Hello, I am Sarah Cortez
Poet-Cop
My two greatest loves are poetry and policing. I came to poetry after being published in fiction; I came to policing after fourteen years in a fancy corporate career. Becoming a street cop is the best decision I’ve ever made. You see it all, as a patrolman, and then you go home and make sure it doesn’t eat you up. The intuitive decisions cops make and the conciseness of language required are a good substrate for a poet’s emergence.
Editor
Editing requires a thorough knowledge of form and an ability to understand what the piece is trying to become. All of this rests on an impeccable ear for language and an understanding of its mechanics. During the four years it took to edit Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives. I guided the writers in transforming their memoir selections into coherent, well-paced essays with the appropriate level of narrative thrust and payoff for the reader. Since then I’ve worked with many award-winning, professional writers, and edited two additional books of short fiction plus numerous smaller projects, such as query letters, book proposals, poetry, etc. I’m also an accomplished speech-writer.
Teacher
There is no joy like the joy of helping others become accomplished at something you love. My love of all kinds of writing poetry, fiction, essay has served as the inspiration for my teaching in a wide variety of venues, e.g. elementary school, college, and in the community. I have taught creative writing at the University of Houston for over six years, and I also teach workshops and master classes throughout the country.
Public Speaker
My nature is contemplative. However, once How to Undress A Cop was published, it was essential that I become able to relate an audience. Since that time, it has been a true delight to interact with the many students, fans, and curious people who I try to inspire to write, to fulfill their creative destinies, or simply to stay in high school and graduate.
