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Day 29, Meet The Phenomenal, J. California-Cooper...

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Joan California Cooper first found recognition as a playwright. The author of seventeen plays, she was named Black Playwright of the Year in 1978. It was through her work in the theater that she caught the attention of acclaimed poet and novelist  Alice Walker . Encouraged by Walker to turn her popular storytelling skills to fiction, Cooper wrote her first collection of short stories,  A Piece of Mine , in 1984. Called "rich in wisdom and insight,"  A Piece of Mine  introduced Cooper's trademark style: her intimate and energetic narration, sympathetic yet sometimes troubled characters, and the profound moral messages that underlie seemingly simple stories. The collection contains 12 short stories of troubles in a black, small town setting. They are narrated in a relaxed, anecdotal, almost confessional style, usually by older, wiser women. The focus of most of these stories is abusive men, and the women who get revenge on them. The stories are full of energy, hum