“Un-unlisted” takes the form of a phone book. It lists the names of those who died while homeless in Minnesota in 2021. I’ve added each name to the phone book page where the name would have been listed, alphabetically. In this version of the phone book, the names of the homeless appear large and bold, with all other names faded in the background. Thus, in this phone book, the lives of the individuals who died while homeless in Minnesota in 2021 are acknowledged.

To create this artist book, I scanned the pages from a Minnesota phone book on which each homeless person would have been listed if they’d had a home address. I tinted the scanned page and then added each name of the individual who died while homeless in Minnesota in 2021, plus the location where they died, if known.

On the inside cover I’ve listed important numbers:

The rate of death is 3 times higher among people experiencing homelessness than the general Minnesota population. 20-year-olds experiencing homelessness in Minnesota have the same rate of death as 50-year-olds in the general population.

Mortality across each racial and ethnic group is higher among people experiencing homelessness than in the general Minnesota population. American Indian people experiencing homelessness have 1.5 times higher rates of death than other people experiencing homelessness and 5 times higher rates of death than the general Minnesota population. 

Deaths from substance use are 10 times higher among people experiencing homelessness than the general Minnesota population. 1 in 10 substance use deaths in Minnesota are among people experiencing homelessness. 1 in 3 of all deaths among people experiencing homelessness are caused by substance use, especially opioids including fentanyl. 

Names listed in the book are from the program distributed during the Minnesota Homeless March and Service in December 2021 in Minneapolis. Deep appreciation for those who reported and compiled the names, particularly Simpson Housing Services, who also organizes the homeless march and service each year.

“Un-unlisted” is my second homeless memorial book. “She Tore Her Clothes in Sorrow” was my first, and I’ve begun working on my third.

“Un-unlisted” was printed digitally at Smart Set in Minneapolis.

2023
Digitally printed in an edition of 25
Perfect binding
$75