Bernard Cooper

Bernard Cooper (born October 3, 1951) is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His writings are in part autobiographical and influenced by his own experiences as a gay man. His work has appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and five volumes of The Best American Essays. Cooper has taught at the California Institute of the Arts and Bennington College, and in 2014 he served as the Bedell Distinguished Visiting professor at the University of Iowa's nonfiction writing program.

Biography, education and work Cooper was born in Hollywood, California, to Jewish parents; Lillian and Edward Cooper. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Cooper stated that while growing up, he didn't speak that much to his father, and when they did, "it wasn't for long".

Cooper graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 1979, with a Master of Fine Arts degree. After graduation, he turned his back on the visual arts degree, and pursued writing instead. One of his first jobs was working as a shoe salesman. Cooper was also employed as an art critic for Los Angeles Magazine. In 2009, Cooper held the 'Mary Routt Chair of Writing' at Scripps College, where he taught for a semester.

Awards and fellowships His awards and fellowships include the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for Maps to Anywhere, the O. Henry Award for Truth Serum, and has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Works (1990) (1991) A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood (1993) (1996) (2000) (2006) (2015)

The Best American Essays (1988) (1995) (1997) (2002) (2008)

Selected journal articles (1987) (1988) (1989) (1990) (1999) (2000) (2001)