Reimagining Qualitative Literature Reviewing Through Collaborative Feedback Poetry

Abstract

This think piece contributes to qualitative inquiry and higher education by introducing collaborative feedback poetry as a theoretically and pedagogically grounded approach to literature reviewing. Co-authored by an education professor and a graduate student, this article explores how composing poetry in response to academic texts—specifically poetic inquiries by professors and graduate students—enriched their learning and fostered mutual understanding, intercultural exchange, and creative academic engagement. By shifting from summary and critique to affective, polyvocal engagement, this approach extends comprehension and connection with complex personal and social issues such as identity, exclusion, and belonging. The authors position collaborative feedback poetry as a developmental and educational tool that promotes epistemological diversity and subjective knowing as vital to vigorous qualitative research. Their conclusions suggest that integrating poetry can reshape how literature is read, interpreted, and taught—inviting researchers, educators, and students to experience emotionally resonant, polyvocal, and imaginative academic knowledge and practices.