Valerie Jean Solanas (9 April 1936 – 25 April 1988) was an American radical feminist author and playwright. Solanas was born in Ventnor City, New Jersey. She was a lesbian misandrist. She wrote many notable non-fiction books, and self-published "SCUM Manifesto" in 1968. That year, she shot Andy Warhol and Mario Amaya. In 1969, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She was convicted of assault and sent to prison. She was released in 1971. She died due to complications of pneumonia in San Francisco in 1988, aged 52.