[encore] 760: Song by Charif Shanahan

Summary

Summary of "The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily" Episode 760: "Song by Charif Shanahan"

Release Date: May 22, 2025
Host: Major Jackson
Featuring: Ada Limón (Archival Host)

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Introduction to the Archival Segment (1:30 - 1:56)

In this special episode, Major Jackson introduces a beloved archival segment featuring Ada Limón, one of the former hosts of "The Slowdown." Jackson reminisces about Limón's impactful tenure, highlighting her "thoughtfulness and deep love of poetry," and sets the tone for an intimate and reflective episode.

"Here's one from Ada Limone's tenure as host. Her thoughtfulness and deep love of poetry made her time on the show very special. I hope you enjoy this selection from the archives." ([01:30])

Ada Limón Explores the Concept of Voice in Poetry (1:57 - 5:58)

Ada Limón delves deep into the often-discussed yet elusive concept of a poet's "voice." She reflects on her personal journey to understand what it means to "find her voice," a theme frequently addressed in graduate programs and craft seminars. Limón offers a nuanced perspective, describing the voice of a poem as something both inherent and transcendent.

"For me, the voice of a poem is the voice underneath whatever the speaker is saying. The place that is both the writer and not the writer." ([02:20])

Limón shares a profound personal anecdote about a moment of intense writing where she realized that the voice guiding her was fundamentally her own, yet felt as if it belonged to someone else. This revelation underscores the duality and depth of poetic creation.

"It was then that I realized the voice I had been hearing, the thing that I could swear, was so loud ... was my own." ([04:35])

She emphasizes that poetry is an act of profound listening—not just to the external world, but to one's inner self. This immersive process allows poets to channel their emotions and thoughts authentically onto the page.

"I am not just speaking to the world, I am listening to it." ([03:10])

Presentation and Recitation of "Song" by Sharif Shanahan (5:00 - 5:58)

Following her insightful discussion, Ada introduces the featured poem of the episode, "Song" by Sharif Shanahan. The poem navigates themes of self-identity, existence, and the myriad possibilities that define one's being. Through evocative imagery and introspective questions, Shanahan invites listeners to contemplate the layers of the self and the journey of self-discovery.

"Song by Sharif Shanahan: I wait each night for a self. I say the mist, I say the strange tumble of leaves. I say a motor in the distance..." ([05:00])

The poem reflects on the elusive nature of self, the regrets and dreams that shape us, and the cosmic connections that bind our existence.

Closing Remarks and Production Notes (5:58 - 6:30)

Major Jackson concludes the episode by acknowledging the collaborative efforts behind "The Slowdown." He mentions the partnerships with the Poetry Foundation and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, encouraging listeners to engage further with the show.

"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." ([05:58])

Call to Support Public Media (6:30 - End)

In a heartfelt appeal, Micah, the lead producer, addresses listeners about the importance of supporting public media. Highlighting the threats of federal budget cuts, Micah emphasizes that "The Slowdown" is an integral part of the public media ecosystem and urges listeners to take action to preserve such invaluable content.

"If you want to protect your favorite public media podcasts like this one, visit americanpublicmedia.org/action to learn how you can help." ([06:30])

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This episode of "The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily" offers a deep dive into the essence of poetic voice through Ada Limón's reflective narrative, enriched by Sharif Shanahan's poignant poem "Song." It serves as both a nostalgic homage to past hosts and a reaffirmation of the show's commitment to exploring the profound depths of poetry and self-reflection.

Transcript

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[Major Jackson]

Hey, it's me, Major Jackson. We're reaching into the archive to bring you some of our favorites. Here's one from Ada Limone's tenure as host. Her thoughtfulness and deep love of poetry made her time on the show very special. I hope you enjoy this selection from the archives.

[Ada Limon]

I'm Ada Limon, and this is the Slowdown. Have you ever heard poets talk about voice? Or use the phrase I just need to find my voice or something? Something like that. It's a concept that's talked a lot about in graduate programs and in craft seminars. Although I've heard about it throughout my life as a poet, I still sometimes wonder what it means. For me, the voice of a poem is the voice underneath whatever the speaker is saying. The place that is both the writer and not the writer. That's the only way I can describe it because the that's how it happens to me when I am really writing, really working on poems, which is often as alive as I ever feel, as present as I ever feel. I am not just speaking to the world, I am listening to it. Listening to my body, my blood, my ever changing pulse that slows and quickens depending on the emotionality of the subject. Once I was working so intensely on a poem that I forgot to eat. I got up and made myself something to eat quickly. Something like a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. Something for sustenance and not necessarily pleasure. And when I returned to my office I couldn't remember what I was listening to. I looked at my phone and tried to figure out if I'd been listening to the radio or a podcast. I checked my computer to see what windows were open and where the sound had been coming from before I broke for lunch. It was then that I realized the voice I had been hearing, the thing that I could swear, was so loud that it was being played on my mid sized speaker in my office. The voice I could hear as loudly as if it belonged to someone else, was my own. It was a shocking revelation. I didn't think I'd had the experience before, yet it also felt familiar that maybe this was the first time I had fully recognized the way I write all the time. It is a listening. It is a listening for what we might call a voice. Today's poem is an exploration of the self, or maybe what we'd call the soul and what it is to recognize our own presence on the page and in the world. Song by Sharif Shanahan I wait each night for a self. I say the mist, I say the strange tumble of leaves. I say a motor in the distance But I mean a self and a self and a self. A small cold wind coils and uncoils in the corner of every room A vagrant in the dream. I gather my life in bundles and stand at the edge of a field of snow. It is a field I know but have never seen. It is nowhere and always new. What about the lives of I might have lived as who? And who will be accountable for this regret? I see no way to avoid a core or husk. I need to learn not how to speak but from where. Do you understand? I say name but I mean a conduit from me to me. I mean a net. I mean an awning of stars.

[Major Jackson]

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 sign up for our newsletter and find us on Instagram @downdownshow and blueskylowdownshow.org.

[Micah]

Hi everyone, it's Micah, lead producer of the Slowdown. I want to take a minute to talk to you about public media. You may have heard about federal budget cuts and other threats to public media, but what you might not know is that the Slowdown is actually part of the public media ecosystem. If you want to protect your favorite public media podcasts like this one, visit americanpublicmedia.org action to learn how you can help.