The Slowdown

The Slowdown
A poem and a moment of reflection every weekday.

“A true break from the cacophony of life.”

- Alice Florence Orr from Podcast Review
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Latest Episode

June 24, 2026 3:00 AM
1544: Versions of Girlhood by Tina Chang
The Slowdown
Photo by: Chad Cochran
The Slowdown

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20260624 Slowdown Tina Chang

1544: Versions of Girlhood by Tina Chang

June 24, 2026

Today’s poem is Versions of Girlhood by Tina Chang.

20260623 Slowdown Ava Nathaniel Winter

1543: What the Suitcase Bearing My Family Name Might Have Contained When It Arrived at Auschwitz by Ava Nathaniel Winter

June 23, 2026

Today’s poem is What The Suitcase Bearing my Family Name Might Have Contained When it Arrived at Auschwitz by Ava Nathaniel Winter.

20260622 Slowdown Carol Moldaw

1542: What We Wanted by Carol Moldaw

June 22, 2026

Today’s poem is What We Wanted by Carol Moldaw.

The Slowdown

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

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A Farewell to Major Jackson

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

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Supported in Part by National Endowment for the Arts

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

Poetry Foundation

Produced in Partnership With the Poetry Foundation

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

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