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, August 16, 2025

Forever

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I'm doing an event at a brewery that's music and literature where I might do harmony on a Beatles song with a friend. I'm not a ...

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Dry eye

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It's almost six am. I'm thinking of all of the departed: about my dad John, my father in law Alberto, my brother in law Gabe, and th...

Friday, August 8, 2025

A Carrie Girl in the IE

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Anyone who knows me well, ahem my husband, knows I watch shows on repeat. Gilmore Girls, West Wing, Lost, and the original Sex and the City ...

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

524 in 1984

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It is 5:24 am. My mind is overwhelmed and I'm very anxious. I have to register for school, and I'm locked out. Our school changed th...

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Dependent

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So I have created a monster. Well three. Three co dependent shih tzus that can't sleep alone. My husband warned me. "They're g...

Friday, July 11, 2025

Dramarama days

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There's a band I love called Dramarama (who I'm seeing live tonight). They have a song titled Emerald City. Here's a few of the ...

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

These are the days to remember

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It's 5 am. The dogs are in the backyard running around. It's dusk, the sky a mix of blue and grey. I sip from my espresso cup as I w...

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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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