Writing on the Bus

Richard Kent is the director of the Maine Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project, and an associate professor at the University of Maine. He is the author of numerous books including A Guide to Creating Student-Staffed Writing Centers, Grades 6-12, the 2006 Book of the Year from the International Writing Centers Association. He is a coach as well as a consultant to athletes, teams, and sports academies. He was Maine’s 1993 Teacher of the Year and a 1994 National Educator Award recipient.

«If this book did nothing else other than lay out […] opportunities for reflective writing, it would be a useful guide for coaches. But the book is more than a set of suggested practices; it is filled with examples of Richard Kent and other coaches interacting with their athletes. We get excerpts from the writing of coaches at all levels, and from athletes – high school soccer players to world class skiers. […] Through his own example, Kent teaches us how to read this writing – generously, thoughtfully, learning from the experiences of his athletes, even appreciating their goofy humor. He has the ability to pull nuggets of insight from writing that a less alert and sympathetic reader would miss. He is the kind of teacher who makes you feel smart.» (Thomas Newkirk, University of New Hampshire, from the Foreword)«Leading us outdoors and onto the playing field, Richard Kent offers a systematic approach to writing that has already assisted coaches to cultivate athletes’ reflection, shared consciousness, and improved performance. What an athlete needs, he makes clear, is writing.» (Julie Cheville, Illinois State University, Author of ‘Minding the Body: What Student Athletes Know about Learning’)«‘Writing on the Bus’ illuminates a largely hidden side of coaching and athletics, one where writing is increasingly a part of the cultural norms for coaches, individual athletes, and entire teams. Richard Kent brings the powerful combination of sport and writing to life throughout the book by smartly weaving the literacy production of athletes into the discussion. Educators and coaches alike would do well to learn from the insights provided in this book […]» (Jeff Duncan-Andrade, San Francisco State University, Author of‘ What a Coach Can Teach a Teacher’)