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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

[encore] 1460: Poem to Remind Myself of the Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly

Today’s poem is Poem to Remind Myself of the Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly.


Today’s poem is Poem to Remind Myself of the Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly. 
The Slowdown is taking a week to return to some of our favorite episodes from Maggie’s tenure so far. We’ll be back on Monday, March 30 with new episodes. Today’s episode was originally released on February 19, 2026. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem is such a beautiful meditation on knowing ourselves, and knowing what we need to be at home in our own lives.” 
Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp 

The Slowdown

[encore] 1429: Midlife Crisis by Jane Zwart

Today’s poem is Midlife Crisis by Jane Zwart. 


The Slowdown is taking a week to return to some of our favorite episodes from Maggie’s tenure so far. Today’s poem is Midlife Crisis by Jane Zwart. We’ll be back on Monday, March 30 with new episodes. Today’s episode was originally released on January 7, 2026. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Midlife has upended everything I thought about aging. It’s not at all what I expected. Certainly, when I was a child, I thought of people in their forties as old, and now that I’m closer to 50 than 40, I laugh at that. I feel … young! I feel younger, in many ways, than I did ten years ago.” 
Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp 

[encore] 1383: The Situation in Our City by Ciona Rouse

Today’s poem is The Situation in Our City by Ciona Rouse.


The Slowdown is taking a week to return to some of our favorite episodes from Maggie’s tenure so far. We’ll be back on Monday, March 30 with new episodes. Today’s poem is The Situation in Our City by Ciona Rouse. Today’s episode was originally released on October 28, 2025. In this episode, Maggie writes… “This poem has me thinking more and more about chance, and about our circumstances. It also has me thinking about the ways we take care of one another, and how we can—and must—do BETTER. As James Baldwin famously wrote, “The children are always ours.”” 
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

[encore] 1460: Poem to Remind Myself of the Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly

[encore] 1429: Midlife Crisis by Jane Zwart

[encore] 1383: The Situation in Our City by Ciona Rouse

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

[encore] 1460: Poem to Remind Myself of the Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly

[encore] 1429: Midlife Crisis by Jane Zwart

[encore] 1383: The Situation in Our City by Ciona Rouse

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