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.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Just for me

So I started school again. I am taking another class toward my MFA in creative writing at the University of New Orleans. It's been a cou...

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Time time time

There's a theory that time goes by faster the older you get, because you have less of it left. I think that's true. When I was a kid...

Monday, January 16, 2023

Raindrops & Rainbows

This weekend, buckets of water have been falling from the sky. The song lyric "Raindrops keep falling on my head," goes through my...

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Goal...

Watching the finals of the World Cup with my husband, who is of Argentine descent, we cheered, screamed and prayed our team into winning. Ou...

Thursday, January 5, 2023

Major Tom

Some things simmer. Then the pot boils. Put your helmet on as Bowie might say. Perhaps I'm just not as much of a people pleaser as I u...

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Shelf life

Everything has a shelf life An expiration date Who says true love lasts Who says? I did You're a sucker Says the face in the mirror Gri...

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

2023

I've been thinking and trying to visualize what this year will look like for me. The last two years, really three, have been a whirlwind...

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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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