Employee Spotlight: Laurie McDowell & The Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency
McDowell to Spend Six Weeks as Writer in Residence
Earlier this year, Randall’s Island Park Alliance ecological horticulturist Laurie McDowell was named the 2026 recipient of the Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency offered by Smokies Life, a 29,000-member nonprofit dedicated to supporting the scientific, historical, and interpretive activities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by providing educational products and services.
McDowell will spend six weeks at Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, using the time to learn about the Smokies’ natural and cultural history and render that experience in two mediums: poetry and illustration.
To maximize his acquaintance with Smoky Mountain plants, McDowell is dividing his residency into three parts. He recently concluded his first two-week stay in April and will return for additional two-week segments in July and September. This spring he focused on wildflowers; he expects his summer stint to be full of meadow blooms and leafy trees, with a vibrant transformation in fall.
“One thing I’ve really been enjoying since being here is documenting plant communities,” he said. “So when I find fringed phacelia, and it’s next to a species of phlox, and then also maybe there’s Trillium ludium here, I have been documenting that so I can represent the whole family that’s gathered together rather than just individual plants.”
McDowell has been with RIPA since 2025 in his current role, and represents the Horticulture group at key events including the Earth Day, Waterfront, and Harvest Festivals, and has become a park favorite at Big Truck Day manning the water truck that keeps everyone cool on the Asphalt Pad.
You can watch a tour of the Smokies with McDowell here!
Laurie McDowell will lead an ecological illustration workshop 9–11 a.m. Saturday, September 19, meeting participants at Sugarlands Visitor Center. Registration is open to Smokies Life members. Watch for a sign-up link at SmokiesLife.org/branch-out-events.
(Note: Information and quotes for this article have been repurposed from Smokies Life and writer Holly Kays. Full article here)
(Featured Image and Photos in Gallery credited to Holly Kays, Smokies Life, and RIPA)