RT Article T1 Stir: poetic field works from the Distant Voices project JF Crime, media, culture VO 18 IS 1 SP 40 OP 51 A1 Crockett Thomas, Phil LA English YR 2022 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1836946937 AB In this brief research note I discuss and share from, Stir (2020): a collection of poems that were written while I was the research associate on the Distant Voices project based at the University of Glasgow (2017–2021). These poems reflect on my experience of doing ethnographic research in carceral spaces, and are written from the perspective of an outsider with a pass that allowed access for a limited time only. The collection is open access and available to read online. The note situates my project within the context of poetic practice in the social sciences. Inspired primarily by feminist scholarship, I also draw on actor-network theory to describe my research process as one of ‘translation’. The note also touches on historical anxieties about the legitimacy of the approach and the sociological preference for ‘found poetry’. I reflect on some ethical and creative questions that arose for me in writing poetry as social research, including representing research participants, use of pronouns and authorial voice, and emotions and research. I also discuss the affordances of working creatively with ethnographic materials, and the role of poetry in pursuing social change. K1 Affect K1 arts-based research K1 Ethnography K1 Feminism K1 Methodology K1 Poetry K1 Prison K1 Translation DO 10.1177/1741659020970994