This presentation aims to explore how the autobiographical narratives of L2 learning experiences influence, inform and are integrated into the life narrative (McAdams 2018) of Kana, a Japanese learner of English. Grounded in data gathered from a longitudinal study, this presentation focuses on the stories contained and elaborated on when interview data was gathered alongside a visual language learning history representing Kana's pre-university experiences. The autobiographical narratives shared were analysed using Barkhuizen's (2016) short story approach. Based on the assumption that strong emotions facilitate the integration of experiences into a life narrative (Pasupathi et al., 2007), a micro-analysis of emotions was also conducted to understand the dynamic ways in which emotions interact with the formation of a life narrative. The analysis revealed a complex interaction between contextual factors, emotional evaluations of situations and core identity concerns which influenced which autobiographical narratives were integrated into Kana's various English identities.