J california cooper biography summary page

  • Joan Cooper (November 10, 1931 – September 20, 2014), known by her pen name, J. California Cooper, was an.
  • She was born in Berkeley, California, to Maxine Rosemary and Joseph C. Cooper, and she has a daughter, Paris Williams.
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    Cooper, J. California

    (Joan California Cooper)

    PERSONAL: Born in Berkeley, CA; daughter of Joseph C. and Maxine Rosemary Cooper; children: Paris A. Williams. Ethnicity: Black Education: Attended technical high school and various colleges. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, nature, travel, painting, music, tap dancing.

    CAREER: Writer.

    AWARDS, HONORS: Black Playwright of the Year, 1978, for Strangers; Literary Lion Award and James Baldwin Award, both from the American Library Association, 1988; American Book Award, 1989, for Homemade Love; named Woman of the Year by the University of Massachusetts; named Best Female Writer in Texas.

    WRITINGS:

    NOVELS

    Family: A Novel, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1991.

    In Search of Satisfaction, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1994.

    The Wake of the Wind, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1998.

    Some People, Some Other Place, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2004.

    SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

    A Piece of Mine (includes "

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    About the Author

    J. California Cooper was born in Berkeley, California in 1932. She was an award-winning playwright, novelist, and short story writer. She wrote 17 plays and received a 1978 Black Playwright Award for Strangers. She wrote several short story collections including A Piece of Mine, Wild Stars Seeking show more Midnight Suns, and The Future Has a Past. Homemade Love received the 1989 American Book Award and Funny Valentine was made into a 1999 TV movie. Her novels included Family, The Wake of the Wind, Life Is Short but bred, and Some People, Some Other Place. She received the James Baldwin Award and the Literary Lion Award from the American Library Association in 1988. She died on September 20, 2014 at the age of 82. (Bowker Author Biography) J. California Cooper fryst vatten the author of fem collections of short stories, including Homemade Love, winner of the 1989 American Book Award, and the novels The Wake of the Wind, Family, and In Search of Satisfaction. She lives in
  • j california cooper biography summary page

    • •

    J. California Cooper

    American playwright and author

    Joan Cooper (November 10, 1931 – September 20, 2014), known by her pen name, J. California Cooper, was an American playwright and author. She wrote 17 plays and was named Black Playwright of the Year in 1978 for her play Strangers.[1] Cooper also received an American Book Award in 1989, a James Baldwin Writing Award (1988), and a Literary Lion Award (1988) from the American Library Association.[2]

    Early life

    [edit]

    Joan “California” Cooper was born on November 10, 1931 in Berkeley, California to Joseph Cooper and Maxine Rosemary Lincoln Cooper.[3] She was the youngest of five siblings, having three sisters (one deceased, Shirley May) and one brother.[4][5] Her father worked as a scrap metal maker and her mother worked as a welder in World War II before owning a beauty salon later on.[3]  Though Cooper grew up in California, she also frequently s