Stumbled upon @shelflifebooksrva.bsky.social while walking around Richmond, VA today. What a great little bookstore! Grabbed The People’s Project for my flight home tonite. Perfect carry-on size. Been on my TBR for a while. Thank you, @theferocity.bsky.social & @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social

“Today’s poem is one I’ve carried around in my mind for years, one whose language I flash to instinctively when I see a flock of birds," @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in episode 1391. Read "Never-ending Birds" by David Baker (@davidbakerpoet.bsky.social): bit.ly/4ouhPWU 📖: @wwnorton.com

“There is power in naming, as today’s poem reminds us," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in episode 1390 of The Slowdown. "Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Nor should you." Read “The Poem Climbs the Scaffold and Tells You What It Sees" by @natashaoladokun.bsky.social: bit.ly/49At8by

"You can also save someone’s life by loving them, by just being with them so they’re not alone." - @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in the intro to this beautiful and gutting poem about friendship by @jennymolberg.bsky.social

“Today’s poem introduced me to a new word for longing or yearning — and it showed me a way to use that expansive desire as a frame for the magic of everyday life," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in today's episode. Read “Sehnsucht" by @michaeldumanis.bsky.social: bit.ly/47Y85hR

“Today’s poem unexpectedly merges the playfulness of anagrams with the gravitas of a terminal diagnosis — the weight of reckoning with the end of one’s life," @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in episode 1388. Read “When I learn Catastrophically " by the late Martha Silano: bit.ly/43SNIA9

This week on @slowdownshow.org, @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social reads @jennymolberg.bsky.social's "Different Kinds of Sadness." ‬This great poem first appeared in "Refusal" (LSU Press, 2020), and we were so happy to revisit it. Listen here! bit.ly/3X7C54y

“It can be so hard to accept help from others, especially if you pride yourself on being self-sufficient," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in episode 1387 of The Slowdown. Read “Different Kinds of Sadness" by @jennymolberg.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/4oIADBE

Finding strength from The People's Project (@theferocity.bsky.social and @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social) and this page especially (@mirajacob.bsky.social)

"Today’s poem is by one of my favorite poets," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in episode 1385. "Stan understood the double bind of deep solitude: that for the poet, for the artist, it’s as lonely as it is necessary." Read "At Night" by Stanley Plumly: bit.ly/3WvzWQ4

I know tomorrow’s Halloween, but are we listening to Johnny Mathis Christmas songs in our house this morning? Unapologetically.

"Children are so talented at asking unanswerable questions. Questions that cut you to the quick," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in episode 1384. Read "I do not mention the war in my birthplace to my six-year-old son but somehow his body knows" by Julia Kolchinsky: bit.ly/48Yk4Nz

"This poem has me thinking more and more about chance, and about our circumstances," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today's episode of The Slowdown. Read "The Situation in Our City" by Ciona Rouse @cionarouse.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/3Lh50R3

The depth of the shame of a country this wealthy and abundant allowing its people to go hungry is impossible to measure. The fact that a handful of people could fix this by paying their fair share of taxes while still remaining obscenely wealthy makes it even worse.

“Today’s poem brought me right back to being a young girl with a beloved doll," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in episode 1382. "Back then, it would have been unbearable to be separated." Read “Lamb" by Richie Hofmann and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/43FoFR0 📸: Ryan Hagerty

dickerson is one of the best broadcast journalists in the game, and someone who would clearly be a real asset to a new leader interested in strengthening the network's journalism. but, of course, we know weiss isn't actually interested in journalism as such.

(2/2) "...until it helped them breathe and dream and find a way forward. It's part of a map that shows us how we get out of this place." @mirajacob.bsky.social from THE PEOPLE'S PROJECT @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social @theferocity.bsky.social

(1/2) "Art is making something no one asked for - not because they didn't need it, but because they didn't know they needed it until you made it..." @mirajacob.bsky.social

“Stories themselves are like seeds in our lives; so much can grow from them," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in episode 1380 of The Slowdown. Read "Like Apple from Seed" by Molly Johnsen and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/43pkHMd 📖: @greenwriterspress.bsky.social

“Today’s poem is as imagistic and musical as a song, and it’s deeply rooted in place," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social says in episode 1379 of The Slowdown. "The poem borrows a refrain from a Lucinda Williams song." Read "Arkansabop" by @elizabethlinds.bsky.social: bit.ly/4n7J5ZW

“Today’s poem recounts a story of women outsmarting immigration officials who raid their factory, thanks to 'dios del chisme,' meaning 'the god of gossip,'" host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in today's episode. Read "poem where no one is deported" by @joseolivarez.bsky.social: bit.ly/4hiRk44

“There were times when mothering felt overwhelming," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in episode 1377 of The Slowdown. "Now, I always want more of them. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it?" Read “The Crux" by @meganpeak.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/47i2L7o

“A big part of loving someone, whether they’re a friend or a family member or someone you’re romantically involved with, is embracing them exactly as they are," says @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in episode 1376. Read “Laura, I Want You Pulling Your Hair Back" by Natalie Dunn: bit.ly/4nWVIbC

"Today’s poem is so relatable, because the speaker is doing what I so often do: watching videos on the internet in the middle of the night," says host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in episode 1375. Read “Dear Absent," by @poetmarcuswicker.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/4nUopG3

FINALLY! 🙌🏼💙 the one copy in rotation, and it’s finally my turn! @theferocity.bsky.social @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social

“When I got divorced, I remember the mixed feelings," says host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in episode 1374. "The future is unwritten, and we get to decide what the story will be. We get to choose what comes next." Read “The Terror of New Love!" by Tiana Clark: bit.ly/4n9JuuJ

"I admire the way we’re invited into the speaker’s consciousness, to see her mind at work," says host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today's episode. Read “Protection Spell Jar" by @cynthiamhoffman.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/3J9U8Uw 📖: Persea Books

Thank you @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social for introducing “My Body Knows Its Limits” today on The Slowdown. “One of the things I’m wary about when it comes to ‘AI’ specifically, is [a] . . . lack of embodiment. What is a brain without a body?” @slowdownshow.org www.slowdownshow.org/episode/2025...

