Sarah Cortez – teacher, poet, police officer – is, above all else, a woman who shares her experiences from the city of her birth, a place she holds close to her heart, Houston, Texas. She teaches poetry and creative writing and allows her occupation as a police officer to influence her literary style. This is evidenced by her first published collection of poetry, How to Undress a Cop (Arte Publico Press, 2000).
As a poet, Cortez received the 1999 PEN Texas Literary Award in Poetry and placed as a semifinalist in the 2000 Fourteenth Annual Louisiana Literature Prize for Poetry. One of her poems, “Glance,” was featured in Houston METRO buses as part of the nationwide program, “Poetry in Motion.”
Her works have been described as tough-minded, verbally supple, and often deeply and explicitly erotic. Examining friends, fellow officers, criminals, lovers, strangers, and family members, Sarah has learned that bulletproof may – with luck – protect the body, but keeping the heart from harm is a chancier and more mysterious affair. Now, Sarah’s taken her work to an even higher level.
Formal Request for Unpublished Short Stories:
Sarah’s editing an anthology of unpublished short stories of fiction that is scheduled for release in 2009 by Akashic Books out of Brooklyn. The title will be Indian Country Noir, and she is seeking stories that take place in Indian Country, which includes Canada, Canadian Reserves, U.S. Reservations, Alaska, Hawaii, and Mexican Indian land. Geographic location is important. These stories may be historical, literary, and/or crime fiction. Writers of First Nation ancestry are especially encouraged to submit pieces. Established authors will be included as well as emerging authors. Stories should be 3,000-6,000 words in length.
If interested, send your submission by email to indiancountryanthology@gmail.com. Please type your submission into a Word document with double spacing and all other standard manuscript formatting. Akashic has done many books in their Noir series and anyone interested may wish to look at the website for further info.
