Stephen Cooper can rightfully claim to be an authority on John Fante. Not only did he write a biography of Fante, but he also found and edited Fante’s final work, The Big Hunger. Speaking at Zócalo’s panel celebrating Fante’s 100th birthday, Cooper said, “This is a little bit like a dream to me. When I first read Ask the Dust many, many years ago, I knew nobody who had ever heard of it, or of John Fante.” Learn more about Cooper below.

Q. What do you wake up to?
A. My wife waking up. She always wakes up before me.

Q. What music have you listened to today?
A. None.

Q. What’s your favorite word?
A. Writer.

Q. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A. A tiger or a midget.

Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. Glenlivet on the rocks.

Q. What is your most prized material possession?
A. My copy of Ask the Dust from 1939.

Q. Who is the one person living or dead that you’d most love to have a beer with?
A. My son. He’s just old enough, and I’m proud of him.

Q. Who would you want to write your biography?
A. John Fante.

To read about Cooper’s panel on John Fante, click here.

*Photo by Aaron Salcido.