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, November 27, 2012

On meeting David Sedaris and other celebrity interactions

›

I have had bad luck with meeting celebrities. One of two things happen. I go all Lucille Ball on them and become a blithering mess and emb...

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Giving Thanks

›

Thanksgiving has always been a stressful day for me. Growing up, holidays always seemed to end badly. I would wake up on Thanksgiving with...

2 comments:

Friday, November 16, 2012

Game Time

›

From a young age, Dad taught us all the card games you can imagine (and some you have probably never heard of). His favorites were rummy, c...

Monday, November 12, 2012

Road Trip

›

Today I have an appointment regarding my fertility. A forty something professional woman trying to get pregnant is a cliche I know, but her...

1 comment:

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Junior High and Dolly

›

Junior high was an interesting time. Interesting in the way one says interesting when they have no other adjective to use. I attended Impe...

Saturday, October 20, 2012

The Importance of Being Good

›

A couple of years ago, I read a book by Nick Hornby titled "How to be Good". The story centers around the conversion of a man fro...

Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Perks of a being a Ghost World Girl

›

I saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower (a film based on the screenwriter/director's acclaimed young adult novel of the same name) a coupl...

‹

›

Home

View web version

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.

View my complete profile