Kazi Mannan, owner of Sakina Halal Grill in Washington, D.C., grew up in poverty in a small village in Pakistan, without electricity or running water, one of ten kids. "Even when we were going through extreme poverty, my mother, whenever she cooked something good, she would say …

I used to wonder why people of different faiths or none would follow the ‘30 Days’ Ramadan blog each year? I think I have a pretty good idea …

Our stories become even more important when someone you love passes - the stories you have about them become your lifeline. As it did for me.

“You have captured with this project something ineffable and vital: we are our stories, and we are our best when we honor our unique stories in ways that connect us to something bigger than ourselves.” -Shields

Salma is mad at me. She’s been asking me for my dua for the '30 Days' Ramadan blog for two weeks and I haven’t given her one. It’s not because I haven’t wanted to or don’t feel the importance of contributing. It’s that I feel it too much.

This month I organized the ‘Ramadan edition of KindSoup’ with Muslim chefs, iftar soups, and discussions around the ‘30 Days’ book.

Raghad was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. She studied agricultural engineering in college and worked with bees and honey production. “I had 400 cells of bees,” she tells me.

10 years ago, storyteller Salma Hasan Ali started a blog marking the month of Ramadan called “30 Days, 30 Deeds.” This year, she releases a book of stories and lessons from a decade of the blog.

It's our personal stories that connect us. That make us feel more at home with each other.

I was particularly captivated with how Shamila explained that the book is both a form of cultural preservation and an opportunity for each of us to capture our own stories of identity, tradition, faith, and meaning.

One of the reasons I'm grateful that I've been writing this blog for 10 years is that it has become a collection of family memories, many that I would have forgotten, others that are now recorded. One such memory is this letter from 9-year old Zayd to my dad.

Growing up, I was a quiet, reserved, fairly shy girl, happier studying than socializing. I wasn’t one of the cool kids, or athletically inclined, so doing well academically became my “thing.” I got used to getting straight As. Until …

In 2012, when the theme was '30 Gratitudes', I wrote about my 'great big American-Pakistani family'. It was the hardest year of my life, and the only way I got through was with their tight embrace which kept me from falling.

“Salma … the lean, not so mean, kindness-giving machine…Ali!”

So exciting to launch the book, April 15th, with amazing journalist and dear friend Claire Shipman leading a meaningful conversation about the power of our personal stories and tips on how we can start our own storytelling practice.

SO excited to talk about the power of our personal stories to bring people together and to nurture a sense of community, with extraordinary journalist, author, and dear friend Claire Shipman.

I'm so excited, and a bit nervous, to announce that my first book is coming out in a couple of weeks, right before Ramadan iA! This is based on a project that

The idea to produce this book happened by chance -- perhaps. A few months ago my dear friend Luby Ismail reached out to ask if through my various networks

Friends, I'm overwhelmed with the support you've shown me about my book announcement, it means the world to me. I'd like to share something personal about this book.

I've shared a little bit about the '30 Days' book -- how the blog grew and connected people organically over the past 10 years; how I met Sughra, her inspiring story