Arriel Vinson

✨👯‍♀️ 🥁 I’m so excited to share the cover of sophomore YA novel-in-verse, IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE, which releases on January 26, 2027 and is available for preorder now! ✨👯‍♀️🥁 IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE follows Sky Simms, a high school senior who’s reeling from the loss of her brother and preparing for a huge competition as the majorette team captain. It navigates grief, the weight of the future, and the impact that love of all kinds has on our healing. Full description below. 🎶✨ You can preorder now at the link in my bio, or you can order here: https://bit.ly/3QOMz9m 🎶✨ Thank you @hello.sola for the beautiful cover illustration. Thank you @kaitlin.k.draws for the stunning cover design. And thank you to my publishing team (my editor at @penguinteen Tiara and my agent Jodi) for once again helping me hone the story of my heart. 💙 FULL DESCRIPTION 💙 A dazzling and heartfelt YA novel in verse by Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner, Arriel Vinson, about a Black majorette healing from loss while discovering how to dance to her own beat. It’s hard to plan for the future when the one you envisioned is now a thing of the past. Seventeen-year-old Sky Simms should be riding high. It’s senior year, and she’s the dance team captain with a shot at a competition that could change her life. But Sky is still reeling from her older brother’s sudden, tragic death and the collapse of their shared HBCU dreams—she as majorette, he as drum major. With the memory of her brother ever-present, Sky struggles to manage all the moving parts of her life—school, college prep, dance—let alone find excitement for them. Once practice is in full swing, Sky’s distracted from her woes when forced to work with Meech, the cute but annoying drumline captain. And she slowly discovers they can help each other with more than the competition. But she can only run from her grief for so long. Sky might not know what life looks like without her brother, but if she doesn’t learn to deal with the present, she could fumble her future before she can imagine a new one. #IfThisWorldWereMineBook

I was so thirsty to post that screenshot on Monday that I couldn’t be bothered to wait for assets. Here is the official one 😂. I just need this on my grid so please ignore me if you must. But know I’ll be celebrating for AT LEAST the next month! 🎉🛼

I am now booking for 2026! Your school, community organization, festival/conference, can invite me to be involved in school visits, poetry readings, writing workshops, keynotes, and more. I’m already excited for my booked opportunities January through April to chat about my debut YA novel, Under the Neon Lights, and am eager to meet more readers and young students. With Black History Month and National Poetry Month (April) around the corner, I can’t wait to get out! If you have an idea, or a community that you’d love to bring me to, please contact [email protected], or use the contact form on my website (arriwrites.com).

The next Shelf Care Book Club meeting is almost here! Black women, join me for a yoga flow and discussion of @ihartericka ’s new book, NASTY WORK at @loudmouthindy on Monday, June 29th. We’ll chat about desire, pleasure, and liberation. Grab a ticket at the link in my bio 🧘🏾‍♀️✨

We are thrilled to announce that Arriel Vinson, author of Under The Neon Lights, will be attending the Petersburg Book Fest on September 12, 2026 at the Virginia State Multipurpose Center to chat about all things young adult 🧡! The Petersburg Book Fest is a vibrant celebration of stories, creativity, and community! You can grab your FREE tickets for the Petersburg Book Fest at the link in our bio!  See you in September! #petersburgbookfest2026 #petersburgbookfest #bookstagram #arrielvinson #undertheneonlights

I have one old money maker and one new one 😂. Preorder IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE now! #author #bookstagram #books

Thank you @drinkorangily for hosting my Teacher Appreciation Yoga Flow to kick off Teacher Appreciation Week! And shout out to @heartlandmindfulnesscollective for the props. Educators, keep doing the work but don’t forget to rest and refuel. 🧘🏾‍♀️

What an honor it was to spend Coretta Scott King’s birthday celebrating literacy! I started Monday with a school visit tour in PG County, courtesy of @cocoawithbooks . (And bonus, I was able to meet so many PG County librarians and see my friend @hawa.reads ). Three high schools, 300+ copies of Under the Neon Lights, and so much fun chatting with students about storytelling, raising your voice, and the power of community. Thank you DuVal, Flowers, and Bowie for having me. I ended the evening virtually with the @americanlibraryassociation ’s CSKBART and @tonyweaverjr ! We chatted about my Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award, writing stories for Black girls in Indiana, and my second novel ☺️. And that wraps up my spring season! Thanks for joining me on this journey, y’all 🪩🛼💕

More soon (you see how dramatic the song choice is? 😂). I promise it’s worth the wait 🥁✨🎶

Are y’all ready?! Cause I am. Preorders go live tomorrow!

My sophomore YA novel-in-verse is perfect fans of Renée Watson and Hannah Sawyerr. And if you like the movie Drumline, you might enjoy it. 🎶🥁

And of course, my sophomore novel is a romance. You’ll meet Meech, former athlete turned band geek. 💕