Roberta Leslie Gourse (January 1, 1939 – December 23, 2004) was an American writer and biographer who was a prolific writer on jazz music and musicians.

[1] In 1991, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers awarded her the Deems Taylor Award for a series of seven articles in the magazine JazzTimes focusing on female jazz musicians.

Shortly after her graduation in 1960, Gourse published her first novel, With Gall and Honey, a romantic novel set in Israel.

Gourse wrote several books for children, and many biographies of notable jazz musicians.

[1] Gourse died as a result of respiratory problems in 2004.