lauriemarkvart

Author

lauriemarkvart

LAURIE MARKVART is a professional singer, musician, songwriter, audiobook narrator, and published author of the memoir "Somewhere in the Music, I'll Find Me." She is also a mental health advocate and a recent breast cancer survivor, and she blogs openly about both. She lives in Los Angeles.

Poetic Musings

That’s a lot of space,

For an empty heart,

To fill a room that was torn apart.

How do you do it?

Stay around with aches and disregarded sound.

Beaten, but a trusted mind you’d say.

That’s a lie.

There is not always another day.

I’m going to leave,

And enjoy the show,

The never-ending need to grow and love a different soul.

I think you should care to help yourself,

You’re aware.

Fix that massive hole in your heart,

It’s only the start.

This morning I was going through old notebooks and journals, which I have many, where I scribble and scrabble thoughts, poems, songs, commentary about bills, ideas for a book, etc. (I should probably separate my thoughts from my bills and put into different books!)

The above poem I wrote at some point in 2023. I love stumbling on old poems cause it gives me insight to something I was going through at the time. Journals are definitely an emotional time capsule!

And while this poem was me blasting a thought to paper, ‘cause I can tell by my messy handwriting that I wrote it in one take, I don’t want to now tweak or edit it for a “better” poetic outcome because then it means I’m tweaking a memory. But I did change two words before posting this. Just to make a rhyme. (Eye rolling)

Have you ever looked back at old notes or journals to see where your mind and heart was? And then realize that you have grown so intensely?

Let me know.

X, L

August 5, 2025 0

Today’s Musing

June 16, 2025 0

Does Self Trust Work?

Trust is a funny thing.

We expect to trust others or hope to, and yet we can barely trust ourselves and our lack of boundaries, bruised heart, needs, desires, addictions, and frail convictions.

To trust oneself takes patience and perseverance. Together. And large amounts of grace. But who keeps the score, rallies the inner troops and verifies the promises? Who’s the gatekeeper? Self? Can you trust that the job of self trust is getting done?

For trust is a funny thing.

-Laurie Markvart – June 1, 2025

June 1, 2025 0

Poetic Ramblings – May 2, 2025

©️Laurie Markvart 2025

May 2, 2025 0

Poetic Musings – 2025

You and Me

I’m in the wings,
But I need center stage.
I want the light,
But there’s comfort in the rage.

I could never tell,
Where I’d land.
But then came me,
Fading somewhere in you, convincedly.

I must fall back into me,
To get the love from you.
But I’ll leave you, maybe I’m gone,
Don’t shelve me, forget me; damn that’s another song.

A touch, a whisper,
No complaint.
A never-ending answer,
To my restraint.

January 6, 2025 0

Free Audiobook: Emotional Memoir with Original Music | Limited US & UK Downloads

Sometimes funny, sometimes harrowing, always moving, SOMEWHERE IN THE MUSIC, I’LL FIND ME is a coming-of-age memoir that illustrates the power of a dream to shape a lifetime, no matter what fate has in store.

Reviews say:

“Markvart’s storytelling chops are impressive as she deals candidly with issues of grief, mental illness, and the ups and downs of trying to make it as an artist. In the end, it’s also an engaging meditation on a daughter’s decadeslong quest to live up to her mother’s ambitions for her.” – Kirkus Reviews

“An engaging story that combines music and moxie while exploring the impact of loss. Markvart conveys her love for music in a moving and elegant manner while her emotional pain, anxiety, and the often uncomfortable moments she endures are palpable on the page. Somewhere in the Music, I’ll Find Me is a unique and personal story about music, grief, and the pressures of pursuing a dream that will undoubtedly inspire readers.” – The BookLife Prize

Want to hear the audiobook for FREE?

The author is providing 10 complimentary Audible downloads to listeners in the US & UK. Receive your free copy at: Contact or send an email to: info@lauriemarkvartdiary.com.

Click here to listen to a sample from the audiobook:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Somewhere-in-the-Music-Ill-Find-Me-Audiobook/B0CM9MLKPP

Thank you!

July 23, 2024 0

Poetic Musings

It Was All You

I constantly think of you.
Obsessed.
Like a bear after a fish,
A bird after a worm,
A song in search of a voice.

The first sight of you,
My intuition was so full I thought I’d faint.
It told me everything that trapped my heart.
In one second, it was all you.

I am sure of your importance to me,
This good fortune.
My spirit knows the story,
Perhaps it knows its end.

I’ll go on, not knowing now or ever.
But to trust is a course for truth.
I must leave it all to fate,
Just like the first and last time we met,
Now, only to wonder of my importance to you.

July 1, 2024 0

AWP Conference Wrap-Up, My Next Appearance and How To Buy the Audiobook for “Somewhere in the Music, I’ll Find Me: A Memoir”

This past weekend, Feb 8-10th, 2024, I was honored to be a panelist/presenter at the 2024 AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Conference and Bookfair in Kansas City. I spoke on a panel titled “Navigating Stormy Waters: Telling Your Tales When They’re Hard Stories to Tell.” The panel included four acclaimed and awarded authors, and I was awed to be involved.

For me, to share with the audience how I approached writing my memoir, which is filled with many stormy waters of loss, grief, addiction, and mental illness (as well as humor, love, music, persistence, and resilience), was a bit mind-blowing. I remember all too well how, in the beginning, I struggled to write my book, but upon completion and publication, I realized it could be done!

Also, I spread the word on the negative stigma of mental illness, how to correct this, and finally, meet many other authors who continue to inspire me!

My next appearance is at Barnes & Noble at The Grove in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 18, from 12 to 2 p.m. PT. I will be signing books and continuing to spread the word on mental health advocacy. Please come see me and have a chat!

If you like listening to a book instead of reading, my Audible (audiobook) is available here at the link below. Yes, I narrated the audiobook, and it includes my music!

https://www.audible.com/pd/Somewhere-in-the-Music-Ill-Find-Me-Audiobook/B0CM9MLKPP?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

Be kind to yourself and others and I hope to see you soon!

X, Laurie

February 11, 2024 0

Poetic Song Musings

Sometimes, I wonder if you realize I’m here.
Do you ever think I’m the answer to your prayer?
Your indifference to my appearance is rare.

So here I stand in front of the promised one,
The guy with all the luck and then some.
How does it feel to have all the fortune in the world?
And yet to be completely broke?

Don’t you want to know why I’m here?
Don’t you want to know why I care?
Cause look again, I’m not transparent like you.

I figure you don’t notice anything at all,
Your eyes turned to gold a long time ago.
And the image you paint yourself is thin.

When I ask the father why I’m sent to you,
He says you have a lot of harm to undue.
So, I ask again, how does it feel?
To have all the fortune in the world?
And yet to be completely broke?

Don’t you want to know why I’m here?
Don’t you want to know why I care?
Look again, I’m not transparent like you.

February 8, 2024 0

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