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After two years, two seasons and 443 episodes, Major Jackson is stepping down from the host chair. 


A Farewell to Major Jackson

To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.


Supported in Part by National Endowment for the Arts

Raising poetry to a more visible and influential position in American culture.


Produced in Partnership With the Poetry Foundation

Announcements

1522: The Long Run by Linda Gregerson

Today’s poem is The Long Run by Linda Gregerson.


Today’s poem is The Long Run by Linda Gregerson. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “I have to remain optimistic — cautiously optimistic, because these are difficult days — that as we know better, we will do better. That we will learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of our forebearers, and that we will repair what we can, despite the harm we humans continue to do.” This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

The Slowdown

Bonus Episode — PASSAGES: On Morrison featuring Tracy K. Smith

Today we’re excited to share a bonus episode: the first episode of "PASSAGES: On Morrison," produced by our friends at Random House Publishing Group. 


Today we’re excited to share a bonus episode: the first episode of "PASSAGES: On Morrison," produced by our friends at Random House Publishing Group.

This new podcast takes reading on the road, as Namwali Serpell — novelist, critic, and Harvard professor — joins fellow writers and skilled readers in conversation to pore over excerpts of Toni Morrison’s prose. The show is the record of a traveling salon, a celebration of Morrison’s extraordinary work, and a love letter to reading closely in community.

Listen in our feed to hear Serpell in conversation with poet and former host of The Slowdown, Tracy K. Smith. Together, they read the opening of THE BLUEST EYE, Toni Morrison’s debut novel, and discuss all that the passage emits and erases.

The second episode, featuring acclaimed poet and critic Hanif Abdurraqib, is also available to listen now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Bonus Episode — PASSAGES: On Morrison featuring Tracy K. Smith and Namwali Serpell

1521: You Try To Fix It by Liz Ahl

Today’s poem is You Try To Fix It by Liz Ahl. 


Today’s poem is You Try To Fix It by Liz Ahl. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “As a child watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I remember being amazed by the Everlasting Gobstopper — a candy that a child could suck on forever, and it would never get any smaller. One of them would last a lifetime! In real life, manufacturers seem to do the opposite: They intentionally design things inexpensively, with an artificially limited lifespan, so they need to be replaced with a newer version. Today’s poem, though, was built to last.” This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

The Slowdown

Latest Episode

Recent Episodes

1522: The Long Run by Linda Gregerson

Bonus Episode — PASSAGES: On Morrison featuring Tracy K. Smith and Namwali Serpell

1521: You Try To Fix It by Liz Ahl

Announcements

A Farewell to Major Jackson

Supported in Part by National Endowment for the Arts

Produced in Partnership With the Poetry Foundation

Other APM Podcasts

Truth Be Told

Ripple

The Splendid Table

The Slowdown

Latest Episode

Recent Episodes

1522: The Long Run by Linda Gregerson

Bonus Episode — PASSAGES: On Morrison featuring Tracy K. Smith and Namwali Serpell

1521: You Try To Fix It by Liz Ahl

Get a poem handpicked by Maggie Smith every weekday. The email includes an abridged version of Maggie’s introduction.

Announcements

A Farewell to Major Jackson

Supported in Part by National Endowment for the Arts

Produced in Partnership With the Poetry Foundation

Other APM Podcasts

Truth Be Told

Ripple

The Splendid Table