The Story Behind the Photo
Kamal Al Solaylee's first book Intolerable was nominated and won numerous prestigious book awards including the Toronto Book Award. It was also shortlisted for Canada Reads 2015.
A few months after Canada Reads 2015 I noticed on the TPL (Toronto Public Library) website that Kamal Al-Solayee was doing a reading at the Victoria Village Library in Scarborough. Although it was quite a distance to travel, I thought it would be fun to attend. I had really enjoyed his book and thought it would be a great opportunity to hear him speak and to get my book signed. The event took place in the lower level of the small library nestled on a tree lined street in Scarborough. Of the 25 or 30 people in attendance that evening the majority were from a local book club along with a photographer from the community-based newspaper The Snap. After most of the book club members had gotten their books signed and had their pictures taken it was my chance to speak to him. He was quite surprised and pleased to know that not only had I attended Canada Reads but had purchased each of the books. It was an added bonus for me that evening that the photographer hung around and took a picture of Kamal and I as he was signing my book. It was about a year later when Kamal’s second book Brown was released. When I saw that he was doing a book launch at Ryerson University, I decided to attend. On my way into the venue I saw him standing outside the room where we exchanged greetings and I added that I had met him the year before at Victoria Village Library in Scarborough. He said oh yes, I remember. I have a picture of you on my phone. I don't know if I was more surprised or happy, but I do remember thinking it was pretty cool that he'd remember me after a year. After the reading I got my book signed. I also had brought along a copy of the picture of the two of us from the previous year. He was a little hesitant about writing on the picture but after some convincing he finally did. The following Saturday I was standing in front of the Canadian Tire at Yonge and Church trying to hail a cab when I heard someone call my name. I turned around to see it was Kamal. What a surprise! We spoke for a minute or two before he was on his way and a taxi pulled up to bring me home. Since then, I have run into Kamal a few times at literary events including Word on the Street and the Appel Salon when his book Brown was nominated for the Toronto Book Award. It is always a pleasure to see him and to have a chance to say hello.
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Coming soon to The Story Behind the Photo is Diana Galbaldon, Terry Fallis, Judy Blume, Bryan Baeumler, Carol Shields (Anne and Nicholas Giardini), Nino Ricci, Getty Lee, Salman Rushdie, Kim Thuy, Ami McKay, Joseph Boyden, Elizabeth Strout, and many more.
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It was already exciting to be sitting in the same section as Prince Harry at the Invictus games and meeting Ryan Shannon from team U.S.A., but who knew there was still more to come that evening. As I made my way back from the ladies room low and behold who did I see before me but Derek Hough. Not only is Derek a six-time champion of Dancing with the Stars but he is also currently a judge on World of Dance. It was only hours earlier that I saw him on The Social promoting the games as he was the ambassador for the U.S team. He spoke with such passion about the athletes and their dedication to their individual sport. It was that passion that inspired me to purchase a ticket for that evening's events.
At first, I couldn't believe it was him. He was laughing and chatting with a couple of people but as I got closer, they shook hands and the man and woman walked away. Then it was just him, standing there by himself, I knew I needed to say hello. He’s always come across as having a very charismatic personality. He definitely did not disappoint and was very friendly and charming. Of course, I had to ask him if I could have a picture with him and without missing a beat, he took my phone, tapped the camera app, and took a selfie of the two of us. Obviously, he's done this a time or two before. After thanking him for the photo and telling how much I enjoyed his work I said goodbye, gave him a hug and made my way back to my seat. It seemed like the perfect way to wrap up my first Invictus games.
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Coming soon to The Story Behind the Photo is Kamal Al-Solaylee, Diana Galbaldon, Terry Fallis, Judy Blume, Bryan Baeumler, Carol Shields (Anne and Nicholas Giardini), Nino Ricci, Kim Thuy, Ami McKay, Joseph Boyden, Elizabeth Strout, and many more.
