Indianapolis Recorder
“Under the Neon Lights,” by Hoosier poet and YA author Arriel Vinson, is a lesson for young Black girls in showing up for community.
Hitting the shelves June 3, “Under the Neon Lights” is a fiction novel in verse and Vinson’s literary debut. The Recorder sat down with Vinson ahead of the book’s official launch to discuss her writing journey, connections to Indianapolis and the importance of skating rinks and other third spaces.
Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Tell me a little about yourself, your background as a Hoosier, and how you got into writing.
Arriel Vinson: I have always enjoyed writing. I did it as a child, but I went to undergrad at IU Bloomington for journalism. I really enjoyed writing for the newspaper, I enjoyed working for the magazine, and I was alwa