Twice 5 Miles Radio with James Navé

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Today, my guest is Diana Gustafson.Recorded in Taos, New Mexico, following the Imaginative Storm Writing Workshop, this conversation moves through memoir, creativity, spirituality, storytelling, wholeness, poetry, meditation, and the mysterious force that drives us to write.Diana reflects on leaving Washington, D.C., after years serving as an Episcopal priest, rediscovering her creative life, and exploring memoir and creative nonfiction as pathways toward deeper human connection. Together, we examine the nature of talent, artistic permission, the “volcano” beneath the writer’s voice, and the search for wholeness through art, literature, and spiritual practice.The conversation ranges from Homer and Tennyson to Adam and Eve, Tibetan meditation, sermons, storytelling, imagination, and the role of creativity in helping us understand ourselves and the world around us. Thoughtful, searching, and deeply human, this episode explores how writing can become both a creative practice and a spiritual quest.Perfect for listeners interested in memoir writing, creativity, spirituality, poetry, philosophy, meditation, imaginative intelligence, and the deeper currents beneath artistic life.Run of Show — Adam and Eve Ate the Apple — Thank God00:00 — Introduction 01:10 — Diana Gustafson on Leaving Washington, D.C. and Beginning Again 04:20 — Writing, Memoir, and the Search for Voice 08:15 — Talent vs. Permission 11:00 — “Find the Volcano, Not the Voice” 14:20 — God, Divinity, and Creative Power 19:10 — Washington Power vs. Spiritual Power 24:30 — Tibetan Meditation, Oneness, and Writing 28:40 — Sermons, Storytelling, and the Human Need for Meaning 33:00 — Adam and Eve, Shame, Desire, and Consciousness 38:15 — “Thank God They Ate the Apple.” 42:30 — Sin, Wholeness, and Missing the Mark 46:20 — Poetry, Tennyson, Homer, and the Quest for Wholeness 52:00 — Conclusion Begins 56:00 — End

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé.Today’s conversation unfolds in a sunlit adobe room in Taos, New Mexico, where writer Rebecca Jarmas, also known by her pen name Alice W Meadows, joins me to explore the deep intersection of creativity, community, and resilience.Rebecca shares her journey from a successful career in finance into the uncertain, demanding, and ultimately liberating world of writing. At the heart of our conversation is her lifelong experience with migraine disease—an often invisible, debilitating condition that has shaped both her life and her work. Out of that challenge, she’s created a children’s book designed to help young readers understand and communicate what they’re going through—something she never had as a child.We talk about the power of writing as medicine, the role of community in overcoming creative paralysis, and how vulnerability becomes a gateway to authentic expression. Rebecca also opens up about starting a Substack, finding her voice later in life, and learning how to quiet the inner critic long enough to let the imagination speak.This is a conversation about honoring the dreams we made as children, finding courage in the face of chronic struggle, and discovering that sometimes the very thing that holds us back becomes the source of our greatest creative offering.

Narrative. Authority. Voice. Ease. Four elements shape everything you do.Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé.  In this solo episode, I explore the living framework of narrative, authority, voice, and ease—not as abstract ideas, but as practical forces shaping how we move through the world. From a two-day drive out of Asheville to a quiet morning on a sun porch in Saint Louis, I track how small strategic choices create either stress or ease in real time.Along the way, I reflect on storytelling as a lived experience, not just something performed on stage. I look at writing through dictation, the publishing world through Planet Money, and the reality of building creative work without chasing scale or spectacle.This episode moves through travel, intuition, community radio, and the deeper question: why do we tell stories at all?At its core, this is about learning to trust your own narrative, stand in your authority, recognize your voice, and allow ease to emerge—even in uncertain conditions.Run of Show — Your Life Is the Narrative—Now What Do You Do With It?00:00 — Opening: Storytelling vs Living Your Story Moving from stage storytelling to life as narrative03:00 — The Framework Narrative, Authority, Voice, Ease explained07:00 — Voice and Ease Voice as identity Ease as the result of alignment11:00 — Life as Narrative Every choice shapes the story Control vs improvisation15:00 — When Life Gets Hard Illness, struggle, and delayed ease19:00 — Strategy and Ego Blind spots Choosing better options23:00 — The Drive Example Asheville to Saint Louis Two narratives: stress vs ease27:00 — Choosing Ease Route decision Slowing down vs rushing31:00 — Ease in Action Avoiding stress and speeding Presence and environment34:00 — Rest and Rhythm Sleeping in the car Repeating successful patterns37:00 — Intuition Truck stop decision Listening to internal signals40:00 — Turning Story into Writing Dictation vs writing Speaking to create text43:00 — Planet Money and Publishing How books get made Audience, scale, and authority47:00 — Scale and Reality Numbers matter Knowing your range50:00 — Why I Do This Work Imaginative Storm Helping people express their voice53:00 — Living Your Narrative Identity, daily life, poetic awareness55:00 — Closing + Poems Final reflections Ogden Nash

 Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Today I’m going solo—reflecting on time, memory, and the places that shape us. From spring mornings in western North Carolina to long walks in the south of France, this episode moves through poetry, travel, and friendships that hold across decades.At the center is Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas—a poem I memorized years ago that continues to echo through my life. Along the way, I reconnect with an old friend in Paris and reflect on the song Those Were the Days.This is a meditation on aging, creativity, and what remains—ending with an original poem and an invitation to consider your own creative life.

Math, Poetry, and the Calculations of Everyday LifeWelcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé.This week I’m going solo from Lake Eden, looking out at early spring and thinking about something I once believed I couldn’t do—math.For most of my life, I thought I was “bad at math.” What I didn’t understand is that I’ve been doing math all along—estimating distance, time, sound, movement, decisions—every single day.In this episode, I follow a shift in perspective sparked by a simple conversation: there’s math in school, and there’s math in life. And the math of life is something we all practice intuitively.From the rhythm of airplanes overhead to the unfolding of spring in the mountains, from Fibonacci patterns in wildflowers to the structure of poetry, I explore how calculation and imagination are not separate—they’re deeply connected.Along the way, I move through Wallace Stevens, T.S. Eliot’s Prufrock, and into improvisation—where language, instinct, and form begin to emerge in real time.This is an episode about perception, belief, and learning to trust the intelligence you already have.Topics include:Everyday “life math” vs academic math Intuition as a form of calculation Fibonacci patterns and natural design Poetry as structured mathematics Belief vs proof — where math ends and imagination begins T.S. Eliot’s Prufrock and the idea of “spareness” Imaginative improvisation as a creative practiceTIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction — Going solo from Lake Eden 02:00 Everyday calculations (coffee, planes, seasons) 06:30 “I’m bad at math” — a false story 10:00 Normandy conversation — math in life vs school 15:30 Intuition and subconscious calculation 20:00 Nature, patterns, and Fibonacci sequence 26:30 Poetry, belief, and what can’t be proven 34:00 Wallace Stevens — sensing beyond logic 40:00 Politics, perception, and miscalculation 46:00 T.S. Eliot — Prufrock and identity 01:05:00 Imagination and improvisation exercise 01:15:00 Closing reflections — trusting your own intelligence

