June Ellen Seese

Born in Troy, Michigan, to Baxter and Geraldine Akers, June grew up surrounded by stories and the rhythm of language, which would become the great passion and purpose of her life. She attended Wayne State University and went on to become a prolific and widely respected writer and teacher.

Over the course of her career, June authored six published books—What Waiting Really Means, Is This What Other Women Feel Too?, James Mason and the Walk-in Closet, Some Things Are Better Left to Saxophones, A Nurse Can Go Anywhere and Collected Short Stories, and Whose Coffee Is It?. Her short stories were featured in esteemed literary journals such as Witness, Carolina Quarterly, and South Carolina Review, and were also collected in chapbooks supported by the Georgia Council for the Arts.

June was not only a writer but a devoted mentor and teacher, sharing her love for literature with students at Spelman College and the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. She was a frequent lecturer and reader, and her plays were performed at the Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta and Duke University’s Branson Theatre. She served as associate producer of the literary performance series “Uptown/On the Town,” and was an active member of the Emory Women’s Club. She also contributed her talents to panels for the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the Fulton County Arts Council.

June loved to read—an ever-present book always in hand—and was known for her wit, her sharp storytelling, and her gift for language. She lit up every room she entered, often becoming the life of the party, and was always searching for just the right words to capture life’s nuance and humor. Her students once dedicated a memoir anthology to her, writing, “We thank you for sharing your talent with us and for helping each of us find our own voice. We couldn’t imagine our writing or our lives without you.”

She is survived by her beloved husband of 65 years, Perry Seese; her sons, Robert and Matthew; and her two grandchildren, Emmett and Zachary. She was preceded in death by her parents.

June will be remembered for her generosity of spirit, her fierce intelligence, and her deep and unwavering belief in the power of storytelling to bring people together. Her legacy lives on through her words and the many lives she touched.

Services will be held at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (980 Briarcliff Road NE, Atlanta, GA) on Thursday, April 17 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM – Memorial Service at 6:30 PM followed by a Reception at 7:15 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (Callanwolde.org).