Twice 5 Miles Radio with James Navé

James Navé
  • 5.0 (1)
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Twice 5 Miles Radio is a podcast devoted to candid, often surprising conversations with artists, thinkers, and cultural instigators who have something to say. Each episode explores the stories, tensions, and questions that shape how we live, create, and pay attention. I’m James Navé—poet, storyteller, educator, and longtime host of Twice 5 Miles Radio. I hold an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and have spent decades teaching and working with writers and performers worldwide. I’m the co-developer of the Imaginative Storm Writing method with Allegra Huston, helping people access authentic voice through writing, speaking, and creative practice. My most recent book, 100 Days: A Poetic Memoir After Cancer, traces healing through language and attention. I’m also co-author of Write What You Don’t Know and How to Read for an Audience. At a time when the next decades will demand much of all of us, my hope is that this podcast offers meaningful insight for fellow travelers passing through. Thanks for stopping by.

  1. Imaginative Intelligence: The Human Birthright We Forgot

    2d ago

    Imaginative Intelligence: The Human Birthright We Forgot

    What if creativity isn't a talent reserved for artists, writers, and musicians? What if it's something far more fundamental—something woven into human nature itself? In this conversation, Allegra Huston and I explore a concept that has become central to our work over the last several years: Imaginative Intelligence. We discuss why creativity may be less about making products and more about participating in a vast field of possibilities that every human being is born into. Along the way, we talk about writing, intuition, mathematics, evolution, imagination, personal power, and the surprising ways people transform when they stop worrying about whether they're creative and begin practicing creativity as a way of life. Drawing on more than twenty years of teaching together and five years of weekly Imaginative Storm gatherings, we examine how a simple ten-minute writing practice can awaken confidence, reveal hidden possibilities, and help people reconnect with their own imaginative lives. This conversation is an invitation to reconsider what creativity really is—and to discover why "I don't know" may be one of the most powerful places a human being can stand.

    56 min
  2. From Paris to Taos On an Ordinary Day

    4d ago

    From Paris to Taos On an Ordinary Day

    Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I'm your host, James Navé. In this solo episode, I take you along on a twenty-two-hour journey from Paris to Taos, New Mexico—a trip that begins with coffee, oatmeal, a forgotten iPhone, and a ride on the Paris Metro, then winds through Charles de Gaulle Airport, a transatlantic flight, immigration in Salt Lake City, and a rain-soaked drive home through New Mexico. On the journey, I reflect on storytelling, travel, friendship, memory, artificial intelligence, poetry, and the surprising drama hidden inside everyday life. What begins as a simple travel narrative gradually becomes an exploration of how stories are formed, not through grand events, but through observation, movement, and attention to the world around us. I also share Alfred Noyes' classic narrative poem, The Highwayman, recited from memory while standing in an airport boarding line.

    57 min
  3. Take a Stand by Sitting Down with Jay Hill unpacking his TEDx talk

    May 21

    Take a Stand by Sitting Down with Jay Hill unpacking his TEDx talk

    Welcome to Twice 5 Miles Radio. I’m your host, James Navé. Today my guest is Jay Hill, whose TEDx Asheville talk may be one of the funniest and most unexpectedly thought-provoking presentations I’ve encountered in years. Jay’s subject? Men sitting down to pee. Yes, really. What begins as a provocative comic premise quickly opens into a larger conversation about responsibility, habit, fairness, emotional honesty, rehearsal, public speaking, and the strange vulnerability of standing on a TEDx stage revealing something deeply personal and surprisingly universal. In this conversation, Jay and I revisit the rehearsal process at the old Black Mountain College barn at Lake Eden, explore improvisation, audience psychology, and the tension between structure and spontaneity. We also discuss why certain ideas stick in the mind long after the laughter fades. Part performance theory, part social observation, part comedy routine, this episode moves from splash physics and “fluid dynamics” to existential questions about the messes human beings leave behind—and who winds up cleaning them up.

    56 min
  4. Adam and Eve Ate the Apple — Thank God

    May 7

    Adam and Eve Ate the Apple — Thank God

    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 God 00:00 — 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

    58 min
  5. Writing as Medicine: Rebecca Jarmas on Migraine, Creativity, and Courage

    May 1

    Writing as Medicine: Rebecca Jarmas on Migraine, Creativity, and Courage

    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.

    56 min
  6. Your Life Is the Narrative—Now What? with James Navé

    Apr 25

    Your Life Is the Narrative—Now What? with James Navé

    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 narrative 03:00 — The Framework Narrative, Authority, Voice, Ease explained 07:00 — Voice and Ease Voice as identity Ease as the result of alignment 11:00 — Life as Narrative Every choice shapes the story Control vs improvisation 15:00 — When Life Gets Hard Illness, struggle, and delayed ease 19:00 — Strategy and Ego Blind spots Choosing better options 23:00 — The Drive Example Asheville to Saint Louis Two narratives: stress vs ease 27:00 — Choosing Ease Route decision Slowing down vs rushing 31:00 — Ease in Action Avoiding stress and speeding Presence and environment 34:00 — Rest and Rhythm Sleeping in the car Repeating successful patterns 37:00 — Intuition Truck stop decision Listening to internal signals 40:00 — Turning Story into Writing Dictation vs writing Speaking to create text 43:00 — Planet Money and Publishing How books get made Audience, scale, and authority 47:00 — Scale and Reality Numbers matter Knowing your range 50:00 — Why I Do This Work Imaginative Storm Helping people express their voice 53:00 — Living Your Narrative Identity, daily life, poetic awareness 55:00 — Closing + Poems Final reflections Ogden Nash

    57 min
  7. Fern Hill, Paris, and the Passage of Time with James Navé

    Apr 18

    Fern Hill, Paris, and the Passage of Time with James Navé

    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.

    57 min
  8. Math, Poetry, and the Calculations of Everyday Life with James Navé

    Apr 10

    Math, Poetry, and the Calculations of Everyday Life with James Navé

    Math, Poetry, and the Calculations of Everyday Life Welcome 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 practice TIMESTAMPS 00:00 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

    57 min
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About

Twice 5 Miles Radio is a podcast devoted to candid, often surprising conversations with artists, thinkers, and cultural instigators who have something to say. Each episode explores the stories, tensions, and questions that shape how we live, create, and pay attention. I’m James Navé—poet, storyteller, educator, and longtime host of Twice 5 Miles Radio. I hold an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and have spent decades teaching and working with writers and performers worldwide. I’m the co-developer of the Imaginative Storm Writing method with Allegra Huston, helping people access authentic voice through writing, speaking, and creative practice. My most recent book, 100 Days: A Poetic Memoir After Cancer, traces healing through language and attention. I’m also co-author of Write What You Don’t Know and How to Read for an Audience. At a time when the next decades will demand much of all of us, my hope is that this podcast offers meaningful insight for fellow travelers passing through. Thanks for stopping by.

Information

  • Creator
    James Navé
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    249
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved