Musician Maritri Garrett and writer Janice Hoffmann combine forces for “Sangamon River Anthology: Complicated Families” at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, February 1 at Claremont United Church of Christ’s Lousie Roberts Room, 233 W. Harrison Ave. The theme of the performance touches on their shared histories of navigating troubling family relationships.

Garrett will be on piano, guitar and ukulele accompanied by spoken word by Hoffmann.

“I reached out to Maritri because I wanted to collaborate with her,” Hoffmann said. “And what we realized that even though we come from different cultures, we shared problematic families. The kinds of families where you watch them make poor decisions and in slow motion, they just go further and further away from you, and you’re more and more out of control, and eventually you just have to let go.”

Hoffmann’s lyrics relate to relationships with a sister, brother-in-law and their children.

“I tried to get inside the head of my sister … about her abusive spouse that committed crimes for which he should have gone to jail, that she stayed with for 50 years,” Hoffman said.

Garrett said she had similar trauma with her late brother Marend.

“My brother had made some really interesting decisions,” she said. “He passed away a couple of years ago, and part of the reason that I’m in California is that I’m raising his three children and dealing with the mother who still has all sorts of issues. And so that’s what Janice and I sort of bonded over when we first talked about doing this.”

Talking and performing offer some relief, Garrett said.

“Art is always a release, and anytime I perform I feel like something is getting released,” Garrett said. “You release it the first time and then you sort of refine it and you hone it and figure out what it means to you. But then also you have conversations with people who are hearing the art for the first time, and they may have a completely different spin on what you thought you were saying.”

“It definitely will be a release for me,” Hoffmann said. “It’ll be like kind of putting it in a purse and putting it to the side and saying, ‘Well, I can go look in that purse whenever I want to, but that purse no longer owns me.’”

The duo hopes to spark meaningful conversations among attendees.

“I want to have them understand that they’re not alone in having difficult family situations,” Hoffman said. “And I want them to ponder that delicate balance between being there for them and not being so involved that your life is wrecked. And that’s really tough.”

“The conversations are important, and they need to be had,” Garrett said.

The event is free, but a free will collection will be requested to benefit the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center. Child care will be available. The event will be livestreamed at YouTube.com, search “Claremont United Church of Christ.”