In this 22 minute video, David Loftus and I discuss what The Authentic Voice means and how to express it in the world. How do you communicate with people of differing opinions? What is the balance between emotional expression and rational thinking?
David’s Links:
PATREON – The View From Portland, Oregon
These are my formal essays (and occasional photo galleries). Some are unlocked and free for anyone to enjoy; most are reserved for my patrons. You are welcome to contact me to receive a sampling of links that can be read at no charge:
Here you will find video clips of my acting work, readings of Edgar Allan Poe tales, my dog’s antics, and karaoke capers in clubs as shot by friends’ mobile phones:
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
This post comes thanks to Lisa Marie Platske, founder and leader of the Upside Summit I attended in January of last year in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Her words rang so true I simply had to share them. Let me know if you see yourself, at any point in your life, within what Lisa Marie shares here. I certainly did.
You aren’t confused…
…you’re just afraid to go all in.
Read that again.
Oh, I get it.
What if you show the world who you are…
…and people don’t like you?
What if you fail…
…and your friends see you get it wrong?
Don’t let fear get you off track…
…or get in the way from having a great life.
Right now, you may feel pretty crummy…
…because you understand there’s More…
…More for you to Be and Do…
…and you’ve been distracting yourself with the excuse that you’re not clear about what you want.
You know EXACTLY what you want…
…yet to admit that means getting real with yourself — and committing to taking action.
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
The bad news is I developed a respiratory illness and then laryngitis shortly before the benefit concert for Hazel’s House Rescue – and wasn’t able to sing Cat Nap Blues! The band played the MP3 file instead.
The good news is the event was great fun, everyone enjoyed the music of the band, Ten O’Clock Hill, and we raised $452 to benefit the work Brittany Hazel is doing to help the homeless cats, sometimes dogs, and even a bearded dragon or two in the Willamette Valley.
So, here are a bunch of photos of the event.
Me and Brittany HazelThe Band, Ten O’Clock HillFriend Margaret, who found the venue for us, George and meRaffle prizes, with many more followingMore of the band in this wonderful venue – Chehalem Winery Tasting Room, Newberg, OregonMy husband drawing and presenting raffle prizes (every one went to a good home!)The elegant Mardi Gras mask went home with a cowboy!And here’s his mother wearing it
If you ever want to celebrate something newsworthy (like the release of my single) I encourage you to consider combining that celebration with a fundraiser for a good cause. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
One day early spring, 2022, my cat was sitting on the kitchen counter, as she often does.
Yes, my husband and I let Linn on the counters. We tried keeping her off for a while, but at one point George just looked at me and asked, “Is her being on the counters really hurting anything?” My response: “No.”
She’s been prowling the counters as she wishes ever since.
By the way, if you’ve ever wondered why counters are called that, here’s what Google tells me: “It entered Old French sometime in the 1300s as contoeur (from comptoir), and was used to describe the table where sales and banking occurred, where things were counted by a counter. The counter (person) used the counter (object) to count upon.”
But, I digress. Back to Linn sitting on the kitchen counter that one early spring day.
A line of lyrics popped into my head. Cat’s sittin’ on the counter. Just a-singin’ the blues. Cause someone came along, and interrupted her snooze. The line came with a melody, a traditional blues riff. I added a few more lyrics and sang it to George. He chuckled.
So I added a few more lyrics, and George chuckled more, then a refrain that she had the Cat Nap Blues. Suddenly it was an entire song I’d never even intended to write.
Here’s where it gets weird. My car was being serviced at Erickson’s Automotive, the only auto shop I’ve ever 100% trusted. Bill Erickson is in a band called Ten O’Clock Hill and I love their CD, Good to Go. Because I knew Bill is also a musician, I sang a few bars and wondered if the band might want to play around with Cat Nap Blues. They did, and we started rehearsing the song together at Ron Stearn’s home studio in Beavercreek.
Then…the band told me they know the legendary Dean Baskerville, a music producer who has worked with the likes of Sheryl Crow, and that he would be in Oregon in October.
All of a sudden I was making a professional recording, in a professional studio, of the only song I’ve ever written both lyrics and music to.
Dean BaskervilleTen O’Clock HillDead Aunt Thelma’s Studio Jerry Wilson, Videographer and Cover Art Creator Cover Art by Jerry WilsonMe – First Time in a Professional Recording StudioMe and Hubby
Because of my cat.
Wow, that is something to completely revel in!
To celebrate the release of Cat Nap Blues February 18, I’m hosting a benefit concert for Hazel’s House Rescue, where we adopted Linn in 2020, at Chehalem Winery Tasting Room in Newberg. Here’s the flyer with all pertinent information. You can make donations here: https://paypal.me/LauraHandke or at the live event. The raffle prizes are super fun!
Come join us! Have a glass of wine, enjoy the music of Ten O’Clock Hill, and help the homeless kitties of the Willamette Valley all at the same time!
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
This is my second rodeo with Milwaukie’s Chapel Theatre, a charming venue in an old church. The festival concept is SO cool, and all about community building. Local playwrights submit short 10-minute plays, directors apply to direct, and actors submit on-line auditions. So none of us have any idea what play we’ll be in or who we’ll be working with ahead of time. This season they accepted 10 out of 52 submitted plays.
The Card is a dark comedy about three people who work in the same office. Two blank cards are being passed around – one is a congratulatory card for a co-worker who will be leaving the office for a promotion and the other is a sympathy card for another co-worker whose mother passed away. Someone thought she was signing the congratulations card when it was actually the sympathy card, and chaos ensues.
My character, Harper, is “always happy, extremely happy, all.the.time” and therefore quite disliked. Fearless leader (and prop expert) Drew Dannhorn directs. My fellow castmates are Rhona Klein and Pam Quinlan. Rhona also wrote a play featured in the festival, and Pam is a Portland-based stand-up comedian.
The Chapel Theatre website has a full list of all the plays both evenings. If you come see The Card, hang around and say hello after the show – I’d love to see you!
After she is tragically orphaned, young Abella loses the ability to speak her truth and express herself. She is sent to live with a reclusive uncle she’s never met, and her only friend is her horse. Abella endures heartbreak, loneliness and questions who she truly is inside. Eventually, she meets friends and animals who help her not only regain her voice, but also uncover her strength and purpose. Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
