Coastal Carolina University is hosting "Women Sustaining the American Spirit," a series of events to be held throughout March to celebrate Women's History Month. The events, organized by Coastal's Women's Studies Program, are free and open to the public.

The following is a list of events:

- Echoes of the Past and Voices of Hope, Monday, March 4, 7 p.m., Wall Auditorium

Actress Maxine Maxwell will perform two one-act plays, which weave in and out of history to explore the turning points in the lives of five African and African-American women. The event is also apart of Coastal's 2002 African-American Celebration series.

- Women Who Sustain the American Spirit - An Interdisciplinary Response, Wednesday, March 6, Edwards Recital Hall

A panel of Coastal faculty members and community members will hold a discussion highlighting the ways women sustain the American spirit. Panelist include Dr. Deirdre Williams, pediatric dentist and a member of Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts Board of Visitors; Mary Crowe, associate professor of biology; Claudia McCollough, chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion; and Nelljean Rice, assistant professor of English and co-director of the Women's Studies Program.

- The Pen and the Podium, Monday and Tuesday, March 11 and 12, 10 a.m., Wheelwright Auditorium

Written by Lee Bollinger, assistant professor of English and journalism, a play featuring Coastal faculty, staff and students parodies the trial of pioneer women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony, who was arrested because she voted illegally in a presidential election in 1872.

- "From Doorway to Kitchen: African-American Women in 19th Century Paintings and Prints," Wednesday, March 13, 4 p.m., Edwards Recital Hall

This lecture will be presented by Jo-Ann Morgan, assistant professor of art history, whose area of expertise is American visual culture.

- Garden of Hope, Wednesday, March 27, Noon, Spadoni Park

The Garden of Hope, a program sponsored by Coastal's Women's Advocacy Center, honors women at Coastal and in the community. Susan McClean, a Coastal senior, will present an address titled "Housework, Homework and Holding on to the American Spirit as a Woman Student at Coastal."

- "Reading Women into the American Spirit," Wednesday, March 27, 4 p.m., Edwards Recital Hall

Coastal faculty, staff, students and community members read the words and works of American heroines whose voices embody what it means to sustain the spirit of our nation.

For more information, call 349-2460 or 349-2473.