Hear from leading writers, artists, and innovators who share slow stories—and big ideas—about living, working, and creating more intentionally.
Hosted by Rachel Schwartzmann
Subscribe at slowstories.substack.com/
Kate Baer — "People are much more willing to help than we think."
Have you seen the moon? What do you want from this provincial life? How much risk can we allow in this careless, rotten world? These are just a few of the many questions readers will encounter in celebrated poet Kate Baer’s new book, How About Now.
As the bestselling author of What Kind of Woman, And Yet, and I Hope This Finds You Well, Kate’s latest collection continues her thoughtful explorations of modern womanhood. She comments on the ever-present tension between the body and the mind. She celebrates relationships with love and loved ones. She ruminates on the growth of her children—and herself. Each poem is a tiny mirror made of ink and promise, asking to be engaged and looked at with curiosity—and asking us to find the courage to ask questions ourselves, perhaps most prominently, how about now?
In this interview, Kate shared more about her relationship with time, the importance of plugging into our communities, poetry as a vehicle for growth, and the ongoing journey of learning to let go. This episode also opens with a story by Morgan DePerno.
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https://slowstoriespodcast.com/kate-baer/
Subscribe to Slow Stories on Substack: https://slowstories.substack.com/
Purchase Slowing: https://bookshop.org/p/books/slowing-discover-wonder-beauty-and-creativity-through-slow-living-rachel-schwartzmann/21201888?ean=9781797223759
Purchase How About Now: https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-about-now-poems-kate-baer/715dbcdc282b1ea4?ean=9780063306080&next=t
Follow Kate: @katejbaer
Follow Morgan: @bookshelfkeeps
Follow Rachel: @rachelschwartzmann
19 May 2025
Maggie Smith — "You're a human before you're an artist."
What ingredients are necessary to write? Where does a story begin and end? Why is the blank page both endlessly exciting and daunting? For renowned poet, memoirist, and educator Maggie Smith, these questions are the center of her life and work. And in her latest book, Dear Writer, she offers something bigger than answers.
Across ten principles, readers are greeted with a wealth of inspiration that invites artists of all genres to tap into their creative practice. Maggie extolls the beauty of attention, the power of vulnerability, but beyond the page, she also contends with the more nuanced “ingredients”—intuition, luck, retreat. Maggie spoke about all of these ideas and shared more about her own writing evolution, how slow storytelling haunts and heals us, and the questions she has about—and for—writing. This episode also opens with a story from Domenica Ruta.
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https://slowstoriespodcast.com/maggie-smith/
Subscribe to Slow Stories on Substack: https://slowstories.substack.com/
Purchase Slowing: https://bookshop.org/p/books/slowing-discover-wonder-beauty-and-creativity-through-slow-living-rachel-schwartzmann/21201888?ean=9781797223759
Purchase Dear Writer: https://bookshop.org/p/books/dear-writer-pep-talks-practical-advice-for-the-creative-life-maggie-smith/21525857?ean=9781982170844&next=t
Purchase All the Mothers: https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-the-mothers-domenica-ruta/21707238?ean=9780593734056&next=t
Follow Maggie: @maggiesmithpoet
Follow Domenica: @domenicaruta
Follow Rachel: @rachelschwartzmann
15 Apr 2025
Pico Iyer — "Words are only as rich as the silence that underlies them."
What moves you—and where? Who are you when everything else falls away? What can you find in stillness? Renowned travel writer and speaker Pico Iyer has pursued these questions throughout his storied career and brings them close to home in his latest book, Aflame.
In 1990, after narrowly escaping a devastating California wildfire—with only his mother’s cat in tow—Pico was ultimately rendered homeless. At the recommendation of a friend, he eventually found himself at a Benedictine hermitage in Big Sur, California. Despite not identifying as a Christian, what followed for Pico was an unexpected, soul-stirring journey.
Encompassing more than one hundred retreats over the past three decades, Aflame brings Pico’s experiences at the monastery to the page. It’s an enriching exploration of silence, fire, and friendship. It’s an ode to impermanence. It’s a reminder to honor the quiet and care in our world. And it’s a testament to finding faith in stillness and, by extension, each other.
In this interview, Pico shared more about silence and attention, what monastic living has taught him about time and courage, and what slow storytelling means in his work—and life. This episode also opens with a story from Nicole Graev Lipson.
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https://slowstoriespodcast.com/pico-iyer/
Subscribe to Slow Stories on Substack: https://slowstories.substack.com/
Purchase Slowing: https://bookshop.org/p/books/slowing-discover-wonder-beauty-and-creativity-through-slow-living-rachel-schwartzmann/21201888?ean=9781797223759
Purchase Aflame: https://bookshop.org/p/books/aflame-learning-from-silence-pico-iyer/21427896?ean=9780593420287
Follow Nicole: @nglipson
Follow Rachel: @rachelschwartzmann
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
35 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
15 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 37 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
21
Social presence
97
YouTube
0
Engagement
85
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