Journalism students start Riadh Magazine, a new campus publication

Looking for your next by-line? Third-year journalism students Hadiqah Khalil, Raghad Genina and Nageen Riaz are spearheading a new student publication, Riadh Magazine (external link) , hoping to reach an audience through their creative mandate.

The three friends, all who met through J-School, started to sense a gap in media representation of marginalized, particularly Muslim communities, in 2023. Since then, they’ve been on a journey to create a space for student writers to freely express thoughts and opinions they might not feel comfortable pitching to existing outlets.

“We felt like there wasn't space for us in certain online magazines,” said Genina, the editor-in-chief of Riadh Magazine. “So we decided to create our own.”

Launched in late 2024, Riadh Magazine, named after the Arabic term which translates to “garden,” publishes short stories, reflections and poetry. According to their about page (external link) , they seek to produce fresh perspectives infused with reporting and creativity.

“Riadh is that platform to just use your voice in any way that you want to,” Khalil, the magazine’s founder, said. “Don’t think that you’re going to be judged. I find that writing is healing and that's like what Riadh is [about].”

Throughout their time in J-School, the trio quickly learned how marginalized people are often covered by the media in a negative or victimizing light. Riadh Magazine is meant to turn those perspectives on their head and into something beautiful for people of diverse backgrounds.

“We wanted to have a platform for a bit of creativity from [marginalized] communities,” Riaz, the visual director, said. 

Khalil, Genina and Riaz all said that skills they learned through J-School are helping guide them through the process of running the publication. From WordPress skills taught in their first-year, that helped them to set up their website, to feature-writing and editing skills learned in second-year used to refine their content.

“I think we're just blessed because we knew we had the same vision,” Riaz said. “We all have our different strengths but at the end of the day, we all knew what we wanted this magazine to be.”

In fact, as much as running the publication takes a certain amount of effort, the trio said it feels more like an outlet and passion project than anything else.

“Riadh is the thing I come back to and I create visuals for and I pour my soul into and it truly doesn't feel like something I have to do or a [chore],” Riaz said.

For Genina, knowing that the content their team is producing can have a positive impact is among the most rewarding aspects of the magazine.

Their work is already picking up traction with audiences.

“We get approached in classes and cafes and people are like, ‘oh my God, I saw your website, your magazine, you're doing so much and that's great,’” Riaz said.

But the goal extends beyond an online magazine — the trio hopes to launch print editions as well, taking the words posted on Riadh Magazine, physically into the hands of many.

Khalil said a lot of starting a new publication is about having the patience to see it grow, through the influx of pitches and the stagnant phases as well.

“It's having that trust that people are actually reading your work,” she said.

For now, they are looking for writers — no matter the skill level — to share passionate stories that blend journalism and art. 

“The main thing is wanting people to know that this is a safe space for anything,” Genina said. “When I think of Riadh I think of pitches people are afraid to pitch to other places.”

You can learn more about Riadh Magazine, read their work and pitch to them here (external link) .