Homeless in a Land of Plenty - Book Project

In the fall of 2016, I began what became a five-year project to create a comprehensive photographic documentary of our nation's homeless crisis. In more than seventy cities across the nation, I met with persons experiencing homelessness, and with service providers. This work has now come together in a 224-page, hardcover photography book titled, "Homeless in a Land of Plenty."

 

With your help, I now seek to publish this book, with the goals of raising awareness of the current homeless crisis, and of helping to support several non-profit organizations advocating for and serving persons experiencing homelessness. Net proceeds from the publication of "Homeless in a Land of Plenty" will be donated to non-profit organizations aiding the homeless. For each $50 contributed, which is equal to the retail price of the book including domestic shipping, you will receive a copy of the "Homeless in a Land of Plenty." Assuming I am able to place a print order by the end of January, allowing for current supply chain issues, copies should be available by late 2022.

 

Though the economic crisis of the 1930s is nearly a century behind us, for many Americans without stable housing these are greatly depressing times. And so, wanting the images in this project to resonate with and echo an earlier time, I photographed exclusively with black and white film. While some of the images in this project show the living conditions of the unhoused, the majority are street portraits. Through these images, I seek to enable the viewer to make a human connection with persons experiencing homelessness.

 

I thank you in advance for helping with the publication of "Homeless in a Land of Plenty."

 

Sincerely,

Mark Schumann

Santa Fe, New Mexico

December, 2021