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.

Friday, December 4, 2015

An IE Girl In Mourning

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I am many things, especially an Inland Empire girl. It is in my blood. I was born in Great Falls, Montana but raised in Ontario and I live...

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Holiday Daze

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There is something that comes out during the holidays, both good and bad. I see the best side of people. But, there is also a dark side, a...

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Hallmark

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Have I ever mentioned that I am addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies? It is similar to the way in which I was obsessed with my mom's H...

Saturday, November 7, 2015

I'll Be You

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"A dream too tired to come true Left a rebel without a clue Won't you tell me what I should do?" from I'll Be You by Th...

Friday, October 16, 2015

Writing Las Vegas

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I can write anywhere. To prove that point, I am writing while sitting on a bathroom floor at five am in a hotel room in Vegas. The door is ...

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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Unhappy Birthday

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Are birthdays supposed to be a happy day? Well today is my birthday and I am feeling a bit melancholy. I am thinking of everything I haven...

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Me on the page

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I am thinking about who I am on paper and who I am in person. They are two vastly different things. I don't write much about work or my...

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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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