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JUSTIN KASE CONDER /

PHOTOGRAPHER Conder photographed this month’s story about Tony Jenkins. “When a relationship ended, I joined the Y, because everything I read said working out would be good for me. There were days that the only thing that motivated me to get out of bed and to the gym was the uplifting joy that is Tony Jenkins. Hearing his hollers and exclamations brought a smile to my face on my darkest days. He was one of my first friends in Raleigh. It moved me, just like this story will, for so many who know Tony. I’m honored to get to help tell his story.’”

BOB KARP /

PHOTOGRAPHER “I’ve photographed hundreds of concerts and festivals in my 30+ years of photojournalism, but Dreamville was an impressive first. Along with fun distractions like DJ booths, mini golf and oversize beanbag chairs, the two stages took turns with the acts as the show went off flawlessly all day and night until the headliner and founder J. Cole took to the stage. I was blown away by the energy and the diversity of the crowd and met people who traveled from all over the country, just to be at Dreamville. It made me proud of my new hometown, knowing Raleigh’s own J. Cole could throw a hip hop party that’s sure to become legendary.” NOOR AZEEM / WRITER

Noor grew up all over the map, but North Carolina is where she found her true home. She graduated from N.C. State in 2018 with a degree in English. She has a passion for reading, writing, and film photography. “The best part of speaking with Ms. Julie Beck about the North Carolina Pickle Festival was the sheer excitement and delight with which she described her preparations for the event.”

BILLY WARDEN / WRITER

Billy Warden is a writer, public speaker and band leader (of altglam rock pioneers The Floating Children) as well as a marketing executive. His collaborators on various projects have included everyone from governors to Joan Rivers (more at wardenprojects.com). “We all spend a lot of time encased in hard little bubbles; our heads in our smartphones as we hurry through our routines. Tony’s joie de vivre snapped me out of my routine at the Y; made me look up and pay attention. He was lively, unique, loud. He burst my bubble, and I wanted to know more about him. I soon realized that my fellow Y-goers felt the same. We bonded, in part, over Tony. And learning more about his story made him even more of an inspiration. I’m grateful to Tony. And I’m determined not to get back into my bubble. Life’s too short and the world’s too rich.”