logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
6m 24s

929: this is a library

American Public Media
About this episode

Today’s poem is this is a library by Asiya Wadud.


The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s empathetic poem, which takes the tone of an elementary school primer, encourages a greater noticing of those who are leastwise among us, who fall outside the social fabric of our care. In doing so, hopefully, we might reverse prevailing attitudes toward the unhoused, who often are the target of violence and intolerance.”


Celebrate the power of poems with a gift to The Slowdown today. Every donation makes a difference: https://tinyurl.com/rjm4synp

Up next
Oct 2023
987: Totalitarian
Today’s poem is Totalitarian by Tyler Mills. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Major writes… “Today’s poem makes the case that there are occasions in which I cannot let apathy rule, that the assaults on human dignity are so large, I must speak through my ... Show More
6m 19s
Oct 2023
986: EGGSHELLS
Today’s poem is EGGSHELLS by Michael Kleber-Diggs. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Shira Erlichman writes… “This poem makes me consider the great tension between one’s vision and one’s reality. I feel profundity in that the assertion of I wil ... Show More
7m 12s
Oct 2023
982: Rain
Today’s poem is Rain by Adrian Keith Smith. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Shira Erlichman writes… “Today’s short poem is by an extraordinary young monk, four year old Adrian Keith Smith. He may not be ordained, but he is a tremendously wise ... Show More
5m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
John Milton's "When I consider how my light is spent"
<p>In today’s poem, also known as “Sonnet 19,” Milton offers a pious alternative to “raging” against the dying of the light. Happy reading.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href= ... Show More
12m 22s
Apr 2007
C.K. Williams
Collected Poems (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)C.K. Williams' Collected Poems covers a lifetime's concern with ethics and personal morality. As his work proceeds, he develops a quality of consciousness and empathy that some would describe as a soul. In this conversation, this accessibl ... Show More
29m 30s
Nov 2023
Two Poems About Butter
<p>Today we pay tribute, with poems by Andrea Cohen and Elizabeth Alexander, to the indispensable golden wonder.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://dailypoempod.subst ... Show More
4m 48s
Apr 2024
1142. वृद्धाश्रम पर कविता | Poem On Old Age Home
<p>Join host Vanshika Navlani on <em>The Best Hindi Urdu Poetry Shayari Podcast</em> as she shares a touching poem dedicated to the residents of old age homes. </p> <p>This heartfelt piece delves into the emotions and experiences of those who reside in these homes, offering a gli ... Show More
5m 29s
Oct 2024
Walter Savage Landor's "To Robert Browning"
<p>Though we remember Browning far more readily than we do Landor, this poem dates from a period when their fortunes were reversed and the latter was eager to acquaint the world with the budding talent he had discovered.</p><p>Walter Savage Landor (30 January 1775 – 17 September ... Show More
7m 20s
Sep 2024
Donald Hall's "The Baseball Players"
<p>Today’s poem is for all those already wondering what they will do when the baseball season ends next month. Happy reading.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://daily ... Show More
5m 52s