Christian Cooper: Let Your Freak Flag Fly
Christian Cooper is the New York Times bestselling author of Better Living Through Birding, a science and comics writer and editor, and the host and consulting producer of Extraordinary Birder on Disney+. One of Marvel’s first openly gay writers and editors, Cooper introduced the first gay male character in Star Trek, in the Starfleet Academy series, which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. He also introduced the first openly lesbian character for Marvel and created and authored Queer Nation: The Online Gay Comic. Based in New York City, he is on the board of directors for NYC Audubon. Follow him on Instagram.
In this interview, Christian discusses how looking into the world of owls helped him gain insight into our own world in his new picture book, The Urban Owls, his advice for writers, and more.
Name: Christian Cooper
Literary agent: Gail Ross (WME)
Book title: The Urban Owls: How Flaco and Friends Made the City Their Home
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: February 18, 2025
Genre/category: Children’s (ages 4-8)
Previous titles: Better Living Through Birding
Elevator pitch: Meet the owls who remind us that nature is everywhere—even in the heart of the biggest cities—and teach us how to thrive side by side.
Bookshop | Amazon
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What prompted you to write this book?
Owls are always among us but are hard to find. When we do, it’s like stumbling across an ambassador from another world: a nighttime world that’s little known to us. By telling the stories of these “celebrity owls,” I wanted not only to look at their world, but to gain some insights into our own.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It took about a year, from concept to bookshelf; the fantastic artist for the book, Kristen Adam, had deadlines that were just as tight as mine! Flaco had captured the public’s imagination, and we needed to strike while that was fresh. But that’s where the idea evolved: Flaco was the point of entry, but it was very important to me to talk about some of the wild, native owls that had taken NYC by storm as well.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
This is my first children’s book, so the collaborative process was somewhat new. But since I have a background in writing comic books, where the writer/artist collaboration is key, it wasn’t completely alien to me.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I was pleasantly surprised at just how many parallels between the owl life and human life were right there waiting, even in the context of a children’s book.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
A realization that wild things are always with us and will seize any opportunity we give them to live their wild ways. Let’s give them more.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Let your freak flag fly! No matter where your passion lies, even if it’s something (like birding) that others dismiss, give it full rein in your writing and your life, and you and the world will be better for it.
