This book with poems by three Appalachian poet-friends commemorates an earlier effort [Old Martins New Strings,1990] Old Martins, New Strings in which the three, calling themselves "the Mason-Dixon Trio" broke with the usual solo form in which poetry is published by creating a sequence of 45 poems that has the intense interaction of musical groups.

Two members of the Trio, Joseph Barrett and Bob Snyder, died unexpectedly in the 1990's. In The Mason-Dixon Sutra surviving member P.J.Laska presents a brief selection of each poet's work, followed by a final section in which poems by the three are linked in the manner of their original collaboration.