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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

1575: ode to the afternoon by Zeina Hashem Beck

Today’s poem is ode to the afternoon by Zeina Hashem Beck.


Today’s poem is ode to the afternoon by Zeina Hashem Beck.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… ““Que Sera Sera” is a song I remember my mother singing when I was small. Which is fitting, as the song opens with these words: “When I was just a little girl I asked my mother what will I be.” I remember part of the chorus well: “Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be, the future’s not ours to see.”” 
This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. Slowdownshow.org/donate


The Slowdown

1574: Black Fairy Tale by Elizabeth Spires

Today’s poem is Black Fairy Tale by Elizabeth Spires. 


1574: Black Fairy Tale by Elizabeth Spires
20260805
Today’s poem is Black Fairy Tale by Elizabeth Spires.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “When I was old enough, I found my way to the collected Brothers Grimm, but even then I wasn’t quite old enough for the violence I found inside. Cinderella’s sisters butchered their own feet to try to fit into the glass slipper! That bloody plot detail certainly wasn’t in the Disney movie with the cute mice and birds who made Cinderella a dress from fabric scraps.

Today’s poem conjures that dark, fantastical world of fairy tales.” 
This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1573: Dialogue with the Oldest Tree in the U.S., whose Location is a Closely-Guarded Forest Service Secret by Nina Sudhakar

Today’s poem is Dialogue with the Oldest Tree in the U.S., whose Location is a Closely-Guarded Forest Service Secret by Nina Sudhakar.


Today’s poem is Dialogue with the Oldest Tree in the U.S., whose Location is a Closely-Guarded Forest Service Secret by Nina Sudhakar.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “I like to think that I’m still growing as a person. That every year I become older, I truly grow older, developing some new part of myself. Conversations about aging so often dwell on preserving what you have when you’re young, about postponing loss. But when I turn to my writing, my poems and prose, I see a body of work that does continue to grow. A body that comes from my physical body, from how my whole being senses and processes the world around me. It continues to grow, even when marked by hardship, by absences, and by loss.” 
This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

The Slowdown

Latest Episode

Recent Episodes

1575: ode to the afternoon by Zeina Hashem Beck

1574: Black Fairy Tale by Elizabeth Spires

1573: Dialogue with the Oldest Tree in the U.S., whose Location is a Closely-Guarded Forest Service Secret by Nina Sudhakar

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

1575: ode to the afternoon by Zeina Hashem Beck

1574: Black Fairy Tale by Elizabeth Spires

1573: Dialogue with the Oldest Tree in the U.S., whose Location is a Closely-Guarded Forest Service Secret by Nina Sudhakar

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