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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

1361: Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual, by Catherine Pierce

Today’s poem is Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual, by Catherine Pierce.


Today’s poem is Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual, by Catherine Pierce.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “I have zero chill when it comes to the natural world. My son and daughter would probably tell you I’m like a little kid: I gasp audibly at the clouds, the moon, the light coming through the leaves of trees. I shout “hawk!” when I see one on a walk or in the car. I take videos of hummingbirds in my neighbor’s mimosa tree and text them to people I care about. I call the albino squirrels in my neighborhood by name: Sugar (rest in peace), Flour, and Cloud. I’m delighted by what I see and hear and experience, and I don’t try to hide or downplay that delight. Why play it cool?” 
Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp 

The Slowdown

1360: Wind, Blue Sky by Susan Aizenberg

Today’s poem is 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 


1359: Lotioning My Mother’s Back by Ama Codjoe

Today’s poem is Lotioning My Mother’s Back by Ama Codjoe.


Today’s poem is Lotioning My Mother’s Back by Ama Codjoe.
The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “The world feels like a hard place right now—a not very soft and tender place. In times that feel difficult, it’s tempting to retreat, to harden ourselves, to “numb out.” But I think, more and more, that tenderness is what we need—toward one another, and toward ourselves. We need touch. We need connection. We need soft places to land. We need to hold on to one another.” 
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

1361: Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual, by Catherine Pierce

1360: Wind, Blue Sky by Susan Aizenberg

1359: Lotioning My Mother’s Back by Ama Codjoe

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

1361: Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual, by Catherine Pierce

1360: Wind, Blue Sky by Susan Aizenberg

1359: Lotioning My Mother’s Back by Ama Codjoe

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