Literacy narratives allow writers to reflect on the people, ideas, and events that have shaped them as writers and readers. What distinguishes literacy narratives from other reflective documents is not their design — they are often indistinguishable in appearance from essays or brief memoirs — but their purpose. They exist solely to help writers share their reflections about their relationship with reading and writing. Some literacy narratives, such as the following one, focus on a critical event or series of events that influenced a person’s identity as a writer. Others offer a comprehensive overview of the experiences that shaped the writer’s relationship with words. Because of their focus on the writer’s life, most literacy narratives use details drawn from personal experience to support points. In some cases, writers draw on information from published sources to provide a context for their narrative.

Literacy narratives are often assigned in college classes because they give students an opportunity to examine their past experiences with written expression and, in doing so, to overcome any assumptions or fears they might have. Experienced writers, too, frequently write literacy narratives, sometimes to share their joy of reading or their reasons for writing, but just as often to connect with their readers by exploring the challenges and rewards of learning to read and write.