Writing a Memoir When You’re Not Sure Yet with James Navé

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio, I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, I step out from behind the interview microphone and into a solo exploration of memory, storytelling, and the uneasy work of writing a memoir. What begins with a terrible improvised hot dog poem—captured on camera during the 1996 National Poetry Slam Championships—opens into a deeper inquiry: how stories choose us, how tension gives them shape, and why the moments we’re least proud of often carry the most meaning.Along the way, I reflect on failure, ethical discomfort, transformation, and the quiet power of scenes that raise their hand and ask to be included. I read from Write What You Don’t Know, explore the idea of “disturbance of equilibrium,” revisit a morally complicated moment from my twenties, and consider how small, honest reckonings may be all the transformation we ever get.This episode isn’t a polished memoir—it’s a search. A wandering. An inventory in progress. If you’ve ever wondered where stories begin, what to trust, or how much truth you’re willing to tell, this conversation is for you.