Pember has worked as an independent journalist focusing on Native American issues since 2000. She is a regular contributor to ReWire News and long-time contributor to Indian Country Today. Her work has appeared in other venues including the Atlantic, Colorlines, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Yes Magazine. She worked as a staff photojournalist and photo editor for mainstream daily newspapers for several years before beginning her writing career. In her writing and photography she has covered subjects including the high rates of sexual assault among Native women, sex trafficking, health, impact of historical trauma on Native communities and environmental challenges on Native lands, federal policy issues as well as cultural and spiritual topics.