Tracy K. Smith's The Slowdown Aims to Spark Nationwide Discussion

Tracy K. Smith's new podcast, The Slowdown, is the subject of Sara Aridi's latest article at the New York Times. Aridi explains: "Ever since Tracy K. Smith became the United States poet laureate in 2017, she has been hosting readings big and small in all corners of the country. Now she is spreading poetry through the air waves." Picking up from there: 

Starting Jan. 14, her podcast, “The Slowdown,” will be broadcast on public radio stations in seven cities, including San Francisco, Honolulu and Charleston, W. Va.

Produced by American Public Media with funding by the Poetry Foundation and support from the Library of Congress, “The Slowdown” debuted as a five-minute weekday podcast in late November. It’s available to stream on iTunes, Google Podcasts and other platforms. In each episode, Ms. Smith introduces, and then reads, a poem of her choosing.

The idea for the podcast arose last year while she was visiting towns as part of a reading series called “American Conversations: Celebrating Poems in Rural Communities.”

Learn more at the New York Times. And for even more about the series, we offer this information as well.