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé.This episode traces a prostate cancer diagnosis, surgery, and 100 days of writing through recovery.Fifteen years ago, I had surgery for prostate cancer. The next morning, I started writing—one piece a day for 100 days.I’m recording this at Lake Eden in Western North Carolina, and today I’m going solo.The first piece was just a report from the day. I didn’t call it a poem. I just needed something to do while I recovered. So I did it again the next day. And the next.It turned into 100 days of writing—one piece a day while I was healing.In this episode, I walk back through that time—the diagnosis, the surgery, the fear, the help I received, and the daily practice that kept me connected to my life while everything slowed down.I wasn’t writing about cancer every day. I was writing about whatever showed up—friends, places, memories, small details. But underneath it all, the experience was shaping the work.If you’ve ever been through something that stopped you in your tracks, this is simple: pay attention, keep going, and make something from where you are.Topics include:Prostate cancer diagnosis and surgical decision-makingWriting as a daily recovery practice100 poems in 100 days (process over perfection)Creativity as a stabilizing force during traumaFriendship, community, and asking for helpLife after surgery—physically and artistically A hospital bed. A recorder. One small goal. That’s how 100 days of writing began.00:00 Introduction — Going solo01:10 Cancer diagnosis (2011)04:30 Fear, secrecy, and first steps08:45 Meeting the urologist / treatment options13:20 Decision to have surgery18:10 Surgery day — March 3121:00 First poem after surgery24:30 Writing as recovery practice30:00 Help from friends / community36:40 Day 7 — cancer clear42:00 Expanding to 100 poems48:30 Taos, travel, and returning to life55:00 New York — nearing 100 days01:02:00 Finishing the 100 poems01:06:00 What the experience taught me01:10:00 Closing reflections

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles—fertile ground for conversations worth listening to and remembering. I’m your host, James Navé, going solo today.This episode is an improvisational field recording of a question I’ve been invited to answer onstage in six minutes: how do we unlabel words like death? A friend, Dr. Aditi Sethi, nudged me toward the idea that many of us carry rigid definitions of death—definitions shaped by fear, habit, and inherited language. So I start by listening to the way we casually toss death around in everyday speech, then follow the thread into story and poetry: E. E. Cummings’ “Mister Death,” Langston Hughes’ quiet disappearance, Sara Teasdale’s wartime spring, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s love after death, and Tennyson’s Ulysses sailing “beyond the sunset.”Along the way, I tell a few dog stories—classroom dogs, my own dog Traveler—and I look at the “little deaths” we live through all the time. This is a meditation on death, yes, but also on love, attention, and the language that shapes what we can bear.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé.Today, my guest is Megan O’Malley—coach, speaker, and soon-to-be TEDx Asheville presenter—whose work explores our cultural addiction to certainty, control, and the subtle ways “should” shapes our livesIn this wide-ranging conversation, Megan reflects on what it means to surrender without collapsing, to choose agency over fear, and to cultivate wisdom in an age of information overload. We talk about verification, intuition, and the messy middle of creativity—where innovation actually begins. Megan candidly shares her own journey through divorce, career shifts, and personal loss, and how those experiences are shaping her upcoming TED Talk on unhooking from certainty so we can access deeper creativity and connection.Along the way, we wrestle with big questions: How do we know what to believe? What’s the difference between control and agency? Is “should” a tyrant—or a tool? And what does it really mean to embrace the mess?This is a thoughtful, soulful conversation about creative evolution, spiritual intelligence, and the courage to stand in not-knowing long enough for something new to emerge.

To Tell or Not to Tell with James NavéTelling a poem is different than performing it. It’s closer to telling a story than delivering a text.Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Today I’m going solo once again, spending time with a subject that’s been close to me for many years: how we read, perform, recite—or, as I prefer to say, tell—a piece of literature.I’ve earned my living doing this work. I’ve stood on stages, read into microphones, memorized poems, improvised, stumbled, and kept going. And even now, after all these years, I’m still not completely satisfied. I say that with a bit of tongue-in-cheek—I'm fairly happy—but I’m always curious about how to go deeper and stay honest.In this episode, I explore what happens when reading aloud becomes a way of editing, listening, and emotional connection. I talk about voice, mess, and presence; about community radio as a place to experiment; and about telling a poem the way you’d tell a story. This isn’t about getting it right. It’s about letting the words live in the room.

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.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé, and today my guest is Sekou Coleman. Sekou Coleman is a community historian, cultural organizer, and one of the speakers appearing on the TEDxAsheville stage in March 2026. For more than three decades, he has worked alongside communities to protect memory, strengthen local decision-making, and resist the quiet erasure that often accompanies development and policy change.In this conversation, we explore Asheville’s Southside—a historically Black neighborhood shaped by resilience, loss, and renewal—and the invisible victories that happen when communities choose repair over extraction. Sekou reflects on Urban Renewal, generational disruption, and what it means to speak with a community rather than for it.At the heart of this conversation is a question that reaches far beyond Asheville: What kind of legacy do you want to be attached to?This episode is about place, authority, and attention—about seeing what we’ve been driving past, and about how telling the right story at the right moment can quietly change everything.

Welcome to provocative conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé, and today my guest is Asheville’s David Huff—one of the twelve TEDxAsheville speakers taking the stage at the Diana Wortham Theatre on March 20, 2026.David is a business consultant and environmentalist, an outdoor explorer, and a mythopoetic thinker who believes the antidote to cynicism isn’t another opinion—it’s action. We talk about Hurricane Helene and what Asheville learned in the aftermath: the shock, the loss, the long weeks without basic resources, and the way people showed up for one another anyway.At the heart of David’s TEDx talk is a trail-born idea he calls “trail magic”—the simple, practical, human act of giving and receiving help with no strings attached. He traces how that ethic lives on the Appalachian Trail, in volunteer trail crews like the 102-year-old Carolina Mountain Club, and in everyday community life where loneliness, technology, and isolation pull us apart.This conversation is about choice, belonging, and the kind of magic that only exists when we practice it.

