Tom Waits Spins Poetry for Book About Homelessness

BY Josiah HughesPublished Nov 23, 2010

Always an interesting artist, Tom Waits has been branching out a bit more than usual as of late, as he explores the world of vinyl reissues and players. In keeping with his diverse catalogue, Waits's latest project is a poetry/photography book that explores the lives of homeless people.

The book is called Hard Ground and sees Waits combine his talents as a wordsmith with the visual work of acclaimed photographer Michael O'Brien. According to a press release, the book aims 'to create a portrait of homelessness that impels us to look into the eyes of people who live 'on the hard ground' and recognize our common humanity." The result "transcends documentary and presents independent, yet powerfully complementary views of the trials of homelessness and the resilience of people who survive on the streets."

Hard Ground will be released on March 1 via the University of Texas Press. Pre-orders are available here, and large samples of O'Brien's images (such as the photo above) can be seen here.


 Thanks to TwentyFourBit for the tip.

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