Make Me Smart The power of reading and writing as self-care
Feb 10, 2026
Maggie Smith, poet, educator, and host of The Slowdown, talks about reading and writing as restorative rituals. She covers balancing poetry as work and self-care. She discusses coping with doomscrolling, art as activism, threats to arts funding, and shares a poem about small kindnesses. Listeners’ writing and hiking rituals and music as mood medicine are also explored.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Daily Microdoses Of Poetry
- Maggie Smith calls The Slowdown a five- to six-minute daily moment of reflection that listeners use as part of a practice.
- Short, regular doses of poetry help listeners center before their day begins.
When Self-Care Is Your Day Job
- Maggie says her self-care is also her job and that can make it hard to find refuge in the work.
- Hosting The Slowdown helps her focus on other poets and keeps her work from feeling solely self-promotional.
Creation As Counterbalance To Doomscrolling
- Maggie acknowledges she's not immune to the news cycle and cautions against constant exposure to horrors.
- She argues literature and creation restore thoughtfulness and resilience amid overload.