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host James Navé. In this episode, I sit down with Lisa Raleigh, Executive Director of RiverLink in Asheville—and one of the twelve speakers taking the TEDxAsheville stage on March 20, 2026 at the Diana Wortham Theater, under the theme Messy. Lisa was on site in Black Mountain when Hurricane Helene hit, and she helps us understand what “flow” really means: the gentle Swannanoa and French Broad we float on in summer, and the same rivers turning biblical when rain, terrain, and history collide. We talk watershed scale, precursor rains, and why a two-foot river can become twenty-three feet deep. We also talk about what humans do to riverbanks—what happens when riparian buffers are stripped away, and why places that kept them, like parts of the Biltmore frontage, fared differently. From Chimney Rock and Lake Lure to Marshall and the River Arts District, Lisa makes the case for calculated risk, shared responsibility, and floodplain realism—without denial and without despair. I close with a personal river memory from Brevard Road, a grandfather smoking Tampa cigars, and the old foam-dark French Broad—then pivot to Manila, where waterways still carry the cost of city life. Rivers remember. The question is: will we?

Welcome to provocative conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, I record on location in Taipei, Taiwan, tracing a single day as it unfolds—from morning rain and quiet memorial grounds to crowded streets, shared meals, and a luminous night market. What emerges is a listening-based travelogue: part reportage, part reflection, part improvisation. The episode moves through the scale and symbolism of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, galleries dedicated to art, democracy, and human rights, and parks where qigong, tai chi, birds, and water slow the pace of the day. Along the way, ordinary moments take on meaning: standing in line for noodles, watching a heron fish, noticing alleyways, scooters, fabric, sound, and gesture. As evening arrives, the city gathers in the night market—dense, bright, kinetic—before the day closes in a quiet listening room and a hotel window overlooking the turn from 2025 to 2026. Throughout the episode, questions surface about disruption and order, impermanence and continuity, attention and belonging. This is not a guidebook or a debate. It’s an invitation to listen closely—to place, to movement, and to the way meaning forms when we slow down enough to notice what’s already there.

In this episode, I sit down with George Hope Johnson, a TEDx Asheville speaker whose upcoming talk explores transgender identity through lived experience, clarity, and deep human insight. George is a thoughtful, articulate young man with years of public speaking experience, and he brings both courage and nuance to a subject that is often reduced to headlines and sound bites. Our conversation moves through George’s personal journey—from coming out at a young age, to navigating identity, perception, and belonging, to preparing an eleven-minute TEDx talk designed to reach people who are curious, uncertain, or quietly searching for understanding. We talk about fear, empathy, masculinity, storytelling, and what it means to be seen as human rather than labeled. This is not a debate. It’s a conversation rooted in listening, emotional honesty, and lived reality. If you’re interested in how stories change hearts, how identity evolves, and how thoughtful dialogue can soften fear, this episode is well worth your time.

What if creativity isn’t something you learn—but something you remember? Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé, and today poet and educator Laura Hope Gill joins us for a far-reaching exploration of creativity as a vital human intelligence—one that is biological, emotional, and deeply spiritual. Laura challenges the idea that poetry is ornamental or academic. Instead, she speaks of it as a form of natural intelligence that helps us metabolize grief, restore connection, and re-enter community in a fractured world. Drawing from her work with doctors, surgeons, counselors, and lifelong learners, she shares stories of people who turned to writing not to become poets, but to survive, heal, and feel again. We explore why metaphor matters, how creative reasoning differs from analytical thinking, and what happens when a culture loses its relationship to imagination. Along the way, Laura weaves together quantum physics, Romantic poetry, neuroscience, and lived experience to show how writing can guide us through disruption and back to ourselves. This episode is for anyone who feels the pull to write, create, or make sense of their inner life—and wonders why it feels so urgent now.

I wrote this poem during our Imaginative Storm Writing Prompt of the Week session. We meet every Saturday, 12-1 PM Eastern Time. It's a terrific gathering of writers. It's free. Join us sometime, won't you? www.imaginativestorm.com It’s Raining in Georgia written and performed by James Navé To whisper requires grace beyond secrets, beyond tender hearts. We've all lost love, dropped into black holes, called out late in the night, “Love me mama.” Warm memories arrive with mosaic questions. I’ve lost love and gain love. Someone wrote a country song once. Sad thing with a small stream running by an old house where two people lived out their lives, no longer bright. Those two were Wilma and Sam along the road that goes to town, where a few stoplights dangle, and an ice cream shop sits beside a newsstand. This couple belongs in a country song. Yes, grace matters, and so do Friday night football games. Wars in the distant past that made the men who live in this town now older than they should be, when they came home young and hoped for love. If you write a country song, include me; add my story to your roster. Make me a small part of something larger, No clowns please. The whispers you hear when you dream belong in this song. Your lost loves belong in this song. Too many times we've wandered alone without the night to call our own, far away from where we belong. Too many times we wandered alone. Include me in your country song. Make a place at the table. When I knock, let me in. By the way, it’s raining in Georgia.

Dust of Snow by Robert Frost was a terrific poem to perform for students in grades K-3, alongside other short poems like I'm Nobody by Emily Dickinson. Both poems work well for children; that said, both have serious adult themes, such as identity and loneliness, which thread through many lives today.

Welcome to provocative conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé. Today I'm going solo. In this hour-long wandering through memory, poetry, and place, I invite you into a journey that begins in Manila—fifteen million people, dense layers, and a heat that never quits—and circles outward into the deeper weather patterns of a poetic life. From Robert Frost's Dust of Snow to John Keats' On the Grasshopper and the Cricket, we explore how the natural world awakens our inherent poetic disposition, whether we realize it or not. I take you back to my early days, hitchhiking across America, discovering the cold, haunted power of the Pacific Ocean, and then finding my younger self mirrored in Robert Frost's "Once by the Pacific." I talk about what it was like to co-found Poetry Alive in the 1980s—performing poems in gymnasiums, bringing playfulness to classrooms, and teaching thousands of students that the little things matter just as much as the big ones. We dip into thought-beats, memorization, and why Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" works for five-year-olds and grown-ups alike. And we venture into heavier terrain with Sharon Olds' The Food Thief, asking what poetry demands of us in a serious, complicated world. I also read new work generated during Imaginative Storm writing sessions—pieces like Rip Curled Edge and Ivory in the Night Sky—and reflect on time passing, aging, and the themes that keep returning. Enjoy this hour of poetry, memory, travel, performance, and the ever-present possibility that something is going to happen.

