This paper introduces readers to the field of narrative medicine to build a bridge to the field of English teacher education. After seeking an urgent change in the ways medical students were being taught to engage with their own practice and patients, a Columbia University physician and scholar developed a practice that trained future doctors in close reading and close writing practices. The author, a former English teacher and current English teacher educator, conceptualises an adaptation of these practices for the critical work of educating current and future teachers of English. The paper includes close writing excerpts from two teachers who engaged in a six-month-long narrative study group and considerations for teachers and teacher educators looking to shift their practice to adopt a narrative stance.