The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Today’s poem is Fish Heads by R.A. Villanueva.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on March 30, 2020.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “What is it about food that feeds us? Not just the calories and nutrients, but the deeper yearni...

Today’s poem is Thanks by W.S. Merwin.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on December 18, 2019.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “It takes a wise and gifted poet to create a panoramic portrait of life that allows guilt and anger an...

Today, we’re thrilled to share that the new host of The Slowdown is Maggie Smith.

We’ll be back in your feeds with new episodes on August 18th.

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.

Today’s poem is Workshop by Jacob Shores-Argüello.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on October 22, 2019.

Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rj...

Today’s poem is Nocturne by Oliver Baez Bendorf.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re revisiting some favorites from Major Jackson’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on September 8, 2023.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “In young adulthood, long before children, jobs, home owne...

Today’s poem is Accessory to War by Kim Stafford.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re revisiting some favorites from Major Jackson’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on April 30, 2024.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s sobering poem lands a powerful reminder: that even ...

Today’s poem is In Love by Chloe Martinez.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re revisiting some favorites from Major Jackson’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on July 8, 2024.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “The first time I was in love, I started missing baseball practice. I...

Today’s poem is 00000000 by Erin Marie Lynch.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re revisiting some favorites from Major Jackson’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on April 11, 2024.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem disentangles the quest for money, transactional de...

Today’s poem is eco-hood by Melania Luisa Marte.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re revisiting some favorites from Major Jackson’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on November 23, 2023.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem dignifies the lives of people in low-income ...

Today’s poem is Sunflowers in the Median by Natalie Homer.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Ada Limón’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on March 4, 2022.

In this episode, former host Ada Limón writes… “What is it about noticing beauty that brings you out of yourself and retur...

Today’s poem is Saudade by Silvia Bonilla.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Ada Limón’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on October 19, 2021.

In this episode, former host Ada Limón writes… “There are days I’m prone to see the nostalgia in things, the ache of the moment. Most d...

Today’s poem is It’s 9:30am, I’ve ran four miles, cried four times, & eaten two chicken sandwiches by Christian Aldana.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Ada Limón’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on April 4, 2022.

In this episode, former host Ada Limón writes… “Annie Dill...

Today’s poem is Let Me by Camille T. Dungy.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Ada Limón’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on September 27, 2021.

In this episode, former host Ada Limón writes… “The thing that makes me break down in tears the most often is not grief, but human r...

Today’s poem is John Muir, A Dream, A Waterfall, A Mountain Ash by Robert Hass.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Ada Limón’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on October 20, 2022.

In this episode, former host Ada Limón writes… “Today’s poem by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert ...

Today’s poem is Another Night at Sea Level by Meg Day.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on May 12, 2020.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “Written in letter form, today's poem captures and seeks to describe that feeling of the su...

Today’s poem is Climbing China's Great Wall by Afaa M. Weaver.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on August 4, 2020.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “I visited China for the first time in the spring of 2017. It was a visit to the ...

Today’s poem is On a Spaceship Somewhere, Long After Empire's Collapse by Jesús I. Valles.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on August 20, 2020.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “The message from the stars is simple: it doesn’t ha...

Today’s poem is Say Thank You Say I'm Sorry by Jericho Brown.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on September 11, 2020.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “I like it when I pass into the orbit of a stranger and, without expecting or...

Today’s poem is Song In Which We Yet Sidestep Disaster by Tess Taylor.

The Slowdown is currently taking a break. We’ll be back soon with new episodes from a new host. This week, we’re going back into the archive to revisit Tracy K. Smith’s time as host. Today’s episode was originally released on May 27, 2020.

In this episode, Tracy writes… “How can everything be? How is it possible? Maybe to be alive is a matter o...