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé, and today you’re in for something rare — a conversation where music, mastery, presence, and spiritual curiosity meet in one sweeping arc. My guest is Deborah Domanski, the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano praised by The New York Times for her “luscious sound and lyrical refinement.” I met Deborah at the 2025 LEAF Festival in North Carolina, where — by pure serendipity — she ended up onstage with guitarist and longtime friend, Walter Parks. What unfolded that night was more than a performance. It was an act of instant creative communion, two artists from different worlds dropping into a shared field of presence, improvisation, and trust. In this conversation, Deborah talks openly about what it takes to reach that level of effortless mastery — the thousands of hours of training, yes, but also the deeper practice of getting out of your own way, listening for what wants to come through, and letting the art work on you as much as you work on it. We talk about creativity, collaboration, Monteverdi, meditation, belonging, grief, loneliness, home, and that rare moment when an artist dissolves into something larger than themselves — and brings an audience with them. Settle in. Enjoy.

In this episode, I sit down with Santa Fe entrepreneur and creative strategist David Lamb. From his family’s 150-year-old timber business in the Pacific Northwest to his work supporting Navajo weavers in New Mexico, David has spent a lifetime asking one essential question: How can we succeed in business without losing our soul? David’s answer comes down to three deceptively simple words—Have Fun. Make Money. Do Right. Together, we explore how those principles have shaped his leadership, his philanthropy, and his sense of identity as a “Western man.” David shares stories of rebuilding after bankruptcy, of learning humility through humor, and of finding clarity by listening to what he calls the voice of the organization. We also talk about creativity, community, and the hidden business acumen of Navajo grandmothers who run their weaving enterprises from sheep to finished rug. David reveals why he believes laughter is the foundation of resilience, why solvency is an act of stewardship, and why doing right—whether in commerce or art—is the truest measure of wealth. This conversation is both practical and philosophical, rooted in the belief that joy, prosperity, and integrity are not separate goals but parts of a single practice.

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice Five Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Unlike many podcast hosts who book their guests weeks in advance, I choose mine from the people I meet as I travel through my days. The only requirement for a provocative conversation is— you guessed it— they enjoy talking about what they love: gardening, writing poetry, tracking down underground criminals in the Philippines, circling 14,000-foot Colorado peaks in a glider, singing in New York jazz clubs, self-compassion, playing the blues, and consciousness—living and dying. So when I met my guest today, storyteller Lo Ziv, at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and she told me she was a religious scholar, a progressive storyteller, and a software engineer, I unpacked my microphones and invited her to sit down and tell me about God, HTML coding, and why Artificial Intelligence will never replace our species-imperative superpower—Imaginative Intelligence. Lo Ziv’s story is one of transformation—from ancient languages and sacred texts to the wild dance of storytelling and code. She grew up in a white evangelical military family and somehow found her way through centuries of scripture, dead languages, and a few living contradictions. Along the way, she taught in prisons in the United States and Romania, worked with children in villages, and stood in pulpits she could not yet claim. What fascinates me most is how she carries the sacred into the everyday—how a theologian, dancer, and software engineer can look at a line of HTML or a verse of scripture and see the same divine syntax. For Lo, the imagination itself is a spiritual act, a way of remembering that the wind—like the Spirit—blows wherever it pleases.

Art in Times of Beauty and Chaos with Parks & Navé by James Navé

Let's Say Goodbye performed by James Navé When the world rounds along mud bound lines Small trees speak. They tell long, determined stories. Can you hear them in the days you inhabit? Wild days. Tame days. Hot and cold days. Sometimes I'm rich and other times I count the last leaves on the thin stems hanging above strangers coming and going to work or from love or into days of hope that demands a small pay now. Moments of flesh or motorcycle dreams or the pull and push of memories hang round the world as the world spins. As it always spins. I live on the long side of time miles away from Las Vegas miles away from the Q train crossing the long bridge. =Miles away from my father's grave. These days the soul is silent in the buried violence of bronze memories. Love comes and goes. Yes, shoes fit and so do shirts and small earrings fashioned by dreamers from New Orleans under the green sun. After the invisible wizards were gone out, names they gave in the last storm were remembered by those who could remember. I was there that day, near the Mud bound lines under the wedding trees. Can you make a wish? A small one. Let's make one together. Touch the prayers of blackbirds. Forget snow. Remember why you long for those distant songs. Why do mysteries forget what you try to remember. I have my keys. I have my dreams. I'll leave soon. Come walk with me to the door, and let's say goodbye.

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Today, we venture into the soul of community, tradition, and joyful expression through the lens of contra dancing, sound, and the magic of gathering. In this episode, I sit down with Ed and Tami Howe—two deeply rooted contributors to the contra dance movement and the LEAF Festival. Design, Dance, and LEAF Love From Ed’s beginnings as a fiddler in Maine to his rise as a creative force behind the band Perpetual e-Motion, his story is steeped in sound, stagecraft, and communal uplift. Tami shares how a search for connection led her to the contra dance floor, where eye contact and shared rhythm transformed her sense of belonging. We dive into Brookside, the epicenter of LEAF’s dance scene—a pavilion filled with movement, music, and intentional design that fosters joy and inclusiveness. We explore the art of building the dance floor, the evolving language of tradition, and the metaphorical power of crafting space where everyone feels welcome. It’s about design meeting passion. Movement meeting grace. Mistakes becoming invitations. From the roots of Nelson, New Hampshire, to the inclusive pulse of modern festivals, contra dance has become more than a pastime—it’s a way of life. Stay with us. This episode is a celebration of artistry, culture, resilience, and the kind of dance that brings people home to themselves.

What the Wind Whispers —James Navé Forever and without trouble, I start now. No force or struggle, swimming along, no knots. I tap at your door. Will you join me? Let's go down the willow path, past the old trees that understand, troubled yesterdays When the dance comes in time, without the will of fierce wind, I will tell you about the secret that visits me often coming through the window. Here's what the wind whispers. “fire will do when you crack the young flowers open in the blue whale rain that falls from days gone by.” When will I be able to say I belong to the rain? Who will check on me, kiss me when spring comes after the long cold? Take me to the first party before the sky goes white like old bones left alone on the side of a hill where cougars roam and stars pop out at dusk. I wish I had more time to tell you about what I did this morning, when I rose early, still dark, no sound—late stars in the sky. I walked to the kitchen, made a coffee, then sat down, alone like some small blue whale floating in the air.

