[encore] 617: Places With Terrible Wi-Fi by J. Estanislao Lopez

Summary

Summary of Episode 617: "Places With Terrible Wi-Fi" by J. Estanislao Lopez

Podcast: The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily
Host: Major Jackson (Encore Episode from Ada Limone’s Tenure)
Original Release Date: July 1, 2025
Featured Poem: "Places With Terrible Wi-Fi" by J. Estanislao Lopez

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1. Introduction to the Encore Episode

In this encore presentation of Episode 617, Major Jackson revisits a cherished episode from Ada Limone’s tenure as host. Emphasizing continuity and the podcast's enduring mission, Major Jackson assures listeners of exciting developments, including a forthcoming relaunch with a new host. This introduction sets the stage for reflecting on past insights while maintaining anticipation for future content.

"Today we're reaching into the archives to bring you an episode from Ada Limone's time as host. I'm thrilled to revisit one of her episodes with you." — Major Jackson [01:02]

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2. Ada Limone’s Reflection on Hiding and Connectivity

Ada Limone delves into the evolving nature of "hiding" in the modern age. She contrasts her childhood and adolescent experiences of finding secluded spots in nature with the contemporary challenge of disconnecting in an era dominated by constant connectivity through smartphones and the internet.

Key Themes:

• Nostalgia for Physical Hiding Places: Ada reminisces about hiding by creeks, shrubs, dumpsters, and parks during various life stages.

  "Growing up, I could hide by the creek or in the branches of a shrub." — Ada Limone [01:24]

• The Pervasiveness of Technology: She laments the omnipresence of digital devices that make true solitude elusive.

  "Now there's a little machine in my pocket that is always on and you can always find me." — Ada Limone [01:24]

• Desire for True Isolation: Reflecting on her experience during the early pandemic days, Ada describes a retreat to a cabin in Kentucky as a sanctuary free from the internet, allowing her to reconnect with herself.

  "The best thing about this place is that it didn't have the Internet... Everything sounded clearer, tasted better, looked more vibrant." — Ada Limone [04:30]

• Mental Clarity Through Disconnection: Ada shares how disconnecting from the digital world provided her with mental clarity and a deeper sense of presence.

  "It felt so good to really hide, the kind of hiding that makes you find yourself again." — Ada Limone [04:50]

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3. "Places With Terrible Wi-Fi" by J. Estanislao Lopez

The featured poem encapsulates the yearning for spaces untouched by digital interference, exploring themes of memory, sacredness, and the human desire for genuine connection.

Analysis and Key Passages:

• Sacred and Ancestral Connections: The poem intertwines personal history with sacred locations, suggesting a deep-rooted need to connect with one's past and heritage.

  "the Garden of Eden, my ancestors graves, a watermelon field in central Texas where my father once slept."

• Nature vs. Modernity: Lopez juxtaposes natural landscapes with the ubiquitous presence of technology, highlighting the tension between the two.

  "Miles of rivers, the waiting room of a hospital in which a doctor, thin looking in his coat, shared mixed results."

• Search for Meaning in Isolation: The poet reflects on moments of solitude in various settings—a motel room, a flooded house—probing the essence of belief and memory.

  "What I thought was a voice was simply a recording playing from another room."

• Universal Grief and Memory Distortion: The concept of static as a metaphor for the universe's grief and the distortion of memories underscores the fragility of human experience.

  "What is static if not the sound of the universe's grief?"

• Imagery of Absent Connectivity: The poem paints vivid images of places where connectivity fails, serving as a backdrop for introspection and existential contemplation.

  "the very distant future where man is just another stratum in the ground."

Notable Quotes:

• "a little machine in my pocket that is always on and you can always find me." — Ada Limone [01:24]
• "Everything sounded clearer, tasted better, looked more vibrant." — Ada Limone [04:30]
• "What is static if not the sound of the universe's grief?" — J. Estanislao Lopez [04:50]

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4. Conclusion and Reflection

This episode masterfully blends personal narrative with poetic exploration, inviting listeners to ponder the impact of technology on our ability to find solitude and self. Ada Limone’s introspective journey serves as a poignant prelude to Lopez’s evocative poem, creating a harmonious dialogue between lived experience and literary expression.

Listeners are left reflecting on their own relationship with technology and the value of finding "places with terrible Wi-Fi" as sanctuaries for personal growth and mental clarity.

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5. Additional Information

For those interested in accessing more content, The Slowdown encourages visiting slowdownshow.org to sign up for daily poems and reflections. Engage with the community on social platforms like Instagram (@slowdownshow) and Bluesky to stay connected with future episodes and updates.

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This detailed summary captures the essence of Episode 617, highlighting Ada Limone’s reflective narrative and J. Estanislao Lopez’s poignant poetry. It provides a comprehensive overview for both regular listeners and newcomers, emphasizing the podcast’s role in fostering deep, meaningful engagement with poetry and personal introspection.

Transcript

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[Podcast Host]

Hi there. It's major. Today we're reaching into the archives to bring you an episode from Ada Limone's time as host. I'm thrilled to revisit one of her episodes with you. And don't worry, the team is hard at work on a relaunch with a new host.

[Ada Limon]

I'm Ada Limon and this is the Slowdown. Hiding has gotten so much harder these days. Growing up, I could hide by the creek or in the branches of a shrub. In high school, I could hide behind the dumpsters or in the creek or by the tennis courts. In college I could hide by Green Lake or by Gasworks park or in the arboretum. But now there's a little machine in my pocket that is always on and you can always find me. How can we ever hide if we attach ourselves to these little machines that are hell bent on finding us? In the early days of the pandemic, I had this thought that I wanted to be alone for a little while. But I was already very, very, very very alone. My husband was working in another state and my dog and cat and I just made the same small circles around our house for months. Still, I could never really hide, no matter how hard I tried. The Internet was with me, the doom scrolling, the barrage of news, the world on fire. For a few days we went to a cabin in Kentucky with a porch that looked out over the popl covered hills and a fireplace around which we'd play cards and scrabble the best thing about this place is that it didn't have the Internet. I told my parents and my good friend who was watching our dog the number of the main house in case something went awry, but otherwise there was no scrolling or checking in or asap or even looking up. What are the rules to gin rummy anyway? And let me tell you, it was fantastic. It was as if there was a switch in my brain that is always on, always making a humming like a refrigerator working too hard, and suddenly I just turned it off. Everything sounded clearer, tasted better, looked more vibrant. Listen, I am not against the Internet, but it felt so good to really hide, the kind of hiding that makes you find yourself again. Today's poem ponders what it is to be without the Internet and what it means to not have access to the constant buzz of the world. What comes is a reminder of what's sacred Places with terrible wi fi By J istanislaw Lopez the Garden of Eden, my ancestors graves, a watermelon field in central Texas where my father once slept. Miles of rivers, the waiting room of a hospital in which a doctor, thin looking in his coat, shared mixed results. A den of worms beneath the frozen grass Jesus tomb, the stretches of highway on the long drive home after burial, the figurative abyss, the literal heavens. The cheap motel room in which I thought about praying despite my disbelief. What I thought was a voice was simply a recording playing from another room. The cluttered attic, most of the past, the very distant future where man is just another stratum in the ground. The tell of Megiddo, the flooded house and the scorched one, my favorite cemetery where I can touch the white noise distorting memory. What is static if not the sound of the universe's grief? Anywhere static reigns?

[Podcast Host]

The Slowdown is a production of American Public Media in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. This project is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. On the [e-mail] to get a poem delivered to you daily, go to slowdownshow.org and sign up for our newsletter. Find us on instagram, loadownshow and bluesky. Slowdownshow.org.

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