On this episode, we talk to Morgan Simmons and Don Wood, the author and illustrator of Singing Creek—a new book published by GSMA that takes young readers on an adventure of music and survival in the world of a Smoky Mountain stream.
Morgan Simmons is a former outdoor editor for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Over the course of his 28-year career, he’s covered environmental issues across Tennessee and wrote a hiking column that explored the history and ecology of the Smokies.
Don Wood is an illustrator whose career spans 30 years at the Knoxville Journal, Press-Enterprise (CA), and Knoxville News Sentinel. His work has been published in the Orange County (CA) Register, Nashville Scene, Greater Knoxville Business Journal, Associated Press, and in GSMA's own Smokies Life.
In addition to careers at the Knoxville News Sentinel, Simmons and Wood have also shared a long friendship and musical collaborations through the years. In fact, they performed for us a couple of pieces of their music that we include in this episode.
To share the story of Molly the crayfish, her musical journey, and the amazing underwater world of a Smoky Mountain stream with the young readers in your life, pick up a copy of Singing Creek at SmokiesInformation.org or at Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitor centers.