M.R. Mandell was born in San Diego, California, moved to Los Angeles when she was a toddler, then at five, whisked off to Texas, Austria and Missouri.

A California girl at heart, she ran back to Los Angeles on her eighteenth birthday to chase a career in acting. After a couple decades, and a collection of gigs on soap operas, sitcoms, and after school specials, she stumbled headfirst into poetry. Her poems have appeared in The McNeese Review, HAD and Door Is A Jar, among others. Her debut chapbook, Don’t Worry About Me, was released in 2024 (Bottlecap Press). Her sophomore chap, The Last Girl, will be released in September, 2025 (Finishing Line Press).

In 2023, she attended the Southampton Writers Conference under the tutelage of Billy Collins.

Her poem, “My Brother’s Ten-Speed Bike,” first published in Door Is A Jar, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in December, 2024, and was named Door Is A Jar’s Best Poem, 2024.

When not writing, she can be found exploring the streets of Hollywood with her husband, Corey, and her Golden Retriever, Chester Blue.