Blackout poetry is a creative form in which poets compose poems by selecting and highlighting words from another text. This process, often accompanied by artistic visual illustrations, involves an elaborate interaction with language, art, poetry, and social commentary. Even though blackout poetry has gained attention in academia over the last decade, research on this topic is limited, particularly its applications within English Language Teaching (ELT). The aim of this study is to examine existing scholarly research on blackout poetry to answer the following research question: What defining features of blackout poetry are identified in scholarly literature? The results of the literature review are contextualized through the lens of English language learning, positioning blackout poetry as a valuable practice for linguistic, literary, and sociocultural engagement. Employing a systematic search to collect the literature and a thematic analysis to examine major themes, this paper discusses the potential of blackout poetry to promote resistance, to enable reflection, and to create opportunities for learning. The analysis concludes that blackout poetry can be a valuable pedagogical practice for English language learners, supporting literary competence, language exploration, and sociopolitical discourse.