Writing has always been another part of Jerry’s creative life. A longtime poet, he was the founding editor of Volume Number poetry magazine and Los Angeles Poets’ Press. His earlier book, Background Noise: Poems, Vignettes and Word Explosions, brings together poetry and short-form writing that reflects the same curiosity about love, loss, humor, relationships, and the sometimes messy experience of being human that runs throughout his creative work.

His newest book, Dying to Live: Choosing Love and Adventure in the Face of Terminal Illness, is his most personal work. After his late wife Angela was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the two made a conscious decision: cancer could become part of their lives, but it would not become all of their lives. They traveled, laughed, loved, created memories, and kept choosing experiences that made them feel alive while navigating treatment, caregiving, fear, and eventually grief.

Part memoir and love story, part practical guide, Dying to Live shares what Jerry and Angela learned about becoming a fierce medical advocate, communicating through fear and uncertainty, navigating caregiving, and deliberately making room for joy and adventure when the future is anything but certain. It is, in many ways, the book Jerry wishes someone had handed him when they first heard the word “cancer.”

Whether composing a film score, producing a recording, writing a poem, engineering a podcast, or telling the most personal story of his life, Jerry believes great art begins with one simple goal: telling a story that matters.