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.

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Free

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This post may not be what you expect. I’m trying to be me, but it’s hard. Most nights my brain won’t turn off. I worry incessantly. Over thi...

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Chicken Little

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The other day someone called me Chicken Little. At first, I reacted with annoyance. "What does that mean? What is the point of saying t...

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Coffee Fueled Thoughts

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The only coffee cup to go available with a lid at the AM PM in downtown San Bernardino was the mega size. I knew it would keep me up but I w...

Friday, February 15, 2019

Falling In Between Roses and Headboards

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Last night, I was upstairs watching Top Chef when my dog Frodo rolled over and fell in between the mattress and headboard. He looked at me w...

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Cliches

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I feel like I’m in a country song. Title: “Sittin in a Bathtub, Bubbles Mixin with Tears.” It’s been a hard week, a hard month, an even ha...

Friday, December 21, 2018

Changes

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I’ve decided to dedicate myself to my writing. I’m diving in. And hoping not to belly flop. Last week, I finished my applications to UCR’...

Thursday, November 22, 2018

It’s the Great Pumpkin Juanita Mantz

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I’m in Vegas with my hubby and the moms. And, I’m missing my dad today. Dad loved Vegas and would have loved to go with me to Vegas if he ...

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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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