Twice 5 Miles: Songwriting Delights with singer-songwriter Alice Howe

In this lovely Twice 5 Miles interview, Alice Howe talks about all the songwriting delights she has enjoyed while establishing herself as one of America's prominent young singer-songwriters. 

When Alice Howe wants to unlock a memory or understand emotion, she steps outside. "There's something about the stillness," she says. "When I'm sitting with my guitar and looking out at a forest or the ocean, I have the space to reflect on people and places. My muse strikes." 

For Alice, her songwriting delights, which we enjoy today, include all the musical experiences she has embraced over the years. As a child, singing came naturally to Alice. Then, during her teenage years, Alice discovered songwriting, which she loved as much as singing. By the time Alice was eighteen, she knew without a doubt that her life's work, her destiny, if you will, would always include singing and songwriting. 

Alice's path to "up-and-coming" artist seems both fated and winding. She grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, in a home filled with music and art. Long outdoor walks were encouraged, and Alice would often disappear to wander through her grandmother's garden next door or journal and turn experiences into songs. 

"I can't remember not singing," she says with a laugh. Her mother always had a record to put on––Muddy Waters, Taj Mahal, and other blues giants were favorites. Alice sang with her brother and her dad, Sandy––a gifted painter turned successful architect––and sang alone to herself, improvising and composing constantly. 

In this interview, Alice reminds us that a career in the music business is indeed full of songwriting delights. Moreover, it requires more than a beautiful voice and writing chops. Alice tells us that to succeed in the music business, you must practice your musical craft daily, work the digital space with entrepreneurial zeal, drop as much self-doubt as you can, and embrace your musical career without hesitation.  When you do that, you too will create songwriting delights people will remember for years to come. 

I hope you enjoy this interview.

Songwriting Delights with singer-songwriter Alice Howe

Provocative Conversations from Twice 5 Miles Radio is a podcast devoted to candid, often surprising exchanges with artists, thinkers, and cultural instigators who speak from the core. Each episode dives beneath the surface to explore the stories and questions that shape our lives.

I’m James Navé—poet, storyteller, educator, and longtime creative collaborator. With an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and decades of teaching experience across the globe, I help writers and performers tap into their authentic voices through public speaking, creative writing, and the Imaginative Storm method, which I co-developed with Allegra Huston.

My most recent book, 100 Days: A Poetic Memoir After Cancer (3: A Taos Press), documents a hundred days of healing and poetic reckoning. I’m also co-author of Write What You Don’t Know and How to Read for an Audience—practical guides for anyone seeking to speak and write with more truth and power.

I’ve directed festivals, hosted literary salons, taught with Julia Cameron, and memorized over 600 poems. I still believe in the power of a well-told story, the light through stained glass, and the open road with nothing but a podcast and a windshield full of stars.

Songwriting Delights with singer-songwriter Alice Howe

Twice Five Miles