About Seersucker

Our mission

Seersucker Live is a 501(c)(3) literary arts nonprofit in Savannah, Georgia, promoting the local literary community through reading performances, featuring national, regional, and local writers. Our shows frame traditional literary readings in an entertaining and accessible format, with a special emphasis placed on presenting diverse writers to a diverse audience. Most importantly, we aim to treat literature with respect without taking ourselves too seriously.

Our board of directors

Chris Berinato, President

"I'm the co-founder and co-host of Seersucker Live. When I'm not managing things at Gallery Espresso (23 years and counting...it keeps me young), I'm a contributing arts and entertainment writer for the Savannah Morning News. I've also written everyone's favorite guestroom bedside table book Secret Savannah: A guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, available wherever books are sold. Most importantly, there is a Star Wars character named after me: Trusk Berinato." 

Joseph Schwartzburt, Vice President

"I'm a northeast transplant who has called Savannah home for over 15 years. I've worked in higher Ed, recruiting for the VFX industry, and more recently as the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. When not not chasing down stories for my day job, I seek out the fairytales in the everyday alongside my wife and three children." 

Laura Davenport, Secretary

"I'm originally from Birmingham, Alabama and moved to Savannah 13 years ago by way of Charleston, SC and Richmond, VA. In 2020, I achieved my dream of publishing a poetry collection through Louisiana State University Press. It's called Dear Vulcan, and it's about growing up in Birmingham. "

Catherine Killingsworth, Treasurer

"I'm an educator, writer, and lifelong nerd. I was the founding executive director of the Savannah-based nonprofit Deep Center, and I served in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System as a teacher and a charter school administrator. I got a degree in creative writing from Yale, though these days I'm mostly using it to make up goofy stories for my kids and pay the bills writing zingers for software companies (which, it turns out, is actually pretty fun!)." 

Allison Stice

"I'm a writer who has been published in the Bitter Southerner, Garden & Gun, Romper, Savannah Magazine and more. Raised from the Ivory Coast to Paris, France, I have a hard time answering 'Where are you from?' at parties. I've since put down roots in storybook Savannah with my husband, two daughters, and a series of pugs."

Jenny Dunn

"I am a book nerd who likes reading nonfiction. I am a nature lover who likes playing outside. I am a yogi and a writer and a human who is trying to live a good, kind, and compassionate life." 

Our partners

Seersucker Live isn't the only great show you can find at Front Porch Improv. Head here to see what else they have in store.

If you're looking for a great read, look no further than The Book Lady Bookstore. 

Begun in 1978 by the inimitable Anita Raskin, the Book Lady Bookstore is Savannah’s only full service independent bookstore offering a broad range of new, gently used, rare, and out-of-print books. Joni Saxon-Giusti, who worked at The Book Lady with Mrs. Raskin for many years, is now at the helm of this beloved Savannah bookshop and continues the work of expanding the city’s rich literary legacy. 

Other awesome people

Zach Powers, Founder Emeritus

Zach Powers, co-founder of Seersucker Live, is the author of the novel First Cosmic Velocity (Putnam, 2019) and the story collection Gravity Changes (BOA Editions, 2017). His writing has been featured by American Short Fiction, Lit Hub, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. He serves as Artistic Director for The Writer’s Center and Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry magazine. From Savannah, Georgia, he lives in Arlington, Virginia. Get to know him at ZachPowers.com.

Brian Dean, Music Director

Brian Dean, a.k.a. "The Seersucker Live Orchestra" has made Savannah his home since 2008. He had full-time music jobs in his 20s, but he now counts Gulfstream as his permanent home. You might catch him playing the organ on Sundays, singing with I Cantori, or on his intermittent film score channel on YouTube.