Instagram story viewer> @_tarynitup> Posts

Taryn Finley

@_tarynitup

8.5K

followers

5336

following

culture reporter/that girl.
midwest kid in a brooklyn world.
a way with words in: @refinery29, @ebonymagazine, @huffpost and more.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

This is a full circle moment for so many reasons. To be featured in @essence discussing how my internship there set the tone for my career trajectory is one thing. To be featured alongside my girls and fellow summer 2013 interns @mayaalenaa and @sylviaobell as well as meeting the inspirational @briannaarps is another thing. But to do all of that in the 55th Anniversary issue with THEE @iamsusanltaylor on the cover feels like the kind of divine alignment that reminds you that you’re on the right path. I’m so grateful.

Thank you @dvniellewright and @essencegu_ for highlighting my story in this special issue. And special shoutout to @starr_ceska for always being so clutch with the makeup!

Catch me in the July/August issue of Essence on stands now! by @_tarynitup

947

221

a year ago

Still sitting in gratitude from my time in conversation with @natasharothwell on the main stage at Essence Fest. Loved hearing her talk about purpose and seeing her passion through with her forthcoming show “How To Die Alone.” Sharing the stage with you was such a joy, Natasha. And @letoyaluckett, an original Child of Destiny, introducing me to the stage while “Not Like Us” plays is something I’m forever going to be pinching myself over.

This was very much a bucket list experience for me in more ways than one. Many thanks to @onyxcollective/@hulu for the opportunity. Shoutout to my bestie @goldieplusmodel and my cool photographer homies who captured the moment. 🤎

📸 1 and 7: @moresoupplease
📸 3, 5 and 6: @kidnoble taken in New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center by @_tarynitup

828

120

2 years ago

Me and my hands getting the opportunity to speak with these amazing multi-hyphenates at @culturecon was definitely a highlight. @therealcandiace , @judgefaithjenkins and @preston.mitchum dropped some serious gems about what it means to follow your gut, mitigate self-doubt and knowing when to say no and when to say yes. We’re all figuring this life thing out together so it’s always refreshing to hear from folks who keep it real about their journey, and baby real was kept!

Huge thanks again to @ariannafregoso, @swdupes these fabulous panelists and everyone who came up to me with affirming words afterwards. Y’all are everything. 🥹 taken in Brooklyn Navy Yard by @_tarynitup

1k

107

3 years ago

Welcome back to Hillman College! The reboot of “A Different World” is officially here and writer Taryn Finley (@_tarynitup) couldn’t help but reflect on the original show and its influence. From the historically Black college she chose to the career she pursued, “A Different World” was there to show her a multidimensional reality for young Black people that she might not have encountered otherwise.

Now, she hopes the reboot can do the same for this generation. “The original ‘A Different World’ showed us how HBCUs pour into our community. The sequel is pushing us to see how we can pour back into them,” Finley writes. Swipe and click the link in bio to read more.

📷: Netflix / Getty Images by @_tarynitup

6k

33

5 days ago

We have finally closed the chapter on @loveislandusa season 8 so you know @_tarynitup & @kenyattavictoria had to come back for #ChronicallyConnected to dissect all things reunion. Sol quite literally left a mark last night and it might’ve been for the worst. What do y’all think? Can she come back from the L she took? by @_tarynitup

108

4

a month ago

August felt like a dance party on a boat with your girlfriends ☺️💕

#endofsummer #yachtlife by @_tarynitup

421

42

a month ago

This year’s NABJ was different for me. It was the first year I returned to the conference as a mentor for Student Multimedia Project, a full circle moment considering I first attended NABJ as a student in the program in 2015 in Minneapolis. (I know y’all remember going to Prince’s house?!)

The print team mentors and I helped guide these students as they pitched, reported and wrote stories that resulted in three issues of the @NABJMonitor. I loved watching them mold their stories with care, tenacity and curiosity. I feel so full.

I was going through my camera roll and realized I barely took any photos of myself 😭. That’s a telltale sign I was present and focused during this experience. I can’t think of a better way to spend #NABJ26 than to pour into the future leaders of an industry that desperately needs them.

Thank you to all of the mentors who welcomed me and @bonniie_ as first-timers, especially our team lead @arleney and the majorly devoted Jean Norman. Thank you to all of the students for being so hardworking and curious. Shoutout to my mentee @marian.bangura.33! I threw a lot at you and you delivered! And a huge thanks to @Phil.lewis and @jojoholmey for taking time to speak to the students!

One time for the throwback issue of The Monitor with our bylines on the front page @jojoholmey!

(Also, I had to throw in a pic with fellow Bison @kayladfarris because I adopted her this weekend and it’s just a really great photo!)

So… Houston next year? 🙂‍↕️

#NABJ26 #NABJSP2026 #blackjournalists taken in Atlanta, Georgia by @_tarynitup

94

27

a month ago

“A lot of times people are not going to see you as you see yourself. They will see you in your own prism and that is a PRISON oftentimes.” - @bevysmith

My favorite interviews are with people who have shaped their own freedom and agency without asking for permission to do so and Bevy is the definition of that. Her journey inspired me long before our conversation at @viewercon_ and I’m in awe even moreso now.

I have to give a huge huge thank you to @witherspoonc for seeing me and trusting me to take the main stage for such an amazing event him and his team worked tirelessly to bring to life. I can’t wait to see how ViewerCon grows. To many more! taken in Newark, New Jersey by @_tarynitup

52

8

2 months ago

💎 @viewercon_ Gem #1: “Growth is in the unknown.” ✨@_tarynitup

One of my biggest takeaways from ViewerCon. Growth doesn’t always happen when everything feels comfortable. Sometimes it begins the moment we step into unfamiliar spaces and trust ourselves anyway.

Thank you, @bevysmith for sharing this powerful reminder. 💛

#ViewerCon #bevysmith #gabbinwithgabby #growthmindset by @_tarynitup

3

0

2 months ago

We’ve officially ended our Love Island USA summer, and our hosts @_tarynitup & @kenyattavictoria of #ChronicallyConnected called it that #Brinity would be our 2026 winners. How did we feel about the finale of @loveislandusa ? And are we ready for the real show to start post-villa?

Catch up on our recaps on @substack by @_tarynitup

18

0

2 months ago

A moderator for the books @_tarynitup will be coming to ViewerCon this saturday to have a A candid conversation about reinvention, entrepreneurship, media, and building a career on your own terms. She and @bevysmith will be sure to entertain! 💜🩷

#viewercon #taryn #bevysmith taken in New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) by @_tarynitup

3

26

2 months ago

Girl, they got me in the club every weekend like it’s 2016. Mind you summer technically just started. I ain’t even mad. #WeBall #DusseFridays by @_tarynitup

154

6

3 months ago