Stephen Smith is a Kentucky and Tennessee-born gardener, educator, author, and photographer whose work blooms at the intersection of storytelling and seed saving. A lifelong steward of plants and words, he brings over two decades of experience in heirloom seed preservation, plant genetics, and biodiversity advocacy to both his writing and his gardens. Stephen holds a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture (Agronomy) from Austin Peay State University and a Master’s of Teaching in Secondary English and Science from the University of the Cumberlands — a pairing that reflects his deep-rooted belief in the power of education, expression, and environmental literacy.

Stephen is the founder of a small heirloom seed company (The Divine Botanist) and has spent years cultivating rare, regionally adapted vegetable and flower varieties, many of which trace their origins to various indigenous nations and cultures around the globe.

As a writer, Stephen is drawn to stories that explore identity, emotional healing, the supernatural, and the sacred rhythms of the natural world. His creative work spans poetry, young adult fiction, supernatural drama, magical surrealism, and richly researched nonfiction. His current manuscripts explore themes of trauma, friendship, identity, relationships, the supernatural, spirits, and plant lore — often set in haunting Southern landscapes alive with memory and myth.

In addition to his literary work, Stephen is a passionate visual artist and photographer. His photographic lens is drawn to liminal spaces: forest edges, forgotten fields, the beauty of nature through flowers and plants, and the quiet dignity of rural life. He believes that both photography and writing serve as vessels for truth-telling, emotional transmutation, and place-based witnessing.

Stephen’s life’s work is rooted in reverence: for land, for language, and for the unseen stories that pulse between them.