SAHKANAGA - Days 3 & 4

Savannah is an intoxicating town. It's the option for people who can't take the raucous, hallucinatory energy of New Orleans. Every time I visit I feel the tension evaporate, like the live oaks are sucking it out of me in some mystical, photosynthetic exchange. My idea of heaven might be running around Forsyth Park in a never-ending loop, caught in that golden light, a creature with endless stamina, the sun-seekers filling the lawn with their blankets as the oaks twist and canopy around us. And like New Orleans, the people of Savannah are sexy. They just are. It's a totally weird and beautiful phenomenon.

Two amazing things came out of the screening at the historic Lucas Theatre for the Arts.

#1 - I got to spend time with one of my oldest, bestest friends (and one of my greatest teachers), Krista Seckinger. Krista (who is from Rincon, GA, 20 miles from Savannah) volunteered all her time and resources to make SAHKANAGA happen, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Beyond that, she taught me about Southern storytelling by introducing me (when she was my AP English teacher!) to Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner and Eudora Welty, among others. She opened up the possibility that great art can come from small, Southern towns; that we have a unique culture that should be celebrated and explored rather than apologized for. My early exposure to great Southern literature gave me a sense of pride in my heritage, and it will certainly follow me through everything I do. I love Krista for that.

#2 - This poster, designed by Aubrey Meng Zhu (graduate student at SCAD):

For a class assignment, Meng watched the SAHKANAGA teaser and managed to nail the essence of the film (which is also a testament to our editor's skills since he was able to convey so much of the story and themes in less than two minutes). She's like a mind-reader! It's an indescribable honor when another artist responds to your work in such an intuitive, inspired way.

'Nuff said.