Trespass: Portraits of Unhoused Life, Love, and Understanding

According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), nearly 70,000 people were unhoused in the city as of September 2022. Writer, director, and photographer Kim Watson began connecting with unhoused people near his LA neighborhood four years ago by delivering food out of the back of his car . As his relationships grew to become trusted friendships, he began to interview, photograph and document the experiences of those he encountered. Through profiles, essays, and stunning black-and-white photography, TRESPASS sheds light on the complex situations that lead to homelessness, the individuals who struggle to rise out of it, and those who have resigned themselves to it. Fueled by a deep sense of care, Watson’s portraits capture the hopes and demands of people in need of support and consideration. With this book, copies of which are available for advance purchase below, Watson dares us to look inside ourselves and confront our own biases as we consider the conditions of others, so that together we can process our collective trauma and develop sustainable solutions. A limited number of large-scale, framed portraits from Trespass will be on display and also available for purchase.

Born and raised in New York and based in Los Angeles, Kim Watson creates art as a catalyst for change. TRESPASS: Portraits of Unhoused Life, Love, and Understanding (Broadleaf Books, 2024) represents four years of Watson's work as an author, photographer, and interviewer among the unhoused citizens of Los Angeles.

Kim will be joined in conversation by Pendarvis Harshaw, an award-winning journalist from Oakland who writes about prisons, politics, hip-hop and all things impacting his Northern Californian community. He currently works in San Francisco at KQED, where he’s an Arts & Culture columnist. You can reach him at @ogpenn on all platforms.

This event is co-sponsored by NEWFOLKLORE: https://www.newfolklore.com/

Host or Publisher Clio's Books