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio; I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, I speak with Schree Chavdarov, Global Engagement Director of LEAF Global Arts, about solidarity, resilience, and the healing power of culture. From the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina to grassroots programs across El Salvador, Rwanda, and Kenya, Schree shows how art keeps communities alive when everything else is broken. She shares her own extraordinary story of surviving a rare, life-threatening parasite—an experience that deepened her understanding of resilience and solidarity. We also discuss how drumming, storytelling, and preserving languages become pathways to healing, hope, and identity for young people worldwide. Together, we reflect on what it means to live fully in challenging times: to welcome others, to share culture, to keep creating even when resources are scarce. This conversation reminds us that art is not a luxury—it is a lifeline.

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio; I’m your host, James Navé. What happens when a bullied 12-year-old finds her voice through a school talent show poem—and never looks back? In this powerful episode of Twice 5 Miles Radio, I sit down with Alabama-born poet E. Bailey, a rising star in the national slam poetry scene, who will be competing at this year’s LEAF Poetry Slam Championships. Over 40 minutes, E. Bailey walks us through her poetic journey—from being mentored by a traveling poetry dad to self-publishing her first book at 15, to discovering the raw intimacy of slam poetry. Baileydoesn’t just write poems—she does poetry. She performs it, embodies it, lives it. Her stories are vulnerable, electric, and deeply human: navigating trauma, small-town isolation, early grief, and ultimately, transformation. Whether she’s reading her two-part piece “Bad Girl / Bad Girl Becomes Woman” or reflecting on slam as a spiritual awakening, E. Bailey speaks forcefully, without hesitation. The second half of the episode includes I reflect on my own poetic evolution—growing into the craft later in life, the origins of the LEAF Slam, and what it means to say something true on the page and on the stage. This is a show about poetry as survival, as connection, and as reclamation. Whether you’re 13 or 97, a seasoned poet or someone just starting out, this episode is an invitation to step through the door and speak your truth. Tune in, take a breath, and let E. Bailey catch yo with your guard down.

Welcome to Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Today’s guest is PJ Ewing—a longtime friend, brilliant digital marketer, skilled podcast host of Lester the Nightfly, and one of the most thoughtful audio engineers I know. This wide-ranging conversation explores the evolving intersection of sound, artificial intelligence, and American culture. From podcasting to tech ethics, it’s a deep dive into our digital future. PJ and I dig into what makes good audio, the shifting podcasting landscape, how media influences identity, and whether we as a species can survive the next 400 years. From the 1960’s Gunsmoke TV series to AI, from Alaska community radio to Malcolm Gladwell’s take on gun culture, we examine the deep questions—and share a few laughs along the way. You’ll come away with fresh insights on creativity, society, and the risks we’re all taking to build whatever’s next. Key Topics Covered in the Interview The importance of high-quality audio in podcasting Tips and gear for DIY podcasting (mics, software, editing tools) Niche podcasting vs. general interviews Podcast recommendations (including 20,000Hz, Pivot, Hard Fork, StarTalk) PJ’s shift away from political media Malcolm Gladwell and the cultural influence of Gunsmoke Personal reflections on American gun culture Local community resilience post-Hurricane Helene The case for city-states over large national governments Speculative futures: AI, gene editing, alien contact Cultural evolution and the crisis of masculinity Whether humanity can survive the next 400 years The dual nature of capitalism as destructive and innovative

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé. Today, I'm joined by Juliet Ewing, a dynamic jazz vocalist whose journey from Broadway stages to intimate New York jazz clubs is as lyrical as the songs she sings. ' A classically trained musical theater performer, Juliet speaks candidly about creativity, joy, and the art of telling the truth through song. We dive deep into her transformation from touring musicals like Crazy for You and Footloose to developing her sold-out cabaret "Rise Up Singing: The Music of George Gershwin," now culminating in her upcoming album Simply'S Wonderful. Juliet unpacks the layers of perfectionism, the power of storytelling in music, and how Gershwin's lyrics still break hearts a century later. We talk rehearsal, spontaneity, roses, and the jazz of living well. Juliet's voice—clear, radiant, intelligent—carries more than a tune. Her voice carries a lifetime of artistic devotion, grit, and joy. If you've ever wondered where the magic lives in a song, this conversation will bring you home.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé. On today's show, I'm joined by Michelle Vandepas, founder of GracePoint Publishing, TEDx speaker, and book coach to bestselling authors such as Brian Tracy and Jack Canfield. Michelle has published over a thousand books, but what sets her apart is her deep belief in the transformative power of creativity and voice. In this rich conversation, we dive into the mechanics and mysteries of publishing—what it means to shape your story, find your voice, and deliver a book with soul. Michelle pulls back the curtain on the publishing industry, revealing common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and she shares her philosophy on how authenticity, strategy, and—yes—even impatience can become your greatest creative assets. After our conversation, I read an excerpt from my memoir-in-progress, written by hand in my Taos studio, a reflection that loops together moonlight, country music, and marble statues from the Louvre. If you've ever wondered how your voice becomes a book—or how a memory becomes meaning—you'll want to settle in for this one. Twice 5 Miles Radio—original, curious, and always on the road to somewhere.

Today on the show, I'm pleased to welcome Donald Graham, an internationally acclaimed photographer whose portraits, landscapes, and stories span the globe—from high fashion in Paris to mountain lions prowling the wilds of Taos, New Mexico. Don's work is housed in collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the International Center of Photography, and his black-and-white portrait book "One of a Kind" has garnered over 40 international awards. We met by chance at an after-party in Taos and found ourselves deep in conversation about photography, light, and the animals that roam his high desert land. That moment led to this interview. In our conversation, Don takes us from the glamour of Vogue shoots in Paris to the quiet solitude of waiting for a bear to appear on a trail cam. We discuss photography as an act of presence, empathy, and uncovering stories behind the eyes of a subject. He offers technical insights, soulful reflections, and a few hard-earned truths about making a life in the arts. So pour a cup of coffee, settle in, and join me for this intimate and far-reaching conversation with a man who's spent his life pointing a lens at the world—and seeing what most of us miss.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio, I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, we begin with Leandro Reyes, Manila’s dynamic “Basyang Kid”—a spoken-word artist who channels a century-old literary legacy into powerful performances, poetic craft, and cultural community-building. From open mic stages across Makati to the pages of Postscript Magazine, Leandro honors the legacy of his great-grandfather, Severino “Lola Basyang” Reyes—the iconic playwright and “Father of Tagalog Zarzuela”—while forging his own bold new path. His debut poem, “Sugarcoats,” contemplates loss with quiet precision, and his work in theater and advocacy reveals a deep devotion to Filipino artistry and imagination. Then we travel from Manila to Taos for a conversation I recorded a few years ago with Ocean Vuong, bestselling author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and his current novel, The Emperor of Gladness, published on May 13, 2025. Ocean was in Northern New Mexico for the Taos Poetry Festival, and we sat down to talk about poetry, language, loss, and what it means to carry beauty and grief in the same breath. To close the show, I offer a short writing workshop—an invitation called “A Long Look at Yourself.” It’s a simple, powerful practice in awareness and emotional truth, designed to help you connect with your voice and see your own story in a fresh light. Whether you're a writer, a listener, or someone simply curious about the human spirit, I hope this episode offers you something to carry with you.

