This talk considers the creative collaboration between writer Fran Ross and graphic artist and Ann Grifalconi to publish Ross’s one and only book: Oreo (1974). The satirical novel tells the story of a half-Jewish, half-Black girl—the eponymous Oreo—who sets out from Philadelphia, where she lives with her mother, to find her estranged father in New York City. Largely ignored in its time, the book has gained something of a cult following since Ross died in 1985. While readers have noted Ross’s appropriation of the myth of Theseus to frame Oreo’s journey as a satire of male authority, few have discussed the critical role the book’s typography plays in establishing the Black matrilineal influence that sustains Oreo along the way. The talk reveals how typographical choices made by Grifalconi, who trained at Cooper Union, not only underscore the novel’s satirical vision but also manifest the queer and feminist political commitments she shared with Ross, her intimate partner.
[Tickets are free but please pre-book.]