Alexia Arthurs

The celebrated author and Hunter College alumna Alexia Arthurs arrived in Brooklyn from Jamaica at age 12 as an undocumented immigrant. Now a rising literary voice known for her captivating storytelling and exploration of identity, belonging, and the complexities of human relationships, Arthurs has said it was her Hunter College education more than anything else that helped her achieve that dream. Reflecting on her time at Hunter, Arthurs says the rigor and volume of her undergraduate classwork set her up for success as a working writer. Four years after graduating from Hunter, she earned an MFA from the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Publishing her first book, a collection of short stories called How to Love a Jamaican (2018), Arthurs has said she’s glad she ignored her parents’ advice to do something “more practical” than writing—and counsels others to pursue their dreams as well. “Take a risk on yourself,” she said. “I took a risk in my career and—while it hasn’t always been easy—I would encourage everyone to be brave. Life is so short. We should do what brings us joy! Follow your passions, whatever they may be.”

An assistant professor of Creative Writing at George Mason University, Arthurs is a winner of the O. Henry Prize, and has had short stories published in Granta, The Sewanee Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, Vice, and The Paris Review, for which she won a Plimpton Prize in 2017. O: The Oprah Magazine called her short story collection “a singular mix of psychological precision and sun-kissed lyricism.”