Sometimes we set out to solve a problem, and later realize we’re solving for something much bigger. That’s exactly what’s happened to Ramin Rahimian.

Ramin, a successful photographer, created Bookal, an app that allows neighbors to buy and sell their books to each other. The emphasis here is on local, and that matters in Ramin’s bigger story. That’s because Ramin wants to reconnect our local communities — to increase the real person, face-to-face conversations and relationships — the things we used to do at our local book shops and downtowns.

We talk about Bookal. But our conversation takes us into deeper topics and stories that explore his story. Most importantly, we get to the why—why Ramin has created Bookal, and how it connects to his photography and visual storytelling work. Ramin also opens up with a personal story that provided him with pivotal insights, to see and interact with things differently.

I need to mention that Ramin and I both live in Petaluma, CA. It doesn’t go unnoticed by me, that just by us meeting and sharing our stories, we’re creating exactly what he is hoping for in the community. And in fact, I did reach out to him because of Bookal.

This is a story of a man with a passion to get us off the couch and into our communities.