First Smokies Writers Conference accepts applications through April

About this time last year, I was asked to be involved with designing the first-ever conference for writers to be held within the boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The inaugural Tremont Writers Conference is the coordinated effort of two educational park partners: Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and Great Smoky Mountains Association. […]

Local novelists to help lead first park writers conference

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Richard Powers live on opposite sides of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Soon, the two award-winning novelists will converge in the mountains to help create the first-ever conference for writers held within the national park boundary. The inaugural Tremont Writers Conference is the coordinated effort of two educational park partners, Great […]

Partners cooperate to meet the needs of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

By Valerie Polk Great Smoky Mountains National Park preserves more than 500,000 acres of treasured mountain landscape and roughly 2,900 miles of rivers and streams, all habitat for thousands of species of plants, animals, fungi, and more. In the midst of this impressive biodiversity are nearly 850 miles of trails and numerous iconic landmarks that […]