Igiaba Scego is the author of the novel, The Color Line (Other Press). Inspired by true events, this gorgeous, haunting novel intertwines the lives of two Black female artists more than a century apart, both outsiders in Italy.

Igiaba Scego was born in Rome to a family of Somali ancestry. She holds a PhD in education on postcolonial subjects and has done extensive academic work in Italy and around the world.

The Italian edition of The Color Line won the Premio Napoli, and her memoir La mia casa è dove sono (My House Is What I Am) was awarded Italy’s prestigious Mondello Prize.

Trenton Ayers is a blues/rock guitarist and vocalist from Holly Springs, MS. He is best known for his work with Cedric Burnside with whom he has toured worldwide and been nominated for a Grammy. Ayers now fronts his own band, WolfEagle. He can be heard on the recent full length, Philadelphia Mississippi by G. Love.

Ayers is the son of “Little” Joe Ayers, a solo artist and longtime bassist for the late Junior Kimbrough.

Anne Freeman is a singer-songwriter from Oxford, MS, originally from the Mississippi Delta. Her releases include the single, “Days Go By” and the album, Keep It Close, which bridges indie pop and alternative country.