I remember sitting in a small coffee shop on the banks of Lake Merritt waiting to meet with a stranger. A teacher had set up a meeting with one of his friends who wanted to launch a “media project.” He asked me to meet with his friend because I was working as a reporter in Oakland at the time and maybe I could offer some guidance.

I sat there sipping my soy hot chocolate when a cool breeze swept in a disheveled man with a laptop tucked neatly under his arm. He sat at my table and began to introduce me to his idea before even introducing himself. Without hesitation, myself, I was ready to introduce him to my tough love approach to aspiring journalists. A practice instilled in me by one of my mentors.

It came across that the soon to be publisher wanted to tell stories that mattered to the Muslim-American community and those who wanted to better understand the emerging, and still developing, segment of society.

I was blunt with my questioning. But for every stone inquiry I threw his way, my new friend was unscathed. He often responded to my interrogations with an Imam Malik-esque, “I don’t know.” But he would follow his words with notes in his computer reminding him to leave the meeting and ask until he knew. That is when I knew that Illume Magazine was something special.

More than two years have passed since that meeting and Illume Magazine is finally emerging from its shell. The magazine has taken a few months off to create a clear editorial direction. We completed one successful fundraiser at the end of last year and are planning more to secure our financial future to ensure that Illume Magazine can remain an independent entity.

Illume Magazine is back with a dedicated staff of professionals from diverse backgrounds, a sleek new website, a glossy look, a bold narrative approach to story telling and hopefully an examination of issues that matter to you.

We will be coming to you every other month with exclusive cover stories that look to explore the Muslim-American experience, such as Naeem Randhawa’s travel diary from Afghanistan (page 20). We will also bring you conversations every issue with some of the world’s leading thinkers, such as Wajahat Ali’s candid encounter with Seymour Hersh (page 16) and Illume Magazine will also focus more on the arts and how they shape our lives.

Storytelling has been used throughout history to preserve culture and to instill moral values within a community. It is imperative that endeavours such as Illume Magazine are supported by the communities whose story they look to tell. As mainstream media has struggled to examine Muslim-American stories that really matter, it is vital that in the tradition of Maulauna Rumi, Muslims in this country begin to develop their own narratives, even if those conversations make us uncomfortable, or even if they are a reinterpretation of the stories shared by all Americans

As the editor-in-chief of Illume Magazine, I welcome your comments as we look to create a dialogue. I encourage you to email me at editor@illumemagazine.org with any comments, questions or concerns you may have.