The Slow Burn of a Beautiful Dream with Jennifer Peterson Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, I speak with Jennifer Peterson, founder of the Estelle Center for Creative Arts in La Veta, Colorado (https://estellecreativearts.com/). Jennifer shares how a dream seeded by her grandmother's artistic spirit evolved into a vibrant retreat center for women to explore creativity, build community, and work with their hands. We talk about the emotional power of quilting, the quiet transformation that happens during a five-day retreat, and how making art becomes a way to live with more grace, connection, and resilience. Jennifer’s story is a masterclass in patience, purpose, and creative leadership. Whether you’re a fiber artist, a retreat leader, or someone yearning to carve out creative time in a busy life, you’ll find inspiration here. Jennifer reminds us: you don’t have to know exactly how your dream will unfold—you just have to let it live long enough to find its form. Listen in and discover how one woman’s quiet dream turned into a movement of creative restoration.

Three 10-minute pieces of writing generated by James Navé at an Imaginative Storm Writing Retreat at the Estelle Retreat Center in La Vita, Colorado,

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, I speak with musician, educator, and LEAF Global Arts programming director Melissa McKinney, who shares the remarkable story of how music has shaped every corner of her life. From running a music school in West Virginia to starting over in Asheville, and her involvement with LEAF Global Art. Melissa’s journey is one of courage, reinvention, and the power of community. We discuss her daughter’s band, The Change, and how their 2016 performance at LEAF led to a deep involvement with the organization. Melissa reflects on the challenges of leaving a conservative environment, rediscovering her voice, and building new roots through music and mentorship. She shares stories of Kinsey, a beloved student whose life and song, “Laugh, Love, Live,” continue to inspire children across Buncombe County—and Melissa’s creative path. We also explore what it means to “step into your power,” honor your voice and lead through authenticity. Tune in for a moving conversation about creativity, healing, and living a life in tune with your deepest values.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Today, I sit down with my longtime friend Walter Parks for a wide-ranging conversation about art, politics, messaging, community, and the future of civic discourse in America. Recorded in the solarium of the historic Mountain Stream lodge at Lake Eden Retreat—once the administrative heart of Black Mountain College—our conversation unfolds in the spirit of that legendary institution: curious, fearless, and open-hearted. Walter and I explore how liberal and conservative ideologies have drifted so far apart—and how we might begin to bridge that divide through artful messaging, shared values, and the courage to claim common ground. Together, we ask: What if patriotism belonged to everyone, not just one side? What if inclusion could be framed not as a threat but as a strength? Can we rethink “woke” not as a weaponized label but as a declaration of creative aliveness? From the symbolic power of flags to the manipulative genius of Edward Bernays, the father of public relations, and the role of creativity as a survival tool, we delve into the roots of narrative, perception, and identity. We envision a new kind of gathering at Lake Eden Retreat in Swannanoa, NC —one that welcomes all voices, resists tribalism, and fosters deep, productive conversations. Join us.

Q: Who Would Envy You? A: Bruce Springsteen Last month, I had coffee with my friend Gareth Higgins at Recess Coffee in Black Mountain, North Carolina. As we settled in, I mentioned I’d been exploring ChatGPT. Gareth smiled and said, “Let me show you something ChatGPT can do that’ll surprise you.” Then he leaned into his phone and dictated: List 10 notable writers or poets who would be envious of James Navé and explain why. If you’ve ever used ChatGPT, you know what happened next—within seconds, it generated the list along with a paragraph for each one. While a few responses were predictable, the overall experience was oddly fascinating. It got me thinking about the lens of self-worth, creative admiration, and the power of imaginative comparison. Yesterday, I tried Gareth’s idea out as a prompt during our Thursday Imaginative Storm Zoom workshops. List 5 to 10 people you admire. Then, write for 10 minutes about why they would envy you. Give it a spin. I chose Bruce Springsteen. Here’s what I wrote. Bruce Springsteen, you envy me because I can be invisible whenever and wherever I want, wherever I go, walking through the promised land across the Rainbow Bridge. Bruce, I like the way you look straight out. You envy me because I can see the edges. I dwell in the fall from grace as much as the rise from grace. I'm not troubled with old sheep wandering in dry pastures. I have a voice that calls my mama from the grave. No, I'm no karmic child, nor am I a fleeting-moments Buddhist. I am oil and dusty windows. Bruce, you envy me because unlike you, I'm from the rugged south, down in the heartland where rocks have accents and children grow up to sing in Nashville. Bruce, you are from New Jersey—Land of steel, forest, factories, and “made-men” on corners in Jersey City. I am a creature of things that crawl in old gold heat. I know the runners that pull the cargo up the inland waterway and fly twin-engine planes out of Cuba, or they used to. Bruce, I know you know people, too. Do I envy you? Sure, I envy you. I've heard you weep over your piano. You envy me because nobody expects me to weep over my piano. Those who know me expect me to rise up like magic wind. Bruce, you envy me because I can talk to age, and time, and the coming years. I belong to the invisible Bruce. I can call up sometime, anytime I want. You can call me sometime, too. Let's meet in Virginia, south on I-95 just below Washington, DC. How about it, Bruce?

