Jemiscoe—Jem, as she prefers—can’t claim that reading and writing came naturally at first. In truth, these interests were sparked by pizza. At seven, her school offered free Pizza Hut and Shakey’s coupons as rewards for reading books, and Jem was sold. Eventually, the books became far more tempting than the pizza ever was. From reading, writing soon followed.
 

Born in Washington, D.C., Jem spent two decades in Los Angeles before settling in Austin with her husband and three kids. She worked for more than ten years as an Assistant Director in film and television, a career that introduced her to people from all over the world and served as an unexpected trove of character and story inspiration.
 

Before becoming a literary agent, Jem returned to school to study her first love—stories. She holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing, as well as an MFA in Fiction, and several of her short stories have appeared in literary journals and magazines.
 

Jem is now the co-founder of Starling Literary + Media, where she channels her passion for books, her deep respect for writers, and her editorial instincts into championing creators across age categories and genres. When she isn’t reading or editing—which doesn’t leave many hours in the day—you can usually find her binge-watching something on Netflix or Disney Plus with her family. At heart, she LOVES books and adores writers, which is why she continues to work not only as an agent, but also as a college-level writing tutor and freelance editor.

Please visit the Starling Literary + Media website for more information about the agency’s work.

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Jem is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents. 

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