# The Slowdown

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**The Slowdown** is a radio show and podcast about poetry produced in collaboration between *[American Public Media](/source/American_Public_Media)*, the *[Poetry Foundation](/source/Poetry_Foundation)*, and the *[Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress)*. The first two seasons of the show were hosted by [Tracy K. Smith](/source/Tracy_K._Smith).

## Background

In each episode the host introduces and then reads a poem.[1][2][3] The podcast is produced by [American Public Radio](/source/American_Public_Radio), funded by the [Poetry Foundation](/source/Poetry_Foundation), and supported by the [Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress).[4] The podcast debuted on November 26, 2018, and was later made available as a radio program on January 14, 2019.[5][6] Episodes are released every weekday and are each about five minutes in length.[7][8] The podcast is syndicated by radio stations in seven different cities including [WEKU](/source/WEKU) and [WGTE-FM](/source/WGTE-FM).[9][10][11] Smith's idea for the podcast was inspired by a reading series she was doing called "American Conversations: Celebrating Poems in Rural Communities".[12] She was travelling throughout the country for the reading series from 2017 to 2019.[13] The first two seasons of the podcast were hosted by [Tracy K. Smith](/source/Tracy_K._Smith).[14] The third season was launched on September 21, 2021, and was hosted by [Ada Limón](/source/Ada_Lim%C3%B3n).[15][16][17] The show has featured politicians such as [Anthony Scaramucci](/source/Anthony_Scaramucci) and [Janet Napolitano](/source/Janet_Napolitano).[18] According to the [National Endowment for the Arts](/source/National_Endowment_for_the_Arts), only 11.7% of adults read poetry in 2017 whereas young people are more likely to have read poetry because social media platforms such as [Instagram](/source/Instagram) have become a popular way of sharing poetry.[19] The podcast was a finalist in the 2020 Discover Pods awards and was an honoree in the 2022 [Webby Awards](/source/Webby_Awards).[20][21][22]

