Reviews

What People Are Saying

"A significant contribution to understanding the history of national parks, the importance of philanthropic giving to their conservation and development, and the history of John Rockefeller, Jr."

—Jonathan Foster, Great Basin College

Review of An Exaltation of Parks: John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s Crusade to Save America’s Wonderlands

“I greatly admire your ability to translate research and science into people-speak in ways that connects with your readers and still remains memorable and stylish prose with a healthy dose of wry humor thrown in. It's a rare quality, especially these days.”

-Linda Masterson, Communications and Marketing Director

The BearWise® Program

“Just returned from a November visit to the park and wanted to let you know that the Smokies Guide, your park newspaper, is the very best park newspaper I’ve seen. As a retired NPS ranger, I’ve seen many of these, as you can imagine. But this one was actually helpful (!) and educational.”

-Rita J.

GSMNP visitor

“I have been a member for years and received my copy [of Smokies Life Magazine] last week. I think that was an OUTSTANDING article!! I saw…over at Oconoluftee Visitors Center and talked a lot about the article/magazine. He said he thought [it] might be their biggest seller.”

-Noland Smathers

Member of SmokiesLife organization

“It is not often that you have the opportunity to work with someone who is described by people across the country as a Rock Star, but Steve is the Rock Star of Publications and Interpretive Products.”

-Cheryl Light

President, Great Smoky Mountains Association [SmokiesLife] board of directors.

“Just purchased your guide on Hiking trails of the Great Smokies, and I must say it was money well spent. The assembled professionals who put this together is unmatched. I really enjoy not only the flora, fauna, and geological data but the historical data that is woven into each trail description. Just wanted to say thanks.”

-Gregory D.

Hiker

  • “Thank you for your beautiful work. We are all so impressed with how you captured so much.” [Regarding exhibit for Glenn Cardwell Heritage Museum created by Steve Kemp’s Elevate Interpretive Media Services]

    -Lee Mellor

    Member of heritage museum board of directors

  • “I was impressed with your Trees of the Smokies… I ordered three copies because my biology teachers are in the midst of their leaf collections. I gave them to the biology chairperson and she was singing your praises this morning. I had such good response from the teachers that I ordered 7 more copies…. It’s going to make this unit a lot easier for me, the teachers, and our students.”

    -Patricia G.

    Dyersville High School

    [Steve Kemp is author and project coordinator for the field guide.]

  • “This is a perfect book for a budding botanist to tuck into a backpack when heading to the slopes of the Smokies.”

    -Review of Trees of the Smokies by M.M

    Backpacker Magazine

  • “I just wanted to thank you for the excellent Report on the Coalition’s activities over the past year. I read every word and felt a lot of pride in the organization’s accomplishments. The Report is very professionally done and well reflects upon our organization and the high level of energy and involvement we have had in our efforts to protect the national park system.”

    -Rob A.

    Member of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks

    [Report designed by Steve Kemp’s Elevate Interpretive Media Services}

  • “Steve should be recognized for his grasp and understanding of Smoky Mountain history, flora and fauna, music and lore, and for his talent as a writer, as well as his abiding love for the Smokies.”

    -William A. Hart, Jr.

    Board chair, Great Smoky Mountains Association [SmokiesLife].

  • “Steve’s talent, experience and expertise in the world of cooperating association publications are unparalleled, and his insight and good humor made what might have been a daunting process for us much less so; we thoroughly enjoyed working with him.”

    -Margot Griffith

    Executive Director, Hawaii Natural History Association

  • “You can all be VERY proud of the Summer Edition of the Smokies Guide [park newspaper]. It is just spectacular.”

    -Karen Wade Superintendent, GSMNP

“But the fellow who deserves most of the credit for this publication is Steve Kemp. In addition to being one of the writers, he is one of three editors, and was coordinator of the entire project. He works for the Natural History Association, and his title is publications specialist. It ought to be publications wizard…. He is a patient fellow who keeps plugging away until the job is done just about perfectly. He can write. He can edit. He can dicker with authors, artists, cartographers and printers.”

-Carson Brewer

Knoxville News Sentinel

“Hiking Trails of the Smokies is a real masterpiece—so comprehensive yet so compact and easy to read. The book should interest a lot more readers than just hikers, with all the fascinating bits of information on the cultural, historic, and natural aspects tied to each trail description.”

-Wayne Shepherd

Great Smoky Mountains Association Board Chair

“Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA), a nonprofit organization that partners with Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has again won an award for the design and content of its Smokies Guide [park newspaper]. Steve Kemp, who co-edits the guide with Kent Cave, said the association has won the award each of the past 10 years.”

-Candace Grimm

The Mountain Press [newspaper]

  • “My congratulations to you and your staff for the terrific new magazine, “Smokies Life.” It is a superb publication.” “The winter 2005-06 issue of “Smokies Guide” is the best one I’ve yet seen. The content and writing are both outstanding.”

    -Dave Dickey

    Former Great Smoky Mountains Association Board Member

    [Steve Kemp was contributing editor of both award-winning publications, Smokies Guide park newspaper & Smokies Life Magazine]

  • “Thank you for co-delivering the concurrent session, “Triple Bottom Line,” at our APPL convention… As the enclosed evaluation summary shows, participants learned a great deal from this session and appreciated the content and delivery of the material.”

    -Donna Asbury

    Executive Director, Association of Partners for Public Lands

  • “This morning I interviewed Lyman Hafen [author, director of Zion Natural History Association, President of the Association of Partners for Public Lands]. I said you probably know my good friend Steve Kemp. He said, ‘Oh, I do. Steve Kemp is a rock star in this business.”

    -Theodore Catton,

    Author, public historian

  • “The Bear education materials are first rate! Many thanks for your contribution to this important project.”

    -Karen Wade

    Superintendent, GSMNP

  • “I can’t imagine how this meeting could have happened without you. You were there from beginning to end—dependable, creative, supportive, invaluable. As a committee member you share the credit for the meeting’s overall success. And, most especially, as the newsletter editor, you managed that daunting task with your characteristic skill and good humor. The attractive, informative, timely issues appeared each day as though effortlessly.”

    -Paula Degen, Program Committee Chair

    Conference of National Park Cooperating Associations Biennial Convention

“From 500 away, the Kaimin remains as delightful a telescope as ever into the ritual, recurring bizarreness that characterizes UM [University of Montana]. My especial congratulations to the perpetrator of “Weather or Not” —it’s the sort of twisted…ah, thing…that fits the Kaimin and the campus perfectly. Please continue the good work.”

-Leroy Berven

The Kaimin is half AP releases, which provides exercise only for the copysetter, not the reporting staff. Sadly, the only vital part of it is “Weather or Not.”

-unknown

“’Weather or not” we like it? I do.”

-Deborah J. Davis

[Steve Kemp anonymously wrote the daily weather forecast/hard-boiled detective novel parody for the Montana Kaimin while a student at the University of Montana.]