spiritual matters

Interview with Amy Renshaw, Senior Editor of Brilliant Star
By Pat Tanumihardja

Brilliant Star is an award-winning children’s magazine based on the Baha’i faith. Its editorial thrust is to cultivate a global community by encouraging diversity and promoting universal values among children of all faiths and cultures. In order to fully understand Brilliant Star’s concept, and to write for them, it helps to be aware of the Baha’i faith upon which it is based. Senior Editor Amy Renshaw not only gives us wonderful insight into this unique magazine that reaches out to children across all divides but also shares with us a little bit about the Baha’i faith. Thank you, Amy!

KMW: Some of our readers may not be familiar with the Baha'i Faith. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?
AR: The central teaching of the Bahá'í Faith is the oneness of humanity—that all people are part of one human family. Its Prophet-Founder, Baha’u’llah, wrote, “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” He taught that people of all races, religions, and backgrounds can live in harmony, that world peace is inevitable, and that women and men are equal. Baha’u’llah’s name means “The Glory of God.” He was born in Iran in 1817, suffered imprisonment and exile due to His teachings, and passed away near Haifa, Israel, in 1892. There are now more than five million Baha’is in the world, and it is the second most widespread religion. More information is available online and here also.

KMW: How does Brilliant Star promote the mission and goals of the Baha'i Faith?
AR: One of our goals is to promote the oneness of humanity by creating a worldwide community for kids of all faiths. In addition to presenting stories and activities about Baha’i history and principles, we encourage universal values like kindness, courage, and helpfulness. We hope our readers will recognize their inherent nobility, explore their dreams, and develop their spiritual nature.

KMW: Since you are an international magazine, are there any specific guidelines on how potential contributors should approach writing stories for Brilliant Star?
AR: We appreciate stories and activities that represent cultural diversity and the value of interaction between people of different cultures. Since about one-third of our current subscribers are from outside the United States, we also avoid slang terms and idioms that may be confusing to readers whose native language is not English.

KMW: How do you assimilate the needs and wants of such a diverse audience?
AR: We choose content that shows respect and appreciation for all cultures and faiths. We also choose universal themes, such as friendship, world peace, and caring for the earth. And to appeal to kids with different learning styles, we have a strong emphasis on activities. We’re continuously seeking ways to connect with and elicit feedback from all of our readers, including those who live outside the United States. One way we do this is by encouraging readers to participate in our “Radiant Stars” feature, where we publish mini-interviews with five or six kids in each issue. We also conduct surveys requesting feedback about specific issues.

KMW: Brilliant Stars' content presents universal themes like love, justice, unity and peace in entertaining and compelling ways, making it appealing to kids of all faiths. How do you try to achieve this and how successful do you think you are?
AR: We always keep in mind that we have readers of all faiths. And since Baha’is believe that the Prophets of all major religions were sent by God to educate humanity, we can present stories and teachings from all of them. When discussing things like unity and peace, we include the importance of unity among people of different religions.

As far as our success, we’re always seeking ways to improve, but we’re pleased with our progress and the recognition we’ve received from our audience and the publishing community. In 2004 we won two awards from an international interfaith organization called the Religion Communicators Council—the DeRose-Hinkhouse Best of Class award for periodicals and an Award of Excellence in the national periodicals category.

KMW: How do you pick your themes?
AR: Every year our staff meets for an annual retreat during which we consult about our audience, mission, and themes. We also study recent communications from the national and international administrative bodies of the Baha’i Faith. We brainstorm, with the goal of developing themes that are timely, original, and universal. We’ll consider about 150 topics, then narrow them down to six or nine final themes.

KMW: Your upcoming themes include "preserving the earth's resources" and "justice and conflict resolution." These are mature themes and it would be essential to distill them to a level that children can understand. Do you have any suggestions on how contributors could approach them?
AR: As you mention, presenting material in a kid-friendly way is crucial. We always try to keep in mind that kids want to have fun, and they’re not going to read Brilliant Star if it’s too dry or if the tone is adult and didactic. Contributors could focus on a specific aspect of a theme that they find appealing and exciting. We’re all kids at heart, and if a writer is energized about a subject, that energy will come through in the work.

KMW: Do you have any examples of a storyline or angle that would be perfect for your target audience?
AR: If I did, I’d write it! Seriously, part of what makes a magazine appealing to kids is that it surprises and delights them. We’re constantly educating ourselves about new ways to approach our themes to keep kids engaged. For example, our March/April 2005 issue, “Journey to Justice,” is presented entirely in comic format, with our kid superhero characters, Lightning and Luna. We don’t have a preconceived idea about what a perfect storyline would be, except that it needs to address the real needs and interests of kids 8 to 12, and to embrace the oneness of humanity. We encourage contributions from adults and kids of any faith. Our upcoming themes and guidelines are available by e-mailing us.

KMW: Being a religious magazine, what would you say sets you apart from other publications out there in the children's magazine market?
AR: In comparison to secular magazines, Brilliant Star is unique because our material promotes universal values, like kindness, unity, service, and peacefulness. Those values may be implied in secular magazines, but we let kids know, in a respectful way, that developing virtues is an important goal of their lives. We use material about subjects like science, art, and current events, but it’s tied in to virtues or the Baha’i writings, history, or principles. We also take a respectful approach to families. For example, we won’t publish a piece where kids disobey or lie to their parents with no qualms or repercussions. Though we do incorporate humor, we avoid the “gross factor” that’s popular with kids.

One of our guiding principles is a quote from the Baha’i writings: “Children are the most precious treasure a community can possess, for in them are the promise and guarantee of the future.” We believe kids have brilliant gems inside of them, and we want to help them recognize that, polish those gems, and share them with the world.

This page last updated on 01 March 2005