## References

1. Tribune, Jenna Ross Star (November 16, 2019). ["Former poet laureate Tracy K. Smith rediscovered poetry's power while crisscrossing rural America"](https://www.startribune.com/former-poet-laureate-tracy-k-smith-rediscovered-poetry-s-power-while-crisscrossing-rural-america/564975762/). *Star Tribune*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://www.startribune.com/former-poet-laureate-tracy-k-smith-rediscovered-poetry-s-power-while-crisscrossing-rural-america/564975762/) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["Six Podcasts That Reveal the Actual Meaning of Self-Care"](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/06/six-podcasts-that-reveal-the-actual-meaning-of-self-care). *Vanity Fair*. June 5, 2020. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220627063818/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/06/six-podcasts-that-reveal-the-actual-meaning-of-self-care) June 27, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Aridi, Sara (January 13, 2019). ["Tracy K. Smith, poet Laureate, brings her podcast to public radio"](https://www.pulselive.co.ke/the-new-york-times/entertainment/tracy-k-smith-poet-laureate-brings-her-podcast-to-public-radio/yfvvkct). *Pulselive Kenya*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://www.pulselive.co.ke/the-new-york-times/entertainment/tracy-k-smith-poet-laureate-brings-her-podcast-to-public-radio/yfvvkct) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Aridi, Sara (January 11, 2019). ["Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate, Brings Her Podcast to Public Radio"](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/arts/tracy-k-smith-poet-laureate-podcast-public-radio.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426182143/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/arts/tracy-k-smith-poet-laureate-podcast-public-radio.html) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["U.S. Poet Laureate Named 2018 Winner of Hall-Kenyon Prize in American Poetry"](https://www.nhpr.org/arts-culture/2018-11-14/u-s-poet-laureate-named-2018-winner-of-hall-kenyon-prize-in-american-poetry). *New Hampshire Public Radio*. November 14, 2018. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211018181212/https://www.nhpr.org/arts-culture/2018-11-14/u-s-poet-laureate-named-2018-winner-of-hall-kenyon-prize-in-american-poetry) October 18, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["Tracy K. Smith Launching Short-Form Podcast"](https://podcastbusinessjournal.com/tracy-k-smith-launching-short-form-podcast/). *Podcast Business Journal*. October 2, 2018. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220127000148/https://podcastbusinessjournal.com/tracy-k-smith-launching-short-form-podcast/) January 27, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Ha, Thu-Huong (October 4, 2018). ["In a new podcast, the US poet laureate will read you poetry for five minutes a day"](https://qz.com/quartzy/1413357/tracy-k-smiths-the-showdown-podcast-is-five-minutes-of-poetry-a-day/). *Quartz*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://qz.com/quartzy/1413357/tracy-k-smiths-the-showdown-podcast-is-five-minutes-of-poetry-a-day/) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["5 short podcasts to boost your creativity and success"](https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/5-short-podcasts-to-boost-your-creativity-and-success/). *Big Think*. March 18, 2019. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220528232128/https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/5-short-podcasts-to-boost-your-creativity-and-success/) May 28, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["Of Poets and a President"](https://theamericanscholar.org/of-poets-and-a-president/). *The American Scholar*. January 29, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Greene, Jonathan (January 24, 2019). ["BUSINESS BRIEFCASE: Richmond Chamber to host monthly Chai Chats"](https://www.richmondregister.com/news/business-briefcase-richmond-chamber-to-host-monthly-chai-chats/article_62dbe047-3bfc-5356-af6a-92737def6258.html). *Richmond Register*. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Dupont, David. ["WGTE-FM to air daily poetry feature – BG Independent News"](https://bgindependentmedia.org/wgte-fm-to-air-daily-poetry-feature/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://bgindependentmedia.org/wgte-fm-to-air-daily-poetry-feature/) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Pan, Connie (March 13, 2019). ["A Love Note To Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith"](https://bookriot.com/poet-laureate-tracy-k-smith/). *BOOK RIOT*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://bookriot.com/poet-laureate-tracy-k-smith/) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith To Visit Chicago"](https://www.wbez.org/stories/us-poet-laureate-tracy-k-smith-on-visiting-rural-communities-hosting-a-poetry-podcast/79fb961a-7e3d-4151-8eec-58d383528c96). *WBEZ Chicago*. April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["Piranesi Wins the Women's Prize for Fiction, Ada Limón Hosts the Slowdown, and More"](https://www.pw.org/content/piranesi_wins_the_womens_prize_for_fiction_ada_limon_hosts_the_slowdown_and_more). *Poets & Writers*. September 10, 2021. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://www.pw.org/content/piranesi_wins_the_womens_prize_for_fiction_ada_limon_hosts_the_slowdown_and_more) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["#SweaterWeather: cozy up to fall with these 5 podcasts"](https://podsauce.com/articles/cozy-up-to-fall-with-these-podcasts/). *Podsauce*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221002001835/https://podsauce.com/articles/cozy-up-to-fall-with-these-podcasts/) October 2, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["APM's Daily Poetry Podcast 'The Slowdown' Races To Third Season With A New Host."](https://www.insideradio.com/podcastnewsdaily/apm-s-daily-poetry-podcast-the-slowdown-races-to-third-season-with-a-new-host/article_cd94ebba-1251-11ec-a16b-3719d24b5173.html). *Insideradio.com*. September 10, 2021. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://www.insideradio.com/podcastnewsdaily/apm-s-daily-poetry-podcast-the-slowdown-races-to-third-season-with-a-new-host/article_cd94ebba-1251-11ec-a16b-3719d24b5173.html) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. ["Ada Limón Takes Reins on 'Slowdown' Podcast from Tracy K. Smith"](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=3399). *PublishersWeekly.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181845/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=3399) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Gamerman, Ellen (January 3, 2019). ["Listen Up, This Podcast Will Just Take a Minute"](https://www.wsj.com/articles/listen-up-this-podcast-will-just-take-a-minute-11546264801). *Wall Street Journal*. [ISSN 0099-9660](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0099-9660). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201107233155/https://www.wsj.com/articles/listen-up-this-podcast-will-just-take-a-minute-11546264801) November 7, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Guardian Staff (October 8, 2018). ["The – very quick – Slowdown: will a five minute poetry podcast calm your nerves?"](http://www.theguardian.com/books/shortcuts/2018/oct/08/the-very-quick-slowdown-will-a-five-minute-poetry-podcast-calm-your-nerves). *the Guardian*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220426181847/https://www.theguardian.com/books/shortcuts/2018/oct/08/the-very-quick-slowdown-will-a-five-minute-poetry-podcast-calm-your-nerves) April 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

1. Goldberg, Kevin (October 23, 2020). ["Vote for the 2020 Discover Pods Awards finalists"](https://awards.discoverpods.com/vote-for-the-2020-discover-pods-awards-finalists/). *Discover Pods Awards*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211217155640/https://awards.discoverpods.com/vote-for-the-2020-discover-pods-awards-finalists/) December 17, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 7, 2023.

1. Goldberg, Kevin (November 9, 2020). ["Announcing the winners of the 2020 Discover Pods Awards"](https://awards.discoverpods.com/winners-2020-discover-pods-awards/). *Discover Pods Awards*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220217040759/https://awards.discoverpods.com/winners-2020-discover-pods-awards/) February 17, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 7, 2023.

1. ["Honoree: The Slowdown | Episode 567: Besaydoo"](http://winners.webbyawards.com/2022/podcasts/general-series/arts-culture/211433/the-slowdown--episode-567-besaydoo). *[Webby Awards](/source/Webby_Awards)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230107180120/https://winners.webbyawards.com/2022/podcasts/general-series/arts-culture/211433/the-slowdown--episode-567-besaydoo) January 7, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 7, 2023.

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.slowdownshow.org/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Slowdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slowdown) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slowdown?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.