Yanick Lahens was born in Haiti. After university studies in France, she returned to her homeland. There, she taught literature at university, hosted a cultural program on Radio Haïti Inter, and published articles on Haitian literature and the links between literature and society in Haitian and foreign journals. She was a member of the editorial board of the Haitian-Caribbean review Chemins critiques and is a member of the editorial board of the Franco-Haitian review Conjonction. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Congrès International d'Études Francophones, a North American organization bringing together professors of francophone studies from the United States and around the world. She was also executive director of the Slave Route project. Today, she writes, accompanies and supports youth initiatives in the cultural, literary and social fields.

She has published an essay Entre l'ancrage et la fuite, l'écrivain haïtien ; collections of short stories Tante Résia et les dieux, La petite corruption, La folie était venue avec la pluie ; a story Failles and novels Dans la maison du père, La couleur de l'aube, Guillaume et Nathalie, Bain de lune and Douces déroutes, for which she has won numerous awards including the Prix France Télévision for La Couleur de l'aube, the Prix Carbet des Lycéens for Guillaume et Nathalie and the Prix Femina for Bain de lune in 2014. His works have been translated into English, Brazilian, Catalan, Italian, Japanese, Polish and German. Translations into Norwegian and Spanish are in progress.

She has received numerous distinctions from Haitian and international institutions, and is an Officier des Arts et des Lettres de la France.