J. California Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joan Cooper
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| Born | Joan Cooper November 10, 1931 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 2014 (aged 82) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | playwright, short stories |
| Notable awards | 1989 American Book Award |
Joan Cooper (born November 10, 1931, in Berkeley, California – died September 20, 2014, in Seattle, Washington) was an American writer. She was known by her special pen name, J. California Cooper. She wrote many plays and short stories that were loved by readers.
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About J. California Cooper
Joan Cooper was a talented playwright (someone who writes plays) and author (someone who writes books). She wrote 17 plays during her career. In 1978, she was named "Black Playwright of the Year" for her play called Strangers.
How She Got Her Name
Joan Cooper chose her pen name, J. California Cooper, in a unique way. She was inspired by another famous writer, Thomas Lanier Williams, who used "Tennessee" as part of his name. Since Joan was from California, she decided to use "California" in her own writing name.
Encouragement from Alice Walker
A very famous author and activist, Alice Walker, greatly supported Joan Cooper's work. Alice Walker said that Cooper's writing had a strong folk flavor, which means it felt very real and connected to everyday people's lives. She compared Cooper's style to that of other great writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Walker noted that Cooper's writing seemed simple but was very powerful. She also mentioned that even when Cooper's characters faced sad times, there was always a hint of humor.
From Plays to Stories
Joan Cooper first became well-known for her plays. But with encouragement from Alice Walker, she started writing short stories. Her first collection of stories was called A Piece of Mine. It was published in 1984 by Wild Trees Press, which was a publishing company started by Alice Walker.
After that first book, she wrote two more collections of stories. Then, in 1991, she released her first novel, which is a longer story, called Family. Joan Cooper also wrote Funny Valentines, which was later made into a TV movie in 1999. Famous actors like Alfre Woodard and Loretta Devine starred in the movie.
Awards and Recognition
Joan Cooper won several important awards for her writing. These include:
- The American Book Award for her short-story collection Homemade Love in 1986.
- A James Baldwin Writing Award.
- A Literary Lion Award from the American Library Association.
Joan Cooper passed away in Seattle, Washington, in 2014. She was 82 years old.
See also
