Wilbert L. Cooper
award-winning author + documentary filmmaker
located near: brooklyn, NY
EXPERTISE
Memoir
Race and Policing in America
Narrative Journalism
Documentary Filmmaking
Music and Counter Culture
Fashion and Style
Cinema
EVENT TYPES
BOOK TALKS & READINGS ● panelS ● author talkS ● workshops
class visits ● KEYNOTES ● LECTURES ● FIRESIDE CHATS ● VIRTUAL EVENTS
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS ● FESTIVALS ● INTERVIEWS
Popular Talks & Events
Art and War: Meditations on the urgency and importance of storytelling and expression during an era marked by extreme violence and widespread oppression.
History Lessons: Reflections on the urgent messages of the past and how to apply those to today's fight for freedom
Selling Out: Exploring what it means to be captured by oppressive systems that reproduce violence and inequality, and how we can claw our way out
wilbert l. cooper’s Bio
Wilbert L. Cooper (he/him) was raised in Northeastern Ohio. He studied journalism at Ohio University and earned a master's degree in publishing at New York University. He is based in Brooklyn and has written for outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Marshall Project. His Vice documentary “The Cleveland Strangler” was nominated for a National Magazine Award. In 2024, he was the recipient of the Richard J. Margolis Award. His debut memoir, The Black Shield: An American Memoir of Family and Power, received an Outstanding Book Award from the National Association of Black Journalists in 2026.
get social with wilbert L. cooper
Website | Visit Wilbert at APL!
books by wilbert l. cooper
wilbert l. cooper in the media
A Conversation with Charlie XCX: Watch on Red Bull TV
Joe's Blackbook Session 11 — Willy Chavarria & Wilbert L. Cooper
Director Barry Jenkins on Creating Empathy Through His Film 'Moonlight’ with Wilbert L. Cooper
Articles by Wilbert L. Cooper:
Out of the Blue: The Rise and Fall of a Black Cop | THE MARSHALL PROJECT
How Trump’s war on DEI is roiling US police | THE GUARDIAN
From Jimi Hendrix to Colin Kaepernick, the Afro as Rebellion|THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
The Designer Reimagining America’s Most Iconic Accessory | THE NEW YORK TIMES
An Artist Making a Powerful Statement — by Creating Work About Herself | THE NEW YORK TIMES
The Chef on a Mission to Bring Soulful, Healthy Food to All of Brooklyn | THE NEW YORK TIMES