Written for emerging researchers, this book invites you to journey with me, from my early days
as a doctoral student to the present. Grounded in nine years of classroom-based with rural
teachers, paraeducators, and administrators, my work is deeply personal, relational, and
community focused. Each chapter offers glimpses into narrative thinking and illuminates the
touchstones that have shaped my journey with narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 1988,
2000). Think of this book as pulling back the curtain on narrative inquiry, offering a behind-the scenes look at decision-making, pondering with uncertainty, confronting tensions, and blissful
moments of wonder. This book is not a “how to” manual, rather, to intentionally explore the why: how I came to think narratively and to create using narrative forms. At its heart, this book is about a research puzzle: what is it about narrative inquiry that drew me in and continues to sustain me as a researcher?