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Crosscurrents

US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith brings poetry to the airwaves

Rachel Eliza Griffiths
U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith hosts "The Slowdown"

United States Poet Laureate and Fairfield local Tracy K. Smith has a new literary project, and this time it's on the airwaves. It’s called "The Slowdown". Every weekday, Smith reads a poem and reflects on the author’s words. 

"When you listen to a song on the radio you don't stop and say, what's the message of this song? You allow yourself to feel something. I think you can approach a poem in the same way."

"The Slowdown" is Smith’s way of bringing poetry to more people, and for us to pause during our hectic lives. KALW’s Jenee Darden met up with the Pulitzer-Prize winning author at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. 

Listen to "The Slowdown" on KALW 91.7 FM weekdays at 6 p.m.

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Crosscurrents poetry
Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.