Today’s poem is The Village by Marc Harshman.

The Slowdown is your daily poetry ritual. In this episode, Maggie writes… “A decade or so ago, I had the privilege of co-teaching a couple of workshops with the poet Stanley Plumly. He’d always say, in workshops, “exploit your territory.” He encouraged writers to lean into the regional instead of running from it. I now tell my students the same thing: Be exactly who you are, and be from where you’re from unapologetically. Show us that life. Tell us those stories. And let your people speak. Today’s poem exploits its territory — and does it masterfully.”

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