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The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily — Arts
The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily

Host Maggie Smith is your daily poetry companion. Poetry is one of the greatest tools we have to wield our own attention — to consider our own lives and the lives of others, to help us live creatively and compassionately, to use that attention to lean into wonder, and joy, and truth, and to find hope — to keep hoping. The Slowdown community knows that reflecting on a poem, every weekday, can connect us to our inner world and the world around us. Listen as you make your morning coffee, as you go on a walk in your neighborhood, as you pull away from the to-do list, as you resist the dismal, endless scroll to share five minutes of perspective through the lens of poetry, from poets old and new, well-loved and emerging onto the scene. Brought to you by American Public Media, in partnership with the Poetry Foundation.

Copyright: © Copyright 2026 Minnesota Public Radio

Latest Episodes:

1536: i love you to the moon & by Chen Chen Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is i love you to the moon & by Chen Chen.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Diannely Antigua writes… “The moon is about 238,855 (two hundred thirty-eight thousand, eight hundred fifty-five) miles away from Earth, which is roughly 30 Earths lined up end to end. But moonlight only takes about 1.3 seconds to reach us.The distance feels impossible, and yet the light arrives almost instantly. It makes me think about how love can work like that, too. How it can stretch across time and space and still arrive right when we need it.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1535: Goldfish by Francisco Márquez Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is Goldfish by Francisco Márquez.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Diannely Antigua writes… “When it comes to death, we often have a need to witness. It is our human instinct to see and touch, to hear their silence. I remember wondering why it was called a wake service and learning that it comes from staying awake, from keeping vigil over the body before burial. We’re keeping the dead company as they transition, much like we would with a friend at a train station before they move across the country.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1534: There Is Always Space in My Life for More Life by Natasha Rao Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is There Is Always Space in My Life for More Life by Natasha Rao.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Diannely Antigua writes… “I firmly believe I became a poet because of my time in Spain. Something in me cracked open, and a little light came through. I came through. I learned that if I stepped outside the small world I’d been given, the loveliest things could happen. Today’s poem reminds me of the power of stepping into experience and coming away changed. It asks us to make room for the moments we didn’t know we needed.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1533: The Good Life by Tracy K. Smith Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is The Good Life by Tracy K. Smith.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Diannely Antigua writes… “When my grandmother took us kids to the pharmacy, she’d let us pick one snack to share. We always picked raspberry and creme cookies. We’d take our time with them, taking little bites of the buttery shortbread and jammy filling, savoring each one. Sometimes I’ll buy those cookies just to remember how they once tasted like luxury. It’s in these moments that I learned how love moves. It makes meaning out of what’s available, and insists on joy. It makes something out of nothing.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1532: Blue by Laura Villareal Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is Blue by Laura Villareal.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Diannely Antigua writes… “I believe color carries energy. It carries memory. I remember when I was young, coming home from the hospital after being sick. The teal paint on my bedroom walls suddenly felt overwhelming. It reminded me of sickness, of that version of myself I didn’t want to return to. A few days later, my dad and my uncle painted my walls a light beige. The color of cream. Or the pages of an old book. Or the color of my dog’s soft belly when she’d roll over, asking for a rub. I remember how calming it felt. How it erased what the room had previously carried and gave me the canvas to begin again.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1531: Cheap Magic by Arielle Hebert Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is Cheap Magic by Arielle Hebert.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “When we wear a costume, or even an uncharacteristic outfit, it’s possible to let go of the expectations other people set for us. Sometimes disappearing into another identity makes you more of yourself, not less. Being inside a persona might make you freer, not more constrained.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1530: At the End of a Good Week, the Van Broke Down by Mary Ardery Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is At the End of a Good Week, the Van Broke Down by Mary Ardery.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Poetry, instead of asking questions like How did I get here? or What should I do? often deals more with the senses. Questions like What did it look like? How does it sound, taste, feel? Questions that ask us to witness. Much of the advice we receive assumes we have a level of control. But life doesn’t always work like that. We’re so often rolling with the punches, trying to hold our sorrows, or, to wring out a little pleasure and joy along the way.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1529: Prayer for My Unborn Niece or Nephew by Ross Gay Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is Prayer for My Unborn Niece or Nephew by Ross Gay.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Hope — earnest hope — is something we all need more to combat the cruelty and cynicism of these times we’re enduring. Today’s poem is filled to the brim with it.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1528: Isobutyl Nitrite by Kieron Walquist Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is Isobutyl Nitrite by Kieron Walquist.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “In today’s poem, the speaker feels something awaken in him while watching the film “Remember the Titans.” The poem weaves together the pain and the beauty of desire, which can become so knotted in our teen years. It leaves the reader a little breathless, like only a crush can.”

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

1527: Native Grasses by Lynnell Edwards Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

Today’s poem is Native Grasses by Lynnell Edwards.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “When my son was younger, he loved to collect what he called “nature treasures” — pinecones, acorns, stones, seashells. I’d find them when I emptied his pockets, doing the laundry. I’d find them in my purses and coat pockets, where he’d slipped them for me to discover myself. He’s in middle school now, and he’s outgrown this for the most part. But not entirely. Sometimes he still brings me a wildflower, an unusual feather, or a stone he notices. And as a little wink and a nod to his younger self, he still calls them “nature treasures.””

This show is supported by gifts from listeners. Support The Slowdown with a donation and get access to the sponsor-free version of The Slowdown today. Slowdownshow.org/donate

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