“I know we often think of our intelligence as being related to our brains ... But the body has its own intelligence," says host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in episode 1372 of The Slowdown. Read “My Body Knows Its Limits" by @pagestar.bsky.social: bit.ly/3L7PiYl

"imagine if we allowed people to engage w poetry the way we expect people to engage w music. Nobody plays you a song they love or sends you a playlist & then says, get back to me w meanings of all of these songs." @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social on our 50th episode of This Mama Is Lit!

and I feel fine

“The future is full of possibility. Some of life’s surprises are heartbreaking, yes—but some are heart-repairing," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read "At Last the New Arriving" by @gabbat.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/4mShV9s 📖: Persea Books

"The fact is that our Present has become the very Past we desperately hoped we had outrun. History, as it turns out, has swifter feet than even the most alert of us could've expected." "The People's Project" @theferocity.bsky.social @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social

“Today’s poem is a poem that inspires me to ask better questions about the world, and about the soul, and about the idea of God," shares @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read "Soot" by Kaveh Akbar: bit.ly/4n0LAxi 📷: Charles Bakofsky 📖: @alicejamesbooks.bsky.social

Listen. ONE of the reasons I rock with Dolly (Capricorn Gang) is because she’s always proven to me that integrity may cause you pain, but it will never be the reason you suffer. Which is not to say that suffering won’t come, but it’ll never be because you abandoned yourself. That’ll keep you going.

“Today’s poem tells a story about a tense encounter in the woods. I so admire how this poet unfolds the narrative then leaves me sighing deeply at the end," shares @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read "Six Hours Lost, Land Between the Lakes" by Kathleen Driskell: bit.ly/3KA11ii

We're celebrating our 50th episode of This Mama Is Lit! @hollyrizzutopal.bsky.social & Amanda get a pep talk from the inimitable @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social! "I have one wish for humans: it's for humans to be less afraid because being afraid makes you live small":

Honored to be read in such a generous and thoughtful way by @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social for the @slowdownshow.org. Thanks to Maggie and the Slowdown team!

“The next time I’m asked if writing is therapy, I may just respond by reading today’s poem," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read "Do You Consider Writing to be Therapeutic?" by @andypgrace.bsky.social: bit.ly/42ZdKkR

"Today’s poem rejoices in something at the heart of this podcast: the pleasure of sharing our favorite poems with others, rather than reading them alone,” shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read “Abundance" by Rick Barot: bit.ly/4nYHAOu 📖: @milkweededitions.bsky.social

“Today’s poem beautifully captures the pain of distance, of longing, of wanting to be somewhere, or with someone, when you can’t be," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read “Nostalgia" by @mattminicucci.bsky.social: bit.ly/3WiinTo 📸: Ryan Maurer

“Today’s poem is one you’re going to lose yourself in for these few minutes," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. "I love getting a little bit lost." Read “Noise Cancelling" by @madamesosostris.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/4gHyinP

“Today’s poem speaks to me because, at its heart, is a deep curiosity about the world—a desire to know more and more," shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read "Hiking Moraine State Park" by Violeta Garcia-Mendoza and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/3KGYeUo

“Today’s poem offers us images we often find in poetry: the ocean, the moon, dreams, a mother, a wound ... in such a profoundly original and moving way," host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social shares in today’s episode. Read "Notes on Beachgrass" by Yong-Yu Huang: bit.ly/4mMTiuQ

“Today’s poem is by one of my favorite Kentucky writers, a fellow dog person,” shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read “For You Who Have Loved Old Dogs" by @silashouse.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/4gHW4zT 📸: Carey Neal Gough 📖: Blair

I want to give out a heartfelt recommendation for @theferocity.bsky.social and @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social The People’s Project. It’s funny and heartwarming while also being incisive, rigorous, and galvanizing. It’s the book for this terrifying moment.

“I have zero chill when it comes to the natural world,” shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read “Earth, Sometimes I Try to Play It Casual," by @catherinepierce.bsky.social and our full episode transcript: bit.ly/4gRpITy 📸: Becca Neufeld

“Today’s poem speaks to the challenge of staying in the present moment, and having gratitude for that moment,” shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read “Wind, Blue Sky" by @susanaizenberg.bsky.social: bit.ly/42cYKj4 📸: Jeffrey Aizenberg

"Today’s poem speaks to the ways we can care for one another, and of how profound and meaningful even the smallest gestures are,” shares host @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social in today’s episode. Read “Lotioning My Mother’s Back” by Ama Codjoe: bit.ly/3KCwVKR 📖: @milkweededitions.bsky.social

I’ve pre-ordered two books in my life, and this was one of them. 10/10 recommend. And hey, @theferocity.bsky.social and @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social - any chance of adding Cleveland to your tour?🤞🏻