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The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily: Daily Summaries Delivered
by American Public Media
Host Maggie Smith is your daily poetry companion. Poetry is one of the greatest tools we have to wield our own attention — to consider our own lives and the lives of others, to help us live creatively and compassionately, to use that attention to lean into wonder, and joy, and truth, and to find hope — to keep hoping. The Slowdown community knows that reflecting on a poem, every weekday, can connect us to our inner world and the world around us. Listen as you make your morning coffee, as you go on a walk in your neighborhood, as you pull away from the to-do list, as you resist the dismal, endless scroll to share five minutes of perspective through the lens of poetry, from poets old and new, well-loved and emerging onto the scene. Brought to you by American Public Media, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterday5 min
1595: My Shark by Ellie Black
Today’s poem is My Shark by Ellie Black.The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Writing is a process of discovery. When I’m working on a poem or an essay, I don’t know what I might find, and that sense of discovery doesn’t end when the piece is finished and published.”This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. slowdownshow.org/donate
- 2 days ago6 min
1594: The Grass Could Be Yours by Emily Lee Luan
Today’s poem is The Grass Could Be Yours by Emily Lee Luan. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Feeling at home somewhere new is surreal. Surreal and comfortable. Freeing, in a way. I’m not where the memories of my life took place, but because of the landscape, and the people, my senses feel at home. And so my memories seem to be at home, too.” This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. slowdownshow.org/donate
- 3 days ago4 min
1593: Halloween in the Anthropocene by Karyna McGlynn
Today’s poem is Halloween in the Anthropocene by Karyna McGlynn. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Now that we’re past Halloween, I can admit that I’m not much of a Halloween person. It was fun when I was little, trick-or-treating with my friends, because, hey, free candy! And it was fun for me as a mother of young children. The speaker of today’s poem celebrates Halloween the way I do now: as an observer, outside of it all.” This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. slowdownshow.org/donate
- 6 days ago6 min
1386: [encore] Night of the Living, Night of the Dead by Kim Addonizio
Today’s poem is Night of the Living, Night of the Dead by Kim Addonizio.The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “It might surprise you to know that one of my favorite genres is the zombie movie. I like my zombies fast, like in ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘28 Days Later,’ and I like my zombies slow, like in the old classics directed by George Romero. In ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ the zombies shamble so slowly, people can run right by them. They seem unable to figure out doorknobs and fence latches and cars. It’s black-and-white, so the gore isn’t that gory: the blood and guts are gray, after all! It’s still scary, though—because the zombies are seemingly uncontainable. They just keep coming at you. Today’s poem has been a favorite of mine for years, and it seemed like the right choice for Halloween.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp
- 1 weeks ago6 min
1363: [encore] Notes on Beachgrass by Yong-Yu Huang
Today’s poem is Notes on Beachgrass by Yong-Yu Huang. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem offers us images we often find in poetry: the ocean, the moon, dreams, a mother, a wound. But it offers us these elements in such a profoundly original and moving way. I couldn’t read this poem just once—I had to read it several times, picking up new treasures with each reading, like walking along the same stretch of beach at different times of day and finding new shells.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp
- 1 weeks ago6 min
1360: [encore] Wind, Blue Sky by Susan Aizenberg
Today’s poem is Wind, Blue Sky by Susan Aizenberg. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem speaks to the challenge of staying in the present moment, and having gratitude for that moment, when memory is always doing what it does best: calling to us from afar.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp
- 1 weeks ago5 min
1354: [encore] Checkout by Caroline Bird
Today’s poem is Checkout by Caroline Bird. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “I’m willing to bet that no one on their death bed says, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” No one, taking stock of their life in those final days and moments, is thinking about spreadsheets or profits or ROI - Return on Investment. I can imagine what I’ll be thinking about at the end of my life: my beloveds, and the beauty of this place I’ve called home, and the memories I treasure most.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp
- 1 weeks ago6 min
1352: [encore] Blue by Jodie Hollander
Today’s poem is Blue by Jodie Hollander.The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem speaks to how we all see the world—and our lives—with completely unique eyes. With a vision colored by our own experiences.” Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp
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About The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Host Maggie Smith is your daily poetry companion. Poetry is one of the greatest tools we have to wield our own attention — to consider our own lives and the lives of others, to help us live creatively and compassionately, to use that attention to lean into wonder, and joy, and truth, and to find hope — to keep hoping. The Slowdown community knows that reflecting on a poem, every weekday, can connect us to our inner world and the world around us. Listen as you make your morning coffee, as you go on a walk in your neighborhood, as you pull away from the to-do list, as you resist the dismal, endless scroll to share five minutes of perspective through the lens of poetry, from poets old and new, well-loved and emerging onto the scene. Brought to you by American Public Media, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation.
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