Stories shape the work that we do, producing both reassurance and dissonance as we reconcile reproduced lore to lived reality. This panel seeks to disrupt our understandings of how narratives are constructed, circulated, and utilized in writing center scholarship by attending to the affective dimensions of writing center work. Building on the work of scholars such as Nancy Grimm, Harry Denny, and Rebecca Jackson, we will argue for a more complex understanding of writing center narratives that mobilize affect to create more equitable conditions for teaching and learning. After two brief presentations situating attendees in these conversations, we will engage participants in role-playing activities to help rethink how attending to emotions in writing center administration can alter the work we do.