Becoming a researcher: An auto-ethnographic account of a doctoral researcher re-presented in poetry

Poetry creates new ways of knowing and is increasingly being used in qualitative research. Although few researcher-poets integrate poetry as the primary method for their inquiry, many researchers use poetry to synthesise and re-present data. In this paper, I establish the importance of reflexivity and use poetry to re-present my experience of becoming a researcher. Drawing upon my experience as a doctoral researcher, I explore my fear of “non-production”, my relationship with the Ph.D., transitions and relationships following fieldwork in Papua New Guinea, and my fear of being an academic imposter. As a researcher using the art of poetry, I have expanded my understanding of research and the researcher role. © 2015 National Association for Poetry Therapy.