Life of JEM: My Life In The Inland Empire

A BLOG ABOUT THE ZANY CHILDHOOD AND ADULT ADVENTURES OF A GIRL FROM THE INLAND EMPIRE WHO MOVED OUT OF THE INLAND EMPIRE ONLY TO END UP BACK IN THE INLAND EMPIRE.

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

3:35 am

So I don't know what happened. I haven't been able to write a story for a few months. I think it's the political arena that'...

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Paperback writer

It's easy to say, put out another book already. The reality is much harder. The first one I published when I was fifty. The second one, ...

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

The mean lil shih tzu

Pippin is a brown and white shih tzu who weighs about 6 pounds. He is a barker and a biter. I am working on a data project so came home a bi...

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

The tanks are coming

The tanks are coming They're coming From panzer man Our wanna be king But no oh no Not in Cali Please not here The governor said Com...

Monday, June 2, 2025

talking with myself

Sometimes, I feel like I am writing to talk to myself. This blog is a diary of sorts. My way of memorializing where I am in my life. Occasio...

Friday, May 30, 2025

Punk rock girl

I just got back from punk rock bowling in Vegas. It was an epic experience. I'd been before, last year for the first time. Before I att...

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Pasadena baby

This Saturday, I'm attending the Cruel World festival in Pasadena. I'm excited to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Blancmange, Garb...

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About Me

Juanita E. Mantz (JEM): JEM's life story is the stuff that memoirs are made of. JEM went from punk rock high school dropout to corporate lawyer to rock star deputy public defender and nonfiction writer. JEM's stories, blog and video podcast document her journey so take a look! Her YA memoir, "Tales of an Inland Empire Girl", is available via Los Nietos Press (and through all national retailers). Her book tells the poignant story of her chaotic YA life growing up in the IE. Her chapbook, "Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender, or how I became a punk rock lawyer", was also released in Aug 2021 by Bamboo Darts Press. JEM is married to her wonderful husband Adrian who is a dentist. They have two Shih Tzus, Frodo and Chewbaca (Chewie to his friends). Her work has been published in Aljazeera, The Acentos Review, The Dirty Spoon Radio Hour, Entropy, As/Us, Inlandia, & Mutha magazine, among others. Go to her author website for more info at https://juanitaemantz.com. JEM is in the creative writing MFA low residency program at UNO. She has presented at AWP, Beyond Baroque and the UCR Punk Conference.

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