Brenda Cooper, born August 12, 1960, is a science-fiction and fantasy author, poet, and futurist (or futurologist, that is, one who studies potential and probable futures with subsequent reflections on the present day) from Washington State. She received a BA in Information Management Systems from California State University, Fullerton, and also pursued courses in creative writing (no degree received) from Lower Columbia College in Longview, WA.

Cooper's first short stories, beginning with "Ice and Mirrors" in 2001, were written in collaboration with noted SF author Larry Niven. Her first solo story was "Linda's Dragon", published in Analog in July 2003. Since then she has published over seventy stories in a number of magazines and anthologies. Her first science fiction short-story collection, Cracking The Sky and Other Stories, was released by Fairwood Press in the fall of 2015. (It was preceded by a self-published anthology of her fantasy fiction, Beyond The Waterfall Door, earlier in 2015.)

In 2005 Cooper's first novel (co-written with Niven), Building Harlequin's Door, was published by Tor. Her second (and first solo) novel The Silver Ship and The Seacame out in 2007, and won the 2008 Endeavor Award for Distinguished Novel or Collection. It was also nominated for the 2008 Golden Duck (Hal Clement Young Adult Award).  Her subsequent novels include Reading The Wind (2008), Wings of Creation (2009), Mayan December (2011), and most recently, The Making War (2020). 2012 saw the release of the first novel in Cooper's Ruby's Song duology, The Creative Fire. Both that book and its sequel The Diamond Deep tell the story of mechanic Ruby Martin, member of an underclass laboring on board a vast worldship. Ruby rises from her humble origins to assume the leadership of a class revolt that breaks down age-old social barriers. The duology was followed up by The Edge of Dark (2015), the start of a new series (titled The Glittering Edge) which takes place in the same universe as Ruby's Song, but many years later. Edge of Dark was nominated for the 2016 Philip K. Dick Award. Cooper's most recent works include the 2017 YA novel Post, and her climate change-related Project Earth series, Wilders (2017) and Keepers (2018).

Cooper also served until recently as the Chief Information Officer for the city of Kirkland, WA. She and her wife reside in western Washington State.

Brenda was educated at California State University, Fullerton, where she earned a BA in Management Information Systems. - See more at: http://www.brenda-cooper.com/about/#sthash.c731HGVQ.dpuf Brenda was educated at California State University, Fullerton, where she earned a BA in Management Information Systems. - See more at: http://www.brenda-cooper.com/about/#sthash.c731HGVQ.dpuf