Life of JEM

07/22/2025

The sky is falling It's falling the sky Chicken Little was right Punk rock was right All is not right I still go into court To defend the...

07/16/2025

So I have created a monster. Well three. Three co dependent shih tzus that can't sleep alone.

My husband warned me. "They're gonna get used to you being down there."

Last night, they started barking and howling at midnight for me and wouldn't stop. I padded downstairs and laid on the tiny couch next to their bed, and they immediately fell asleep.

Then, I tried to sneak upstairs at 330 am, but they caught me, and all three of them woke up and stood at the front of the stairs when I tried to go up. Sleepy eyed furry shih tzus blinking Morse code at me. "Try and you'll see. Just try it lady."

I love them beyond distraction, so much so that I sometimes just watch them sleep and snore. I'm so very content at that moment and at times ask myself, do I need anything else in life?

I can't even imagine what I would have been as a mom of a human baby. A creepy stalker co dependent mom perhaps? One who hugs too much? My dad was a hugger. He would always make us all hug him before me and my sisters went anywhere, and he'd tell us he loved us. My dad knew great loss in his life, and probably understood all too well how fleeting life can be. How everything can change.

I pet the dogs. A hand lazily strumming on their dog bed. One, two, wait, where's the third little piggie?

I look down. "Merry? Where are you?" I say softly from my couch bed. The all white, big headed fluffy one named Merry pads over and gets back in the dog bed with his siblings. I sigh and turn over, and go back to sleep.

So I have created a monster. Well three. Three co dependent shih tzus that can't sleep alone. My husband warned me. "They're gonna get used...

07/11/2025

There's a band I love called Dramarama (who I'm seeing live tonight). They have a song titled Emerald City. Here's a few of the lyrics: "I'm...

07/09/2025

These are the days to remember
It's 5 am. The dogs are in the backyard running around. It's dusk, the sky a mix of blue and grey. I sip from my espresso cup as I write this.

I've decided to work on some things. Some predilections, addictions, obsessions, whatever you want to call them. It's still too early for me to talk about it. I'm afraid I'll fail. That I'll slide back. Especially with the world as it is.

These recent times make you want to do one of two things, change your life for the better to get ready for whatever is to come by getting your s**t together, or what is usually my go to, just bury your head in the sand and indulge in whatever soothes the pain away.

I've watched tik tok videos about ICE for the last few days, my sleep uneven at best. I've been wrought. Anxious. Fearful. On edge. My mood up and down. One minute I'm freaking out about it all and the next I'm like, forget it. What's the point? I know I can't control this. I feel powerless, as if I can't do much of anything.

Then the other day, I had a young Latino kid in my courtroom, one who was beginning to change his whole life. I had gotten him released from custody to his mom on a release pitch and he was doing great. Obviously, our discussions are confidential, but our talk made me so happy. I was joyful.

Then that night, I thought of how many people, my people, are being grabbed, dragged and taken into detention where basic necessities of food, sanitation and water are being denied, and I wept. I wept and wept. Then I dried my tears and vowed to do something.

It's 5 am. The dogs are in the backyard running around. It's dusk, the sky a mix of blue and grey. I sip from my espresso cup as I write thi...

07/06/2025

JEM interviews one of her favorite writers, Kate Maruyama, author of Alterations, an engrossing novel about three generations of women. They talk about the author's use of films and Hollywood history to create her fictional world and how she builds compelling characters, as well as her masterful use of multiple female perspectives and voices. JEM and Kate do a deep dive into craft and the editing process while emphasizing the joys and struggles of living a writing life. Kate is a fascinating guest and she discusses the decade it took her to bring her latest beautiful book to fruition and how she stays motivated to keep writing. Listen in! And get Kate's book Alterations (Running Wild Press, 2025).

Podcast Episode · Life of JEM · 07/06/2025 · 1h 2m

07/01/2025

The Inland Empire (IE) is quietly cultivating one of the most dynamic literary ecosystems in California. At the heart of that effort stands the Inlandia Institute, a nonprofit organization based