J. California Cooper was born on November 10, 1931 in Berkeley, California, USA. J. California was a writer, known for Funny Valentines (1999). J. California died on September 20, 2014 in Seattle, Washington, USA.
The first book of her short stories .A Piece of Mine'was published by Alice Walker Wild Trees Press in 1984.
The 'Homemade Love' collection of short stories which includes 'Funny Valentines' won an 1989 American Book Award.
She wrote 17 plays including 'Strangers' which won in 1978 for her the San Francisco Black Playwright Award.
She initially wanted to be a playwright. She had written more than a dozen plays by the early 1980s (she wound up writing 17). Alice Walker, who attended one of her plays, suggested she try writing short stories.
She attended technical high school and several universities, including the University of California, Berkeley. While raising her daughter, she worked as a secretary, manicurist, and truck driver, while writing in her spare time.