Hello, I'm Ariel Aberg-Riger. I'm a visual storyteller who writes about everything from affordable housing to domestic violence for places like The Guardian, Teen Vogue, and CityLab.

'Solidarity not charity': A visual history of mutual aid

Tens of thousands of mutual aid networks and projects emerged around the world in 2020. They have long been a tool for marginalized groups.

A history of the American Public Library

A visual exploration of how a critical piece of social infrastructure came to be.

What is a home, and who does it hold?

The same cities that struggle to provide affordable housing today eliminated their critical-but-maligned flexible housing stock after World War II.

Click around for more articles, essays, short fiction, stories about my grandma, sad fruit, Mr. Rogers, there is a lot of random stuff in here.

What is visual storytelling?

Visual non-fiction, drawn journalism, illustrated stories, art—no matter what you call it, visual storytelling is telling stories using more than just words. More free-form than comics, and more integrated than photos or illustrations placed within a piece, it allows readers to float and wander through a narrative.

Want more visual storytelling? Check out these incredibly talented visual storytellers I admire: Lauren Redniss, Wendy MacNaughton, Mira Jacob, Maira Kalman, Nora Krug, and Leanne Shapton.

What people are saying

"Another piece of highly informative art..."

—Rob Bole, General Manager

"A revelation"

—Will Schwalbe, Author

"Punchy, lo-fi storytelling"

—David Douglas Stuart, Journalist

"...the presentation SUCKS. It's like a handwritten 1st grade reader with pasted pictures."

—Random Lady on Facebook

"This format and illustrations are brilliant"

—Diana Budds, Journalist

"...design & graphics & magic (#fairydust?)...a 90 second read that will stay with you forever"

—Gus Christensen, Political Strategist

subscribe for updates

Who knows what I might send you, but it will be good.