It begins with a book.

One book is given to both a songwriter and a visual artist. They write a song and create a work of art inspired by the book they read fulfilling their Trio. Each Trio will be installed as part of an exhibit debuting at the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance in September of 2015 and traveling to museums, galleries, and literary events throughout the following year.

Among the books chosen for the Inaugural Trio Exhibit are Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg, Chinaberry Sidewalks by Rodney Crowell, In the Dark of the Moon by Suzanne Hudson, The World’s Largest Man by Harrison Scott Key, and On the Water by Guy de la Valdene.

The songwriters in Trio include Grammy winners Tim Carter and Rodney Crowell, the only Trio artist invited as both an author and a songwriter, Mac McAnally, seven-time winner of CMA’s Musician of the Year, Marty Dodson, Mary Gautier, and Clay Mills, the writers behind Number One Hits and music chosen for the television drama Nashville.

The visual artists are a diverse group from photographers to painters to sculptors to a visual and special effects director in feature films. The exhibit will even include the artistry of knife making in the Trio of Guy de la Valdene’s book, On the Water with the bird and trout knife of A.B.A. Master Smith J.R. Cook, named a “Living Legend” by his home state of Arkansas.

Trio’s creator is Shari Smith, whom editor Joe Formichella called “the mad Dr. Frankenstein” behind the anthology and cd, The Shoe Burnin’, Stories of Southern Soul, and the script writer and mother hen of the stage production, The Shoe Burnin’ Show, a combination of literature and music that changes with every performance, defying description and delighting audiences.

Book the Trio Exhibit here.