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Local Lee Underwood reads from 'Timewinds' Aug. 7

(Updated: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 12:00 AM)

Author, musician and poet Lee Underwood will read from "Timewinds," his first full-length book of poetry, at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 7 at Stellar Gallery, 40982 Highway 41, Oakhurst.

Underwood, a 12-year resident of Oakhurst, has written poetry for 25 years. He said he prefers to examine serious matters in a humorous and playful way by "addressing our inner lives, searching for the soul's heartbeat and giving it voice."

"Poetry is important to me because it offers the greatest span between common sense and supra-consciousness," Underwood said.

"In terms of forms, subjects and language, there are no limits. I find such freedom exhilarating. I love to combine conventional words into new composite words or create entirely new words that take on meaning by virtue of their sounds, like music."

He said his poetry comes from within but that he has been influenced by Lewis Carroll, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Dylan Thomas and James Joyce.

"My ultimate goal in poetry is to help us leap up and over our conditioned fears and shames, to help us remember that we are much more than we have been taught to think we are," Underwood said. "I hope my writings serve as catalysts that help us transcend our misery, pessimism and skepticism, and experience the shining light of our highest nature."

Underwood has not been a poet his whole life, and this is not his first time being published .

During the 1960s and early '70s, Underwood toured, recorded and played lead guitar with singer-songwriter Tim Buckley. He published his recollections of those times in his memoir "Blue Melody: Tim Buckley Remembered," which England's prestigious Uncut music magazine honored as one of the year's 10 best music books.

Underwood has since released three CDs: "California Sigh," featuring solo guitar, and "Phantom Light" and "Gathering Light," featuring solo piano.

During the '70s, Underwood was West Coast editor of Down Beat magazine. Throughout the '70s and '80s he also published interviews and articles in Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, New Age Journal and dozens of other periodicals.

He co-wrote "Inside Paul Horn" in 1990 and, in 1991, received the Crystal Award for Music Journalism at the New Age Music Convention in Hollywood.

The poetry-reading event is presented by Sierra Art Trails. Admission costs $5.

Details: (559) 658-8844, leeunderwood.net.