editors speak

Ausma Khan, Editor in Chief, Muslim Girl Magazine

This month we’re delighted to talk with Ausma Khan, the editor in chief of an exciting new magazine – Muslim Girl. Not only is the magazine gorgeous, but it’s part of the growing trend in magazines for young people – niche magazines for tween/teen girls and young adult women. For freelancers wanting to stay current, learning about magazines that fit this trend is very exciting. Since being editor in chief of a new magazine is an overwhelming job, we’re especially delighted that Ausma found time to chat with us.

KMW: How did MUSLIM GIRL come to exist?
AK: We've had a general sense of an absence of materials for our community for a long time. But things became more urgent when members of our publishing team attended the Islamic Society of North America conference in 2005. There they heard from many young people and women about feelings of isolation and alienation from the larger culture. There was a real sense of being marginalized and excluded. We did some research and determined that the market for the magazine was large and viable and we knew there was a huge need for it, so we started planning.

KMW: What has been the most challenging thing about the magazine's birth?
AK: Developing an editorial vision that is far-reaching and ambitious in terms of what we can deliver to our audience, while remaining true to Islamic values so that our audience perceives our magazine as an authentic expression of their values from the inside.

KMW: Now that your first issue is out there connecting with readers, what kind of response have you had?
AK: Our response has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Initially, our magazine was targeted to teen girls. But the response has shown us that college age girls and many, many parents and grand-parents are finding our magazine to be very welcome and relevant to them as well. So we're on the right track and we stay in close touch with our readers and provide many reader-response options in the magazine itself to make sure that our positive reception continues.

KMW: The readers of Kid Magazine Writers are professional freelancers; so naturally, their first interest is in getting content into MUSLIM GIRL. I'll certainly share that you are looking for Muslim women writers or recent Muslim journalism graduates. I would also like to know what kind of content is open to freelancers?
AK: We develop our content around an editorial calendar which is set a year at a time. Upcoming issues focus on the themes of Ramadan (September/October) and Girls Around the World (November/December). We look for profiles of American Muslim girls that fit those themes.

KMW: From writers who fit what you're looking for -- do you prefer to see queries? Finished manuscripts? Resumes and samples? Through the mail? Through email?
AK: We prefer to see a 150 word specific story pitch, a c.v. and 2 samples of magazine writing approximately 500 words each. We don't have any official guidelines yet as we had a rich database of writers already on file. The best bet is to send a c.v., 2 magazine writing samples and a story pitch to editor@muslimgirlmagazine.com.

KMW: Could you describe how the type of article a girl might read in Teen or Girl's Life would be different when seen through MUSLIM GIRL's vision for its readers? I know you have fashion, you have reviews, but being Muslim the US (especially right now) can be challenging sometimes, how serious does MUSLIM GIRL articles get?
AK: MUSLIM GIRL articles are very topical and we try to address things girls are interested in from an entertaining yet informative point of view. Every subject we address is measured against core Islamic values practiced by our community. Which means that we don't talk about boys, dating and fashion in the same way that other teen magazines do - we talk about these issues from a values-based and girl-empowerment perspective.

KMW: Are you open to the "traditional teen fillers" -- quizzes and crafts? How can a writer of fillers catch your eye?
AK: We're certainly open to both. A writer would have to have a very strong concept, know our audience well and be attuned to what teens and college students are interested in. I think it's tricky to pitch craft stories to our older audience, but we might be interested in something that is specifically designed for younger readers.

KMW: What rights do you ask from your writers?
AK: We ask that we have first and exclusive publication rights and that writers do not share the story with the interview subject or any other source before publication. Writers are free to re-publish their work after a one year period.

KMW: What changes do you dream of for MUSLIM GIRL in the future?
AK: We plan to expand several of our features, including fashion. We want to develop more stories that appeal to college-age girls and young women. We'd love to get major interviews with politicians during the election year and also with celebrities and politicians who have an interest in and impact on issues of relevance to Muslims - such as George Clooney on Darfur or Barack Obama on the war in Iraq.

This page last updated on 01 May 2007