The Slowdown

Hosted ByTracy K. Smith

Every weekday, Tracy K. Smith delivers a different way to see the world – through poetry. Produced in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.


All Episodes

1253: On the Death of a Young Lady Five Years of Age, a reinscription by Aracelis Girmay

Today’s poem is On the Death of a Young Lady Five Years of Age, a reinscription by Aracelis Girmay. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode,...

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1252: The Canonization by John Donne

Today’s poem is The Canonization by John Donne. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s classic poem knows that loving hearts create possibilities...

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1251: On Living by Nâzim Hikmet, translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk

Today’s poem is On Living by Nazim Hikmet, translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “My walk...

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1250: 52 Blue by Sappho Stanley

Today’s poem is 52 Blue by Sappho Stanley. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem probes into the ocean within the self...

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1249: Farmers’ Market by Molly Fisk

Today’s poem is Farmers’ Market by Molly Fisk. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “When I was younger, as an introverted kid, I...

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1248: Listening to Monk’s Misterioso I Remember Braiding My Sisters’ Hair by Christopher Gilbert

Today’s poem is Listening to Monk’s Misterioso I Remember Braiding My Sisters’ Hair by Christopher Gilbert. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “The...

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1247: A Garden and a Street by Teresa Cader

Today’s poem is A Garden and a Street by Teresa Cader. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Poetry holds that place of both...

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1246: Big Purple Peonies by Margaret Ross

Today’s poem is Big Purple Peonies by Margaret Ross. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s deeply satisfying poem arrives from an exacting...

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1245: Telescope by Louise Glück

Today’s poem is Telescope by Louise Glück. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Myka Kielbon writes… “I live on a hill on the...

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