Events celebrate SC Academy of Authors 2012 inductees
The 2012 inductees are Franklin Burroughs, a distinguished essayist and scholar known for his nonfiction work about Horry County; Marian Wright Edelman, the noted human rights activist and founder of the Children's Defense Fund; Charles Joyner, the award-winning historian and scholar known especially for his studies on Gullah and slavery; and Mickey Spillane, the world-famous crime writer who lived in Murrells Inlet for 40 years before his death in 2006.
The South Carolina Academy of Authors was founded at Anderson College in 1986. Its principal purpose is to identify and recognize the state's distinguished writers and to promote their literature's influence on our cultural heritage.
The sold-out induction ceremony will be at Coastal Carolina University on April 21. Related events include the following:
Wednesday, April 18, 1 p.m.
Gullah/Geechee Days
Brookgreen Gardens
“Down by the Riverside” & Other Spirituals. Ron Daise, Brookgreen Gardens vice president for creative education, will discuss how Gullah songs shaped the slave culture. Daise will draw on information from Charles Joyner’s groundbreaking book, "Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community" (1984. Daise will also discuss material from his own books. Each week’s program is free through May 23, with garden admission, 843-235-6000 or www.brookgreen.org.
Thursday, April 19, 10 a.m.-noon
The Life Work of Marian Wright Edelman
Waccamaw Higher Education Center
Tracy Swinton Bailey, founder of the nonprofit Freedom Readers for children's literacy, will present a tribute honoring the life and work of Marian Wright Edelman. Free and open to the public, 843-349-6584 or info@coastal.edu/olli.
Thursday, April 19, 1-3 p.m.
Franklin Burroughs’ "The River Home"
Waccamaw Higher Education Center
Franklin Burroughs' profoundly moving love letter to the rivers of South Carolina will be discussed by Tom Johnson. Free and open to the public, 843-349-6584 or info@coastal.edu/olli.
Friday, April 20, 4-6 p.m.
Reception at Burroughs & Chapin Art Museum
The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum will host a reception for this year’s South Carolina Academy of Authors honorees and their families. The reception will feature a short reading from each of the inductees’ works. Light hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served. The exhibit on display is “I Can Make a Difference: Illustrations by Barry Moser from the book by Marian Wright Edelman.” Moser is one of the most sought after children’s book illustrators today. Eighteen original paintings from the book "I Can Make a Difference" will be on display in the Reception Room through Sunday, April 22. Free and open to the public, 843-238-2510 or www.myrtlebeachartmuseum.org.
Sunday, April 22, 2 p.m.
“When I Just Can Remember”
Tara Theatre at Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort
Coastal Carolina university faculty members Preston McKever-Floyd, Sandra L. Shackelford and Veronica Davis Gerald will perform a one-act play based on the interviews conducted in the Waccamaw Neck/Georgetown District by Genevieve Wilcox Chandler during the 1930s. Ex-slaves Hager Brown and Ben Horry (from Brookgreen Plantation) are the featured narrators. Free with ticket, 843-349-6584 or info@coastal.edu/olli.
Saturday, April 28, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
First Book Spring Luncheon
Islamorada Fish Company
Jane Spillane, widow of the late crime novelist Mickey Spillane, will discuss “Life with Mickey” at the First Book Spring Luncheon at Islamorada Fish Company. The luncheon is a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide new books for area children in need. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased from board members; more than half the ticket price will go to the charity, and funds will be spent locally. In addition to the luncheon, there will be a silent auction and door prizes that include handcrafted items, gift certificates to restaurants, spas and resorts, golf packages and more. Tickets $25, call 843-349-2087 (mprufer@coastal.edu) or 843-349-2694 (mwillis@coastal.edu).