This book develops an approach that allows poetry writing to be used as a research method for exploring questions relating to second language learners and more broadly for studies within the humanities and social sciences. The book investigates the characteristics of poetry writing and situates poetry writing as a qualitative, arts-based, research process. The book utilizes computational linguistics, qualitative, bibliographic, and philosophical methods and investigates the process of writing poetry, the textual and literary characteristics of second language poetry, poetic identity and inquiry. The developed methodology is exemplified through a poetic inquiry of the study abroad experiences of ESL students. The book provides a comprehensive, informed and innovative approach to the investigation of understandings of personal experience.