In this episode of Twice 5 Miles Radio, I speak with Rev. Barbara Lane, author of Broken Water, a memoir of childhood trauma, foster care, and reunion with the sisters she was separated from at age three. Barbara’s story is both heartbreaking and healing—a journey through abandonment and abuse into the power of love, memory, and inner resilience. We talk about how the light of the divine lives in each of us, even in the darkest moments. Barbara shares how the Grovian coaching method and symbolic metaphor can open new paths to healing. Her work is grounded in the belief that you're not what happened to you—you are the story you choose to live now. If you've ever felt weighed down by the past, this conversation offers „a way through. A reminder that even if the water breaks, it still flows—and you’re still here. Learn more about Barbara's work at www.barbaralane.info. here

In this solo episode of Twice 5 Miles Radio, I reflect on my final days in Paris after 40 years of coming and going. I’m sitting in a small studio at 38 Rue Dauphine—a place that’s been a quiet touchstone in my life and a silent witness to the legacy of the Paris literary scene. As I look back, I think about this little apartment and time, memory, and the places we carry with us. I share stories from 1968 when the world was turning upside down—when I graduated high school the night Robert F. Kennedy was shot. I talk about growing up on Pine Lane in western North Carolina, driving through the dark toward Myrtle Beach, and listening to the news on an old AM radio. I wonder what it means to feel the passing of time—and to feel its presence, too. You’ll hear a recitation of Dylan Thomas’s Fern Hill, a reading from my book 100 Days: Poems After Cancer, and reflections on how the echoes of the past live inside the present moment. I also talk about my ongoing work with Allegra Huston and the creative path we’ve forged together over the last five years. This episode is a meditation on home, history, poetry, and the stillness that lives beneath the noise. It’s a way of saying thank you to Paris, Pine Lane, and the community of listeners who’ve made this radio journey possible. Broadcast on the edge of evening, Rue Dauphine, Pine Lane, and the Eternal Now is my love letter to what’s been, a salute to what is, and a quiet nod toward whatever comes next.

Baxter had no idea why flowers thrilled him or why the full moon tugged his spirit—pulled it up out of his body into the sky, reaching, reaching for a dream full of desire to carve a parting yellow sea out of the long, black, dangling night under which he walked and walked across mud and old fallen trees and comrades spread as far as his eyes could see across the land. All music gone—nobody left to nod in the mud, or lean into prayers or worship the illusions of reflections cut out of the nine lives that nobody remembered—that once the cats owned. “And neither do I,” Baxter thought, as the army from the east roared over, so close, so close, so close to the thirsty land. Sacred land where kind eyes never belong anymore—and the monks and the gods and the children don't dance, nor do they follow the shadows up past the owls and the spiders. Baxter gave commands. Baxter had been in this business for a long time. He loved once before he fell in love with the trenches and the bullets and the old flowers that always returned after the long dead eyed winter was over. Baxter understood war belongs to the old, the ones that live elsewhere in the wealth and the lands beyond where he stood, like the chill of some soul that belongs nowhere. And yet he knew they were there somewhere like spirits way out beyond where he stood. Baxter turned to his friend, there in the hollow crossing—they leaned together; they kissed each other, loaded their rifles, fired at the men from the east. “Evil belongs to the other planets and the dead and me and the ones I once loved,” Baxter thought as he marched on into the day.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with my longtime friend, John Biscello—a gifted writer, actor, poet, and theater director who’s been shaping the artistic landscape of Taos, New Mexico for over two decades. John and I connected across the Atlantic—he in Taos and me in a 6th-floor studio on rue Dauphine in Paris. In this lively conversation, John and I discuss his latest youth theater production, Neverland Noir, a metaphysical remix of Peter Pan featuring 30 young performers. The show premieres at the Wildflower Playhouse in Taos, April 11–13. John founded the Taos Youth Ensemble over ten years ago, and in that time, he discovered just how transformative the creative process can be for young people. Our conversation explores how theater teaches flexibility, confidence, collaboration, and the power of embracing mistakes onstage as creative gold. We also dive into John’s rich, multidisciplinary creative life—his work as a novelist, playwright, spoken word artist, and filmmaker—and how Taos continues to be a haven for imaginative expression. As always, our talk reminded me why we make art first: to connect, grow, and honor the magic in things not going quite as planned.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé, coming to you solo today from Paris on rue Dauphine—a neighborhood I've been visiting since 1985. In this episode, I wander through the contours of my own story, musing on what it means to write from personal experience, especially when the backdrop is as evocative as Paris. Lately, I've considered the difference between being "a writer" and simply "a person who writes." It's a subtle shift, but it's made all the difference. I write longhand now, in fragments, imperfectly, but I'm happy with what's coming out. I'm not chasing the polished story. I'm following the thread. This podcast is a bit like that—fragmented but full of narrative moments. You'll hear my reflections on the inspiration of small details: how a coffee shop hums, taxies waiting at curbs, people asking for change, men smoking cigars at café tables, and pigeons waddling along sidewalks.   Paris is romantic, but it's also a working and walking city; I average about five miles a day here. It's 2025, and more now than ever, artists and creatives are responsible for making meaning—through books, images, conversations, poems, and songs. Can we shape meaning for ourselves? Can we offer a little something for others as well? I hope you enjoy the show.

What does it mean to report on the world’s hidden stories? In this episode of Twice 5 Miles Radio, I sit down with investigative journalist Sean Williams, co-host of the Underworld podcast, which reaches a million listeners every month. Sean’s reporting has taken him into the depths of organized crime, political corruption, and human resilience, from the slums of Manila to the frontlines of war zones. We met in Manila, a city he describes as “organized chaos,” where he was researching an in-depth Harper’s Magazine feature on Duterte’s brutal drug war and the lives caught in its grip. In our conversation, we discuss the sharp economic divides in Manila, the rise of disinformation, and how journalists like Sean navigate truth in a world increasingly shaped by propaganda. Sean shares his radical skepticism of social media, how digital platforms distort narratives, and why long-form journalism remains one of the last bastions of in-depth storytelling. We also explore the personal side of his work—how walking clears his mind, the discipline behind crafting a great feature, and why he believes every good story starts with listening. Whether you’re a writer, a journalist, or simply someone who cares about understanding the world beyond the headlines, this episode is for you. Join me, James Navé, as we take a deep dive into the art of investigative storytelling, the ethics of journalism, and the unseen forces shaping our global reality. Tune in to Twice 5 Miles Radio for this eye-opening conversation. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

Tell Me No More Lies Put down your story across the rocky landing. All force belongs to those who break angel wings apart and turn them into dust. I fold you behind the patches on my shoulders. Oh, no, these are the days that have never been. At last I'm home, tired. I forgot your name. Why do I find old buzzards hiding behind clocks in shops on the Flyway Road? I wish I could be in love forever with the old trucks that roar into the night. Fold me into your pocket, carry me with you until I stop breathing, then release me into the thin air. Oh, thin air—why do you redeem the little ones? What about me, can I have redemption too? One small wish will do—a little wish to go in my story when I wake behind some old wizard's dream. I have never robbed a bank or stolen a diamond, or a heart for that matter. Hold me now, hold me tight. I belong to the wind again‚—and the lies I've told. Yes, you can take me with you. I'll protect you. I'll find the cracks of the sky and pull God down onto the fire that burns at the back of my hand. I'm home, like I said; the angels have disappeared, gone with the dust and memory. Come with me, old wizard—yes, that’s you. Put your story across the rocky landing. Tell me no more lies—at least not today.

