Quick facts
- Author + illustrator: Frances Catania (Hudson Valley, NY)
- Co-author: Nicholas Catania (Frances's son)
- Format: 9 × 9 in. hardcover · premium color stock
- Length: 24 portraits across 2 chapters · ~ 80 pages
- Imprint: Frances Catania Studio
- Status: Pre-launch · Founders Edition reservations open
Founder bios
Frances Catania is an artist who taught junior-high art for 35 years in Newburgh, NY. During lockdown she began drawing nightly portraits on 4 × 4 paper. After 200, she had a body of work; the first 24 became Café Girls Volume 1.
Nicholas Catania is Frances's son and co-author. He helped shape the arc, the monologues, and the publishing path.
Talking points
- A category claim: portrait + monologue + drink-order, designed as a daily ritual.
- Mother-and-son co-authorship — a teaching artist and her son building a brand together.
- Born in lockdown. 4 × 4 inches as a deliberate constraint that became a signature.
- Print-on-demand publishing with limited Founders Edition.
Sample pull-quotes
“When the world went quiet, hair got loud.”
“Same café. New energy. Twelve ways of saying I'm here now.”
“Every face has a story. Every style has a mood.”