logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
5m 32s

1088: Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy...

American Public Media
About this episode

Today’s poem is Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo.


The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, guest host Victoria Chang writes… "Today’s poem is an ode to the kitchen table and all the ways that a table holds everything in our lives — all the pain of the world, its history, and all the beauty at once."


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

Up next
Today
1337: New York Address by Linda Gregg
Today’s poem is New York Address by Linda Gregg. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Today’s poem captures that feeling when you’ve just had it—you’ve absolutely hit your limit. But at the same time, you realize that you’re the only person w ... Show More
5m 47s
Aug 22
1336: I Find Myself Defending Pigeons by Keith S. Wilson
Today’s poem is I Find Myself Defending Pigeons by Keith S. Wilson. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “One thing I love about poems is how they give us the opportunity to take our time, to dial in, to look and listen closely. Not everything ... Show More
6m 35s
Aug 21
1335: Bonfire Opera by Danusha Laméris
Today’s poem is Bonfire Opera by Danusha Laméris. The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “Yes, I have new lines around my eyes and new glints of silver in my hair, but my body continues to surprise me in wonderful ways, too. It brings me a lot o ... Show More
5m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
“The End of Poetry” by Ada Limón
An impassioned plea, a yearning for connection — the poem U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón wrote when she says all language failed her. Take in Ada's reading of her piece, “The End of Poetry” — and hear her read more of her work in the On Being episode, “To Be Made Whole.”Ada Limón i ... Show More
1m 43s
Jul 2023
#14 Face au Chaos, restons lucide, baisons - Yas
Du Chaos naissent les plus belles fleurs ;De ses voyages, elle a fait force ;Mesdames et messieurs Yas est d'une fureur ;Dont les mots brûlent d'un feu féroce... Lis Tes Ratures, Le Podcast Poésie. Aujourd’hui encore, qui sont les gens qui font vivre la Poésie ?Lis Tes Ra ... Show More
57m 57s
Aug 2021
Kaveh Akbar : Pilgrim Bell
Today’s guest, poet Kaveh Akbar, discusses his latest poetry collection Pilgrim Bell. Given that Akbar once suggested that syntax was identity, how do the changes in Akbar’s own poetry, from his first collection to now, reflect changes in himself as a person? Akbar talks about th ... Show More
2h 11m
Aug 2017
Bonus Episode! Poetry time.
To celebrate VictorPrep's 100th episode, today Sam reads one of his favorite poems, The Lovesong of J Alfred Prufrock by T S Eliot. Enjoy! 
12m 3s
Jun 2022
418 "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson
Because Jacke could not stop for the scheduled episode topics, a certain poem kindly stopped for him. Luckily it's one of the greatest poems of all time! It's by the 19th-century American genius Emily Dickinson, and it packs into seven short stanzas a journey through life, death, ... Show More
57m 4s
May 2024
New From Poetry Unbound: A Series on Conflict and the Human Condition
A taste of a special mini-season of Poetry Unbound — bringing contemplative curiosity and the life-nurturing tether of poetry to the very present matter of conflict in our world. In this first offering, Pádraig introduces the intriguing idea of poems as teachers and ponders Wisła ... Show More
11m 9s
Nov 2022
Two poetry collections find beauty in unexpected places
Poet Franny Choi knows that marginalized communities have been facing apocalypses forever. But in her new book, The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On, she uses their survival as a way to look forward. In this episode, she tells NPR's Leila Fadel how understanding that pai ... Show More
20m 21s
Feb 2024
#22 Mon fils ! Tu seras Châtaignier - Ray
Châtaignier ! Être Châtaignier de père en fils ;Et pourtant casser les traditions pour devenir soi-même ;C’est ça d’avoir un papa rock ! Créer ses propres feux d’artifice !Mesdames et Messieurs Ray est tout un poème… Lis Tes RaturesLe Podcast Poésie. Aujourd’hui encore, qui sont ... Show More
1h 31m
Oct 2021
Poetry, the Language of Religion
To celebrate its 500th edition, Beyond Belief has recorded a special programme at the Contains Strong Language poetry festival in Coventry. From the stage of the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry to discuss the theme of ‘Poetry as the Language of Religion’, Ernie Rea is joined by a di ... Show More
39m 57s
Nov 2021
In a powerful memoir, poet Joy Harjo talks about finding her voice and using it
Poet Laureate Joy Harjo says she loved poetry as a kid, but didn't feel like it belonged to her. "It wasn't until I heard Native poets," she tells NPR's Michel Martin, "that I realized that, wow, this is a powerful tool of understanding and affirmation. And I don't know, I just s ... Show More
8m 41s