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, May 30, 2024

A new jem

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This weekend, I finally attended punk rock bowling in Vegas. It's a yearly music festival that features bowling in the morning and a hug...

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Life part 2

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There used to be a popular board game called Life. In some ways it was similar to Monopoly, but the goal was not just asset wealth, but gett...

Sunday, May 19, 2024

What do you want?

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What do you want is a question that I keep asking myself. I'm getting older you see. My face lines are deepening. My back spasms are wor...

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Sun

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So yesterday was a rough day at work. Yet it was exhilarating too. But it was exhausting and by that I mean, come home at 6:30 pm and take a...

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Today today today

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Last post was a little dark. I have been in a bit of a funk. I was perseverating on everything. I miss my dad, I can't have kids, my dog...

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Dusty grave

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It's a dusty grave Too dusty of a grave A dusty grave I have my flowers Not gladiolus no lilies You were a simple man Carnations and d...

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Panic on the streets

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I'm writing this blog post in the car driving back from Vegas. Well, I'm not driving, Adrian is, but as Iggy wrote, I am the passeng...

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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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