The Slowdown

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The Slowdown is a radio show and podcast about poetry produced in collaboration between American Public Media , the Poetry Foundation , and the Library of Congress . The first two seasons of the show were hosted by Tracy K. Smith.

Contents

Background

In each episode the host introduces and then reads a poem. [1] [2] [3] The podcast is produced by American Public Radio, funded by the Poetry Foundation, and supported by the 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 and 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. [14] The third season was launched on September 21, 2021, and was hosted by Ada Limón. [15] [16] [17] The show has featured politicians such as Anthony Scaramucci and Janet Napolitano. [18] According to the 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 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. [20] [21] [22]

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References

  1. ↑ Tribune, Jenna Ross Star. "Former poet laureate Tracy K. Smith rediscovered poetry's power while crisscrossing rural America". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Six Podcasts That Reveal the Actual Meaning of Self-Care". Vanity Fair. June 5, 2020. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. ↑ Aridi, Sara (January 13, 2019). "Tracy K. Smith, poet Laureate, brings her podcast to public radio". Pulselive Kenya. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  4. ↑ Aridi, Sara (January 11, 2019). "Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate, Brings Her Podcast to Public Radio". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  5. ↑ "U.S. Poet Laureate Named 2018 Winner of Hall-Kenyon Prize in American Poetry". New Hampshire Public Radio. November 14, 2018. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Tracy K. Smith Launching Short-Form Podcast". Podcast Business Journal. October 2, 2018. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ Ha, Thu-Huong (October 4, 2018). "In a new podcast, the US poet laureate will read you poetry for five minutes a day". Quartz. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ "5 short podcasts to boost your creativity and success". Big Think. March 18, 2019. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Of Poets and a President". The American Scholar. January 29, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ Greene, Jonathan (January 24, 2019). "BUSINESS BRIEFCASE: Richmond Chamber to host monthly Chai Chats". Richmond Register. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  11. ↑ Dupont, David. "WGTE-FM to air daily poetry feature – BG Independent News". Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  12. ↑ Pan, Connie (March 13, 2019). "A Love Note To Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith". BOOK RIOT. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ "U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith To Visit Chicago". WBEZ Chicago. April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Piranesi Wins the Women's Prize for Fiction, Ada Limón Hosts the Slowdown, and More". Poets & Writers. September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  15. ↑ "#SweaterWeather: cozy up to fall with these 5 podcasts". Podsauce. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  16. ↑ "APM's Daily Poetry Podcast 'The Slowdown' Races To Third Season With A New Host". Insideradio.com. September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Ada Limón Takes Reins on 'Slowdown' Podcast from Tracy K. Smith". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  18. ↑ Gamerman, Ellen (January 3, 2019). "Listen Up, This Podcast Will Just Take a Minute". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  19. ↑ Guardian Staff (October 8, 2018). "The – very quick – Slowdown: will a five minute poetry podcast calm your nerves?". the Guardian. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  20. ↑ Goldberg, Kevin (October 23, 2020). "Vote for the 2020 Discover Pods Awards finalists". Discover Pods Awards. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  21. ↑ Goldberg, Kevin (November 9, 2020). "Announcing the winners of the 2020 Discover Pods Awards". Discover Pods Awards. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Honoree: The Slowdown | Episode 567: Besaydoo". Webby Awards . Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
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