Let's break down this story. I belong to those who believe small gods call out to lizards with wings. Who can remember 20 years ago? How do you know those you've forgotten still live? A man told me last night he had died in another lifetime because he jumped off a cliff to keep the Romans from killing him—some kind of religious thing, many, many centuries ago. I told him I'd never experienced a past life. I said all life is one, as far as I was concerned—a continuous roll across the void at home and nothing. He had his story; I had mine. And then Bill Fundaberg's story—Bill died in the East Village during the Aids crisis. Oh, Bill Funderburg, we loved him; he could have been Andy Warhol in another life; he had one of those long-stem cigarette holders that he put his camel in, or his Marlboro or whatever cigarette he smoked. And he walked around staring up the sky, peering into the trees, puffing his cigarette. After he died, that news didn't come back to me for many years. When I last heard the news, it was a long time ago, and somebody told me his teeth were on a shrine in Phuket, Thailand. All praise to the land of the Buddha—the butterflies came—gold wings, Hungry for beauty—nothing boring about butterflies and dreams. And then there are those who wait for buses across the street, from the bar to Marché in Paris, where people lean on walls in the uncertainty of casual time. Oh, hungry, complacency; why do the fairies lie so much? Can you tell me that? Why do the fairies lie so much? How come the first position blesses the robin's eggs before I can break open? She said she hated pink. Oh, my. Bill Funderburg loved pink. I love wizards. At The Bar du Marché, you can do nothing, absolutely nothing. It's okay. Surie waves at the people who go by—serves and drinks‚—waves at them again. I've been going there for years—maybe 40 years. Will I soon disappear? Will I soon find the bus, the bus I've been waiting for for a long, long time? Who will remember me when I'm gone?

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé, and today, I'm going solo, reflecting on the four months I've spent in Manila from October 2024 to March 2025. The title Manila Is An Acquired Taste comes from something I've heard repeatedly: "Give it time." At first, I wasn't sure how to do that. Manila travel is an experience like no other—life in Manila is fast-paced, unpredictable, and filled with cultural contrasts. A city of 14 million people, 100,000 scooters on the highway, and traffic that turns a five-mile drive into an hour-long journey, Manila demands patience. But beneath the surface, I've found something else: a deep under-layer of Manila culture, humor, and human connection. In this episode, I share stories of expats in Manila adjusting to this dynamic city, my visit to Subic Bay, a sandwich-eating monkey, a war journalist, and the spoken word poetry scene that thrives here. This podcast on Manila is my way of making sense of it all—maybe, after all, I've acquired the taste. Enjoy the show

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé, and today, I'm joined by my good friend Kelly Hanson for a conversation that weaves together history, resilience, and the enduring spirit of the LEAF Global Arts community. Kelly and I were both there at the beginning when LEAF Global Arts was founded in 1995. Over the years, we've watched it evolve into a cultural beacon for creativity, inclusion, and connection. Today, as I collaborate with LEAF's founder, Jennifer Pickering, on a book capturing the heart of LEAF's 30-year journey, I'm interviewing key voices—Kelly among them—to help tell the story. Our conversation takes us deep into the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which devastated the Swannanoa area, where the LEAF Global Arts Retreat will return in May 2025. Kelly reflects on witnessing entire forests altered overnight, neighborhoods displaced, and the eerie silence that followed—just sirens and helicopters in the dark. And yet, amid this destruction, life continued. Deer tracks in the mud, beavers rebuilding, and the community rallying together to heal. She shares how her daughter chose to volunteer in the hardest-hit areas, helping neighbors sift through the wreckage of their homes. We also revisit a powerful candlelight vigil in Asheville, where 2,000 people gathered—firefighters, faith leaders, and families—holding hands and singing Stand By Me in the face of so much loss. Through it all, Kelly's optimism shines. "Spring will come," she says. And she finds hope in the arts, music, and LEAF itself—a festival that has always been more than a festival. "You leave with something much bigger than you." Join us as we explore a community's resilience, the transformative power of art, and the ways LEAF Global Arts continues to be a guiding light through dark times.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé. Today, I'm going solo with a show divided into three parts. Join me on a journey through poetry, performance, and politics. I begin by telling how I launched my career as a performance poet and founded Poetry Alive!, a theater company that presented poetry performances to over 5 million students over three decades. I share how it all began—the spark that set it in motion, the years of touring and performing, and, ultimately, my decision to step away. In the second segment, I take you on an early morning stroll through my neighborhood in Manila, reflecting on performance poetry and the power of memorization and reciting The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock as I walk. Prufrock's dilemma—his fear of irrelevance, of being "spare" in the world—resonates deeply, and I explore what that means for artists today. I then weave a fictional dialogue between Prufrock and Wilfred Owen, the World War I poet who wrote Dulce et Decorum Est. Owen, a young soldier shaped by war, confronts Prufrock's hesitation and self-doubt. It's a clash between a man stuck in his limitations and a poet who saw the raw truths of life and death. In the end, Owen puts Prufrock in his place—where he belongs. The final part of the episode shifts to the present, reflecting on the political climate of 2025. I focus on Donald Trump, particularly a story about his 1980s dealings with billionaires and his admiration for Adnan Khashoggi, a mentor of sorts who embodied Trump's aspirations for wealth and power. I close with thoughts on poetry—why it matters, why we write, and how artistic expression keeps us from becoming like Prufrock, lost in the corner of irrelevance. I hope you enjoy the show.

Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. My guest today is the extraordinary Jessie Kanelos Weiner—painter, illustrator, author, and stand-up comedian—who has built a creative life in Paris. We first met at a writing workshop years ago and recently reconnected to discuss her evolving artistic journey. Jessie is known for her stunning watercolors, illustrating for Vogue, The New Yorker, and luxury brands like Cartier and Fragonard. She co-authored Paris in Stride, a beautifully illustrated guidebook that helps visitors experience the city like a local. She’s also a stand-up comedian who performs in both English and French, navigating the cultural nuances of humor in two languages. In this conversation, we discuss the joys and challenges of life as an expat artist in Paris—finding inspiration, adjusting to the city’s rhythm, and balancing creative work with personal life. Join us for a rich discussion about reinvention, artistry, and making a home in a foreign land.