This dissertation study explores the lived experiences of three graduate writers. Using narrative inquiry and ethnographic methods, I collected and analyzed data that focused on how three graduate writers, in two PhD programs housed within the same college of education, perceived and experienced their writing projects and themselves as writers. The graduate writers in this study expressed ongoing adaptive challenges related to what constitutes evidence in the academy, the divide between theory and practice, and the degree to which their voices and selves are permitted or denied in academic spaces. In addition to challenges within the academy, the writers encountered external and internal conflicts in their social and emotional lives that frequently created barriers in both their writing processes and products. These writers' experiences highlight an institutional lack of transparency in graduate programs, gaps in guidance and mentorship, assumptions about who graduate students are when they enter a program and what their goals are for their writing and future careers. Further, through feedback from advisors, professors and others in their academic communities, these writers perceive messages that their unique voices and perspectives are not respected in academic work, thus undermining their confidence, and influencing their writing choices. In this study I tell the stories of three graduate writers to call attention to the need for human-centered approaches to graduate student wellness and mentorship. The implications of this study relate to issues of equity in higher education and pertain to graduate support programs, professors, and advisors; I ask them to question their assumptions about what skills and experiences graduate student writers have when they enter a program, increase transparency in the norms and expectations for writing, and provide discipline specific writing instruction. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]