An afternoon of readings and presentations highlighting Lowcountry and Horry County-centered projects of Coastal Carolina University's Athenaeum Press is scheduled for Aug. 1 at Seacoast Artists Gallery at Market Common in Myrtle Beach. The event is free and open to the public.

"Stories of Our Region" will focus on four projects that exemplify the Athenaeum Press' commitment to tell local stories that have far-reaching interest and significance.

From 1 to 2 p.m., Jane Spillane, widow of acclaimed pulp fiction novelist Mickey Spillane, will share memories from her book and audio CD "My Life with Mickey," published by the Press in 2014. A native of Marion, S.C., and a long time resident of Murrells Inlet, where she still resides, Jane Spillane adds another dimension to the story of her world-famous husband and the dynamic relationship they shared.

From 2 to 3 p.m., longtime CCU history professor Eldred "Wink" Prince Jr. will discuss two Press projects, "Chasing the Paper Canoe" (2013) and the newly released "The Wealth of Nothing." The former is a photography book that explores the beauty and culture of the present-day Waccamaw River juxtaposed with a historical account of the river by 19th-century journalist-traveler Nathaniel Bishop. "The Wealth of Nothing" features the photographs and poetry of one-armed itinerant photographer William Van Auken Greene, who lived and worked in the Aynor area of Horry County in the 1930s and '40s. Greene's collected photographs offer a rare glimpse of the life of a rural community in a specific place and time.

From 3 to 4 p.m., CCU music professor Eric Crawford will talk about "Gullah: the Voice of an Island," a CD box set released by the Press in 2014. This multimedia, multidimensional production preserves the music and culture of the Gullah praise houses of St. Helena Island, S.C. Through this ongoing project, which has involved many CCU students, more than 80 hours of valuable stories and songs from elders on the islands have been recorded, creating a project that the Penn Center calls "exquisitely educational" and "soul-stirring."

The Seacoast Artists Gallery is located at The Market Common, 3032 Nevers Drive (across from Valor Park).

About The Athenaeum Press

The Athenaeum Press is a student-centered laboratory for document design, editing, publishing, and new media development and dissemination. Located in the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts at Coastal Carolina, the educational mission of the Athenaeum Press requires that every step of each publication project -- from research to writing, conception to design, production to promotion -- be taken with an eye toward enhancing undergraduate and graduate student skills.

For information or media inquiries, please contact Trisha O'Connor, director of the Athenaeum Press, Coastal Carolina University, 843-349-6652, or Peggy O'Neill-Hull, community engagement coordinator, 843-349-5099 or athenaeumpress@coastal.edu.