Abstract
Though born in Ohio, Eli Goldblatt would soon be able to call several more cities home as his father moved the family to Army posts in the United States and Germany. It was this transience that pushed Eli to develop significant relationships quickly and to cherish them long after the family had moved again. This focus on relationships and a sense of movement through the world is something that continues to inform Eli’s career as a professor of writing and a community partner in literacy education. Just as a hitchhiker and a driver build their brief relationship through narratives, we also harness the power of narratives to build our relationships with others, with our communities, and with our world.