Juanita E. Mantz ("JEM") is a lawyer, writer, performer, and podcaster who believes writing has the power to change the world. She graduated from UCR in 1999 with a degree in English Literature, from USC Law in 2002 and works as a mental health lawyer with The Law Offices of the Public Defender, Riverside. Juanita's first book, "Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender, or how I became a punk rock lawyer" (Bamboo Dart Press, Aug 2021) won gold at the 2022 International Latino Book Awards and she was awarded a 2023 Individual Artist Fellowship from the California Arts Council. She has performed on stages all over the United States and her stories have been published widely in literary journals, newspapers & anthologies. She is an alumni of VONA and Macondo. Check out her Apple podcast, "Life of JEM: writers on writing".