How to Undress a Cop: Poems - Softcover

"Full of hard-edged description and fast-flowing narratives, Sarah Cortez's debut How to Undress a Cop is by turns erotic, tender, and gritty."

"There will always be room on the shelf for 'How To' guides of this nature."

"An entrancing literary quickie that leaves you panting for more."

Poetry. It's not every book of poetry that includes an Ode to Body Armor. But then, it's not every poet whose experience in academia includes a stint at the police academy. The poems of Sarah Cortez are tough-minded, verbally supple, and often deeply, even explicitly, erotic. And all the fifty poems collected here display her many facets: the street smarts and cool analytic eye of a law-enforcement officer, the unique sensibility and bilingual vocabulary of a proud Mexican American, the linguistic dexterity of a Latin teacher, and the frank sensuality of a strong and spirited woman. Surveying fellow officers, friends, criminals, lovers, strangers, and family, Cortez has learned that a bulletproof vest may -- with luck -- protect the body, but protecting the heart from harm is a more mysterious affair. HOW TO UNDRESS A COP is her debut collection and winner of the PEN Texas Literary Award for Poetry.