Hi, it's Major. As I close my time as host of The Slowdown, I'm grateful for the opportunity

I've had to share poetry with you these past few years. The Slowdown has a deep store of

episodes, and for the next few months, we're reaching into the archive to bring you some of our

favorites. Here's one for my time on the show.

I'm Major Jackson, and this is The Slowdown.

Music I love listening to public conversations.

They allow me to check the pulse of language.

Once, while waiting for my friend Pregita at the bar at Grand Central Station,

I eased dropped on the conversation next to me.

By coincidence, I was sitting next to a fundraising officer

and an alumnus of the University of Vermont, where I worked at the time.

I introduced myself and announced that I taught in the English department.

After pleasantries, the UVM alumnus said quite firmly,

I stopped hiring English graduates at my company.

None of them know how to speak or write cogent emails. He blamed the informality of

texting and a general lack of business etiquette. I was surprised by his generalizations. I think my

students are discerning and capable writers. Like any number of English students across the country,

they just face a unique set of challenges.

Maybe there is a laxness to communication

compared to previous years' work environments.

But with all the platforms of staying constantly in touch

with colleagues, family, and friends,

...