught her resilience. Selling books, she admits, comes with frequent rejection, but it strengthened her determination to keep sharing her work. The Roaring Twenties is currently stocked at Nuria Bookstore, with plans to expand distribution to Soma Nami Books and Kibanga Books.

She describes her twenties as a season of continuous learning, during which she learnt not to dwell on disappointments, confronted feelings of jealousy, challenged beliefs, reflected on family relationships and built a new understanding of money and personal growth.

'Roaring' means the ever-changing. The only constant in life is change. I embraced the learning journey in my twenties. I take life in seasons. I wanted my twenties to be for me,” she says.