"I wanted to write a story that examined the power of community."
Ten Questions no. 4: Arriel Vinson
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(she/her) 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, Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient, and 2020 Walter Grant recipient. Under the Neon Lights, a YA novel-in-verse, is her debut.
You can connect with her on social media at @arriwrites (IG), arriwrites.bsky.social (Bluesky), and at arriwrites.com.
What inspired you to tell this story?
Under the Neon Lights was inspired by my childhood. I loved the skating rink, whether I was going with friends or family. But there aren't enough YA novels about Black kids at the rink. More than that, I wanted to write a book that shed light on what it means to be a Black girl in Indianapolis who is coming of age and falling in love for the first time. I wanted to write a story about what it means for something you grew so familiar with to be taken away from you because of the violence of racism and gentrification. And I wanted to write a story that examined the power of community. Our community is what keeps us going. Our community is what keeps us living. And while that’s maybe not as dramatic for a 16-year-old girl, it matters. How we uplift each other matters.
Who was your biggest influence in wanting to become a writer and why?
I'm sure it'll sound cliche but the answer is my mom. I became a writer because she made me a reader. And because she is a writer. My dad also made me a reader. They both encouraged me to continue writing. They saw my writing responses to class assignments and always praised me for it. But back then, I thought it was just a fun thing to do.
It wasn't until I got to high school and took journalism that I realized I wanted to be a writer professionally—and even then, I didn't think that creative writing would be my path. But my parents kept encouraging me. My writing has everything to do with them, my teachers, and the world they opened up for me. I'm forever grateful.
How did you know you were done? What did you discover about yourself upon completion?
Danez Smith said something really profound when they visited for a talk at my grad school. “I know it's finished when I read it and don't cringe.” I like to let that rule follow me. I knew Under the Neon Lights was done because I felt like I had done Jaelyn justice. I saw her change throughout the pages. I saw what love and community taught her. And since it’s a novel-in-verse, I finally felt like the poems were their own characters and contributed their own elements to the story. I knew I was done because I finally explored everything I could about Black skating culture, about what it means to be a black girl in Indianapolis when nothing is built for you. Afterward, I discovered that if I had more discipline I would have been done years ago! But honestly, what I discovered was that I had lost my voice for some time. The novel helped me find it again.