ABSTRACT
Memory and personal narrative use the past to serve the present. The past in our minds is what we need now, not necessarily what the past was like. Mark Twain said that he remembered everything that happened and lots more besides. I find myself focusing on this idea because the editors’ assignment for chapters in this book is to think about how who I am at a deep level influences, guides, and distorts my professional work. The assignment itself brings out many of the same dynamics that the editors have asked authors to reflect on-how do I see myself and to what degree does that guide, influence, and distort my perceptions in this written interaction with the readers.
