J. California Cooper

Joan Cooper (November 10, 1931 in Berkeley, California – September 20, 2014 in Seattle, Washington), 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. California Cooper lived in Marshall Texas for seven years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, where she wrote three books.