Steve Krasner, executive director of Rhode Island Write on Sports, has worn many hats in his writing career. Krasner was a sports writer at the Providence Journal for 33 years, the last 22 of which he covered the Boston Red Sox before retiring in 2008. As a freelancer, he then covered the Red Sox and New England Patriots for ESPN’s website in Boston from 2010 to 2013.
He has also been conducting interactive and collaborative writing workshops and professional-development sessions in schools around the country as part of Nudging the Imagination. He is the author of several children’s books, including “Play Ball Like the Pros,” which won a Parents’ Choice Silver Award. Krasner, a lifelong Rhode Islander currently residing in East Greenwich, will teach a writing course at Bryant University this fall.
PBN: How long have you headed RI Write on Sports and what was your initial goal for the opportunity?
KRASNER: Rhode Island Write on Sports is an affiliate of Write on Sports Inc., which was established 12 years ago in New Jersey by retired Associated Press editor Byron Yake. After meeting Byron and participating in one of his camps as a teacher in 2013, I started Rhode Island Write on Sports in 2014, earning 501(c)(3) status in 2015. The mission is to offer urban middle school students an opportunity to gain confidence and experience the writing process by writing about something they care about – sports.
PBN: What ages of children do you serve, what writing basics do you teach them and how long is the program each summer?
KRASNER: The students are middle school-aged, entering the seventh or eighth grade. Over the course of two weeks, the students, using organizers from a curriculum developed by literacy professor Erik Jacobson at Montclair State University, create in-depth feature stories on sports-related topics of their choosing as well as a video, also of a sports-related topic. They also participate in model interviews with professional journalists and a field trip. Each summer program is two weeks (weekdays only) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
PBN: Why did you decide to focus on writing skills? Do you feel that there is a lack of writing skills among some of today’s youth?
KRASNER: Yes, I believe writing skills are lacking in today’s youth. Communication is different these days, evolving because of technology. But an ability to write clearly, in a concise manner, and to express opinions, inform or entertain is important and can even be used to make a living. This is a point I, as a 33-year veteran Providence Journal sports writer who covered the Boston Red Sox for 22 years, am able to make. I tell the students I got paid for 33 years to watch baseball games – because I could write!
PBN: What has been the feedback from the students and the community since you founded Rhode Island Write on Sports?
KRASNER: The community has been solidly behind the organization’s mission, offering support in many ways, including a strong partnership with The College Crusade of Rhode Island. The biggest compliment from the students has come in the form of participation. The first year we had eight students. In this, our fourth year, we were able to expand to two camps, one at Providence College and the other at Bryant University, with 63 students, including five of whom returned for a second year!
PBN: What are your goals for the program over the next five years?
KRASNER: We are always striving to refine and improve our camps, and that includes expansion, giving more urban students around the state the opportunity to participate in the program. This year we had 13 schools represented in our PC camp, which was for students from Providence and Cranston. We had eight schools represented at Bryant, which was for students from Central Falls and Pawtucket. Each year we add a community or two, and our five-year plan includes expansion to three camps – possibly four!
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
