Have You Thanked Him Lately?
Might be time, if you’re an Illumination writer.
If you read me regularly, you know that every so often I tag Dr Mehmet Yildiz about work that he’s done, the publications and articles and immense investment he has made in a great many other people.
If you’re new to me, or if you’re still new to Illumination, if I may, please.
Illumination is now one BIG publication. That wasn’t always the case. Please see:
It began as a bright idea. That idea spread with the invitation to a few writers that caught Dr. Yildiz’ attention. I was one of them. I said yes, others said yes, and we were on our way.
What began as a very small venture now touches thousands of lives. That venture has bootstrapped one hell of a lot of writers. Opened a lot of eyes. Opened a lot of doors.
For my part, during a very tough year last year, Dr. Yildiz’ research and introduction to Newsbreak and Vocal helped keep me on my financial feet as Medium went through multiple struggles, and a great many of us suffered from the loss of reader eyeballs.
Not everyone got onto those platforms, but the point is that he opened those doors, and as with all the other doors he opened, some of us were able to use them. That’s the point.
Dr. Y has written me personally, as well as many others, in that kind, supportive way that he has, often at times when I was in the shits. That is priceless.
While Illumination in all its many iterations has grown by leaps and bounds, Dr. Y has remained completely and utterly consistent in his commitment to inclusion, diversity, engagement and development of new writing talent across multiple disciplines.
This despite accusations of the most vile sort, jealous attacks by other publication owners (who would do well to emulate Dr. Y’s example instead of coming after him) and the sometimes remarkably selfish, demanding behavior of new writers who expect him, and our volunteer editor cadre, to help them make money. As if, guys.
I have never asked Dr. Y for this, but I regularly see my articles highlighted in Twitter and Linked In. That’s priceless. And it’s selfless. These things take time.
Dr. Y is extremely transparent in his work. He’s done his best to be fair to Medium as platform, considered going elsewhere, but has stuck it out as long as Medium continues to provide support. That’s despite the road blocks and obstacles that Medium threw in his path to get enough editors for the thousands of articles that Illumination and all the sister publications that Illumination has engendered.
And, if you will forgive my pointing out, Dr. Y has a full-time job. So while I have seen and read the false accusations that somehow Dr. Y is raking in millions from his readers (claps maybe, especially from me), Illumination is not a for-profit enterprise. It does help writers, big, small, beginner, pro get started. Develop. Grow. Blossom.
One accuser went so far as to claim that Dr. Yildiz didn’t actually exist. Such ridiculous claims take up time and attention from his real work. But he patiently responds, as if to a toddler. It is indeed responding to a toddler, if you will.
The Illumination Slack channel is lively, and for me a bit overwhelming. Yet if I need something I can go there and ask. Dr. Y speaks up and stands up for us, and he continues to expand the offerings so that more variety and more writers can try their wings.
Dr. Y is indeed an expert, especially on technology. He personifies leadership most especially in this sense: he creates environments where others grow, evolve and succeed. There is no question that my career on Medium has benefited substantially from his support, and I would not have a following on Newsbreak had he not suggested the platform.
That doesn’t mean everything works for everyone, in that truth that not all of us were meant to be writers. Some will fail. But that’s not Dr. Y’s doing.
As Illumination grew, I stepped more to the periphery, as I do better with being close to, but not directly in large ventures. That said, Illumination remains my primary publication home. It is still where I find most of my favorite writers. People whose personal stories inspire me and my writing.
Finally, Dr. Y’s intense commitment to diversity introduced me to some superb writers. Those include Sharon Hurley Hall, Rebecca Stevens A., and my friend Rosenna Bakari. While there are many, many more than that, I wish to call these out because they have had a most particular impact on my life in the diversity journey.
For those of us who dearly miss Dr. Bakari’s writing, I am beyond delighted to report to you that her next book (which I am proofreading this weekend) is coming out in September. It’s called THE HEALING JOURNEY Relationships Health and Wellness Guide, from Karibu Publishing. If you loved her writing, and I am a huge fan, I invite you to go here:
and buy your copy. I already have. Hers is a unique voice, and her next book is going to be a treat. We all need to heal, and I don’t know anyone better at delivering that message.
Rosenna and I would not have met had it not been for Dr. Y. I would not be reading most of you had it not been for Dr. Y’s ability to attract extraordinary talent because of his commitment to inclusion. My personal world has expanded through both personal and online friendships. My writing has improved. My writing career has continued to grow. Illumination gave me a broader platform and Dr. Ys support has been critical to that growth.
If you’re an Illumination writer, if you have benefited from this good man’s efforts, I would invite you to find a way to say thank you.
Dr. Yildiz deserves it. And to that, I am adding to this article a lengthy addendum from one of his own editors:
This an extraordinary piece about an incredible human being. Thank you so much for writing this. I have been working with Dr. Yildiz for over a year now as a small part of the ILLUMINATION Integrated publications. Not enough can be said about his relentless effort to give voice to thousands of writers through his work.
In addition to the prolific public work he kindly offers on Medium, Vocal, and Newsbreak, he works just as tirelessly behind the scenes. He provides vision and guidance to the editors of the ILLUMINATION publications, who go forth and work on bringing out the best in each writer they publish. Dr. Yildiz offers encouragement and hope for the future whenever there is an uptick in writers who are less than grateful for the opportunities available to them through ILLUMINATION and Medium. He will personally highlight, just to we editors ourselves, writers who inspire him to continue on his journey.
He stays in touch, as much as he can, with editors who have been away for awhile. Never any pressure, just words to get rest, to continue to work things out, to engage if they wish, but only when they are ready. He wishes us all well in our pursuits inside and outside of ILLUMINATION, because ultimately, he has an eye out for our success.
And while there may be those who skitter out to criticize Dr. Yildiz and the ILLUMINATION publications, their hot streak of one or two critical articles soon dries up. Meanwhile, the ILLUMINATION publications have published hundreds of articles from writers of all skill levels and given visibility to their work across multiple platforms. And in that same time, Dr. Yildiz has published a dozen of his own personal anthology articles, highlighting some of those same writers, as well as introducing new writers and encouraging them to publish their work, many times for the first time. In addition, he has researched and experimented with new companies, technologies, strategies, social media platforms, etc., and shared his knowledge with us. All so that we might get a better foothold on our dreams and goals. Take that, critics. A truly incredible amount of work!
For all of that and more, a sincere thank you to you, Dr. Yildiz! It is an honor to know you, and an honor to work with you.
Couldn’t have said it better, with thanks to Arthur G. Hernandez.
