Does Coffee Really Make You Black?

In the photo to your left you meet talented letterpress artist Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. He's in the middle of signing a poster I purchased from him at the annual Book Arts Fest at MCBA in Minneapolis.

A resident of Detroit, Kennedy prefers recycled materials, sticks to wooden type he sets by hand, then prints on letter press. He signs every poster with a Sharpie, and will not budge on the asking price for his work.

Amos also favors edgy, poignant work that invites conversation, breaks down barriers to understanding, and certainly makes you smile.

For instance my purchase:  "Coffee Makes You Black." 

C'mon. That's absurd. I mean, how can drinking coffee -- even strong, black coffee -- turn a white man black?  It can't, of course. But the absurdity of the idea is an effective way to make us look at our prejudices, and reconsider the evidence.

I wish I could have hung out longer with Amos.  I plan to go on-line before Christmas and stock up on gifts.  If you want to connect with Kennedy, you can do so here:

No telephone. You can write us at

P.O. Box 7489
Detroit, MI 48207
EARTH
or email. We really do prefer a letter, and we will reply to you. Keep paper correspondence alive!

Kennedy Prints! posters are printed for clients and generally available through the organization that ordered them; but we retain a limited number of posters for sale. If you would like to purchase individual posters ($25 each, shipping and handling are free), you can email us and see if the ones you want are still available. Organizations that sell Kennedy Prints! posters retail include:

• Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
• Las Manos Gallery, Chicago
• L'Affiche Gallery, Milan, Italy
• La Stamperia del Tevere, Rome, Italy
• Point Jaune Museum, St. Gallen, Switzerland
• Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis, MN
• Collected Thread, Oklahoma City, OK
• Mercury Posters, Rochester, NY
• Kentuck Museum, Northport, AL
• Rural Heritage Center, Thomaston, AL
• Redline Gallery, Milwaukee, WI

Check Amos's work at   www.kennedyprints.com