Musician and historian Joel Underwood delighted our members with stories and songs of Woody Guthrie last year. He returns, this time with a performance featuring the music and history of America’s most influential songwriter: Bob Dylan. Come sing along with a dozen Dylan favorites, such as “The Times, They Are A’Changin'”, “Blowin’ In the Wind” and yell out the eternal question, “How does it feel?”. In addition, Underwood dives into the stories of the Nobel Prize-winner’s early years in Minnesota and New York, and lays out what really happened the fateful night he “went electric” in Newport. Sometimes poignant, often funny, occasionally infuriating, Bob Dylan’s story adds depth and understanding to a unique treasury of music, and Underwood mines those narrative veins with his voice, guitar, and a master storyteller’s touch. 

Bio: Joel Underwood is a musician, historian, and lecturer based in Olympia. While preparing his graduate thesis on Woody Guthrie’s WWII service in the Merchant Marine, he was named the 2022 Guthrie Fellow and researched at the Guthrie Center Archives in Tulsa. In 2024, Underwood was selected as a speaker for Humanities Washington, traveling throughout the state speaking (and singing) on Guthrie’s time on the Grand Coulee Dam project here in the Pacific Northwest, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. His performance series on Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams (and soon Buddy Holly!) has garnered rave reviews and critical acclaim. Underwood is currently on the faculty of Pierce College, where he teaches early and modern American History.  

Cordula Drossel-Brown, Ph.D. Chocolate Extravaganza: Why so Yummy and What do You find Yummy? Taste test – just in time for Valentine’s Day! Co-author of “Seattle Chocolatiers” and chocolate connoisseur, Cordula Drossel-Brown, has closely followed the chocolate scene in the Seattle/Kitsap region. She will share her findings as well as provide us with samples. Cordula has generously provided a gift basket to be raffled which includes a porcelain cocoa pot along with a lovely box of hot chocolate. Chocolate is a heavenly treat, offering a complex sensory experience that can be appreciated through careful tasting and description.

Cordula’s interest in exploring the world of chocolate began with her friend, and co-author Cornelia Gallen-Kimmell, who is also from Germany. She commented that they both eat chocolate and enjoy it, no second thoughts. Here in the US, they immediately heard “calories” and “sinfulness” or coy excuses of dietary concerns when it came to buying or eating chocolate. This was such a stark cultural difference for them, that they both decided to explore this. They found a wealth of chocolate makers from all regions of the globe here in Seattle!

Cordula grew up in Berlin [West] and studied languages, literature, and culture. She earned degrees from German universities in Russian and English, with minors in Philosophy and Pedagogy, and a Ph.D. in German literature from Vanderbilt University.  Cordula loves a good story, good music, and good food.  After a life of raising children and enjoying teaching, she retired and moved to Kitsap. Her love and appreciation for the best include fine porcelain, excellent chocolate, and everything Baroque.