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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

1376: Laura, I Want You Pulling Your Hair Back by Natalie Dunn

Today’s poem is Laura, I Want You Pulling Your Hair Back by Natalie Dunn. 


Today’s poem is Laura, I Want You Pulling Your Hair Back by Natalie Dunn. 
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “A big part of loving someone, whether they’re a friend or a family member or someone you’re romantically involved with, is embracing them exactly as they are. Not hoping they’ll change, or waiting for them to change, or—worst of all—trying to change them yourself.” 
Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp 

The Slowdown

1375: Dear Absent, by Marcus Wicker

Today’s poem is Dear Absent, by Marcus Wicker. 


Today’s poem is Dear Absent, by Marcus Wicker. 
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem is so relatable, because the speaker is doing what I so often do: watching videos on the internet in the middle of the night. But then the poem turns to address “the elephant in the room”: the absence at the heart of the poem. A note of preparation: This poem will touch you deeply if you have experienced pregnancy loss.” 
Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp 

1374: The Terror of New Love! by Tiana Clark

Today’s poem is The Terror of New Love! by Tiana Clark. 


Today’s poem is The Terror of New Love! by Tiana Clark. 
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “When I got divorced, I remember the mixed feelings. A big part of me was devastated that we hadn’t made it work; another part of me was relieved, because it hadn’t been working. A part of me was terrified because I had no idea what the future held, and a different big part of me felt excited and free. I wrote in a poem once, “The trick of the future is it’s empty.” That’s where the excitement and terror come in: the future is empty, and we get to fill it. The future is unwritten, and we get to decide what the story will be. We get to choose what comes next.” 
Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp 

The Slowdown

Latest Episode

Recent Episodes

1376: Laura, I Want You Pulling Your Hair Back by Natalie Dunn

1375: Dear Absent, by Marcus Wicker

1374: The Terror of New Love! by Tiana Clark

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

1376: Laura, I Want You Pulling Your Hair Back by Natalie Dunn

1375: Dear Absent, by Marcus Wicker

1374: The Terror of New Love! by Tiana Clark

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