WENDELL — A local actor, director and writer hopes to capture the mysteries of life with his new book of poetry.

Court Dorsey, 74, was born in Rome, New York, before living most of his young life in the suburbs of Chicago. Now a Wendell resident, Dorsey has become a successful theater artist and writer who has performed across not only the Pioneer Valley but also North America and Europe, with his poetry expressing the lessons he’s learned in his travels.

The Wendell Meetinghouse will host a reading and release party for Dorsey’s new book of poetry, “Tiger Stripes: Poems of Shadow and Light,” on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3:30 p.m. Dorsey will sign copies of the book and discuss his work, which draws inspiration from his observations of culture, religion and our place in nature.

The title “Tiger Stripes” was inspired by 19th-century poet and painter William Blake, who often references tigers in his work. Dorsey uses the tiger as a symbol of a beast that we can’t fully wrap our heads around. We may be able to relate to it, but at the same time, we are also afraid of it.

“A lot of my work is on how we get to the point from where we see that tiger or image, and confront it, how we move from terror to being at peace with it,” Dorsey explained.

Another series within his book is called “The Twelve Mysteries,” inspired by a trip Dorsey took to India in the 1970s. It was there he felt that America lacked spirituality.

“The doors are painted, but behind those doors in individual homes there’s a lot of alcoholism, sexual abuse and misery, even in the suburbs,” Dorsey said. “I went to India to try to understand how to rejuvenate American culture so that we can be more aligned with our spiritual values.”

It was in India that Dorsey embarked on a trek to recreate the 12 days of Christmas. Dorsey in fact sat with a partridge in a pear tree to emulate the classic song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Twelve insights resulted from this experience, which he incorporated into sonnets. One of his poems, “Her Mystic Path,” weaves together mythologies and practices from the 12-step traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as from Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism.

“I want to be able to integrate these into one language,” he said. “It embodies a lot of what I was learning.”

Aside from his experiences in India, Dorsey studied Indigenous cultures throughout the Yukon, as well as the Sonoran Desert, on what he referred to as “vision quests.” Dorsey said his mentors over the years have all given him insight into worlds that remain unknown by most, from a mentor who taught mainly with eye contact, to a woman who milked toad venom. Thus, his poems reflect the mystery and mythical elements from those experiences.

On top of his poetry that will be highlighted on Saturday, Dorsey has been writing songs, short stories and other works for more than 50 years, with the Pilgrim Theatre Research and Performance Collaborative being the main receiver of his work. Dorsey’s work has been adapted for theaters in Europe, too.

Dorsey is also a founding member of Bright Morning Star, a folk cabaret ensemble that toured for 16 years, and he remains president of the Friends of the Wendell Meetinghouse board of directors. In addition to his acting and directing career, Dorsey is involved with mediation and he has taught conflict resolution methods to numerous educational programs, colleges and detention facilities.

Although Dorsey has such a wide range of interests, “Tiger Stripes” specifically focuses on the mystical.

“I think what I really want for people to get in touch with by reading this is that we live in this mysterious miracle of creation,” Dorsey said. “If you can’t recall the mystery, how can you sustain a really meaningful, loving life and existence? That’s what I’m hoping these may do.”