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In 2014 the first Invictus games were held in London, England. The games, which were created by Prince Harry, are a multi-sport event for wounded armed service personnel. In the fall of 2017, those games were held in Toronto. I hadn't really thought much about attending the games until I saw Derek Hough of Dancing with the Stars, and The World of Dance fame on The Social promoting them as he was the American Ambassador for the games. His passion sparked my interest, so I purchased a ticket for that evening's sitting volleyball finals. When I arrived at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, it was pretty empty. My ticket was for general seating so I was told I could sit anywhere. However, the first seat I chose apparently was reserved for special guests, so I had to choose another. I decided to move further down in that section to the front row which was a better seat and closer to the action. During the second round of the competition, a picture of Prince Harry was flashed on the big screen announcing that he had arrived in the building. Thinking that was pretty cool I slowly began to scan the arena to see if I could spot him and when I couldn't I turned to the two young women sitting behind me to ask if they had spotted him. Without saying a word, they both turned and pointed behind them. Yup, the seats that I was told were reserved were exactly where Prince Harry and his entourage were sitting. (And no, his then-girlfriend Meghan Markel was not with him). I'm sure he must have been aware of those around him taking his picture, but he carried on like anyone else just there to watch his team play. He wasn't in clear view since he was seated six rows behind me, so it wasn't until I climbed the stairs on the way to the washroom I that I was able to see him. Although, I didn't meet Prince Harry one-on-one that evening I did get to meet another very special person whose name is Ryan Shannon. Ryan was a U.S. Navy veteran and a former petty officer 1st class and member of Team U.S.A. He, along with his teammates, won the bronze medal that evening for sitting volleyball. It was an amazing evening as teams from all over the world were competing against each other, but the audience cheered and clapped for every point regardless of which team had scored. It was the players, after all, why we were all there. Subscribe today so you don't miss out on any upcoming blogs.
Coming soon to The Story Behind the Photo is Kamal Al-Solaylee, Diana Galbaldon, Terry Fallis, Judy Blume, Bryan Baeumler, Carol Shields (Anne and Nicholas Giardini), Nino Ricci, Kim Thuy, Ami McKay, Joseph Boyden, Elizabeth Strout, and many more.
When I was dancing up a storm on a Friday night, in the gymnasium of my junior high school, it never occurred to me that someday I would be standing beside the guy whose voice was blaring through the large black speaker in the corner. Whether it was You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet or Takin' Care of Business the dance floor was always full when those songs began to play. The music of Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) was a regular part of our Friday night dances and everyone knew the lyrics and sang along.
I’ve never seen Randy Bachman play live, but I have been fortunate enough to see him interviewed in person twice. The first time was at a taping for The George Stroumboulopoulos Show on CBC. George’s skill at interviewing were equally matched to Randy’s at storytelling which made for an interesting and entertaining afternoon.
It was about a month later on April 8, 2014 that Randy was the guest author at the Appel Salon (Toronto Reference Library). He was there to promote his second book Tales from Beyond the Tap. The stories in the book are the extended version of the stories he tells on his radio show Vinyl Tap on CBC.
Not only is Randy an amazing guitar player and songwriter he's also a great storyteller. Whether he’s talking about playing the violin as a child, his days in the Guess Who, or being on the road with BTO his stories draw you in. They’re detailed and filled with the who's who of the music industry of the 60s, 70s, and even up until today. It seems there are few major acts that he has not played with or had some dealings with over the course of his career. Although our meeting was short and sweet it was still very cool to have met him. Age 75 and Randy Bachman is still ROCKING.
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Coming soon to The Story Behind the Photo is Kamal Al-Solaylee, Diana Galbaldon, Terry Fallis, Judy Blume, Bryan Baeumler, Carol Shields (Anne and Nicholas Giardini), Nino Ricci, Kim Thuy, Ami McKay, Joseph Boyden, Elizabeth Strout, and many more. |
My name is Faith Van Wart, I’m a Certified Photo Manager and a member of The Photo Managers (formerly APPO Association of Personal Photo Organizers). I help people organize and digitize their printed photos so they can tell the stories behind their photos. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet some interesting people and wanted to begin to share those photos and the stories behind them. I hope you enjoy photos and the stories. To learn more about how you can organize your photos be sure to check out my website Adventures-with-Photos.ca As the old saying goes every picture tells a story. If your photos could talk what stories would they tell? |