ARRIEL
VINSON
AUTHOR OF UNDER THE NEON LIGHTS
ABOUTPhoto by Reece T. Williams
Arriel Vinson is a Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow and Midwesterner who writes about being young, Black, and in search of freedom. She earned her MFA in Fiction from Sarah Lawrence College. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in Kweli Journal, The Rumpus, Waxwing, and others. Arriel is a Tin House YA Scholar and Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient. Under the Neon Lights, a YA novel-in-verse, is her debut. You can connect with her on social media at @arriwrites and find her work at arriwrites.com.
"The writing is — I’m free from pain. It’s where nobody tells me what to do; it’s where my imagination is fecund, and I am really at my best. Nothing matters more in the world or in my body or anywhere when I’m writing."
Toni Morrison
SELECTED WORKSFICTION + POETRY
CREATIVE NONFICTION
On Black Decadence: How Boasting in the Midwest Taught Me About Class
After Divorce at Twenty-Four, Lizzo Taught Me to Love Myself Again
INTERVIEWS
UPCOMING EVENTS1/12/26: Empowering Your YA Protagonist, Solstice MFA
2/17-2/20/26: Getting to the Heart of the Story, Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute teen workshop (sold out)
2/28/26: YANovCon, Belmont, CA
3/5-3/6/26: North Texas Teen Book Festival, Dallas, TX
Contact me.
To inquire about bringing me to your school, library, or organization, please reach out via my contact form.
For rights-related questions, please contact my literary agent, Jodi Reamer at Writers House here.
If you’d like to interview me for your podcast or publication, please contact my assistant via my contact form or reach out to my publicists Lathea Mondesir and Jaleesa Davis.