The following article has the distinction of being both the shortest (in number of words) I have accepted during my 5+ years as editor and also the only one that I have accepted with no revision and no review. Back in 2003, I remember when an article on using poetry in educational research appeared in the Educational Researcher (Cahnmann 2003). After reading it, my reaction was both incredulous and sadly, not too surprised, as it appeared, after all, in an American Educational Research Association (AERA) journal. I have publicly communicated my distaste for the direction AERA has taken over the past 20 years—less about research and more about politics—in, of all places, AERA journals (e.g., Robinson 2004; Robinson and Wainer 2006). Because Joel Levin was and remains one of my sounding boards, I alerted him to the article. Joel promptly wrote a response that he submitted to the Educational Researcher, but unfortunately it was rejected without review (again, not all that surprising, given the leanings of the powers-that-be behind the Educational Researcher at that time). I should note here that AERA absolutely shocked me by recently appointing Steve Yussen and his outstanding editorial team to right the Educational Researcher ship.

Thus, it is with great privilege, and a result of me unashamedly taking editorial privilege, that I present to you Joel’s response, written back in April, 2003. To place the response in proper context, below is the abstract of Cahnmann’s article:

Developing a poetic voice prepares scholars to discover and communicate findings in multidimensional, penetrating, and more accessible ways. The author explores the craft, practice, and possibility for a poetic approach to inquiry among teaching and learning communities and encourages all researchers, especially those using qualitative methodologies, to consider what poets do and learn how to incorporate rhythm, form, metaphor, and other poetic techniques to enhance their work. Examples are presented of poetic techniques from research. The author discusses the use of poetry as a means for educational scholarship to impact the arts, influence wider audiences, and improve teacher and graduate student education.